Ronnie Foster

Funk, soul, and jazz organist and producer Ronnie Foster was born in Buffalo, New York on May 12, 1950. He became interested in music at the age of four but didn’t commit himself to studying it until he was in his early teens. While still attending high school, he played his first professional live show at a strip club when he was 15. After performing alongside other local musicians, he formed his own group and moved to New York City, New York. Ronnie Foster began playing alongside other esteemed musicians around New York City. Signing to Blue Note Records, Ronnie Foster’s career as a bandleader began in 1972 with the release of his debut album Two Headed Freap. Other albums on Blue Note include Sweet Revival (1972), On the Avenue (1974), and Cheshire Cat (1975). Switching to Columbia Records, he released two more albums to close out the 1970s: Love Satellite (1978) and Delight (1979). While only releasing one solo album in the 1980s – The Racer (1986) – Ronnie Foster recorded with many artists throughout the decade including Chet Atkins, the Jacksons, George Benson, Grover Washington Jr., Stanley Turrentine, and Chayanne. In the ‘80s and ‘90s, the British Acid Jazz scene rediscovered his music and he began to grow a cult audience. Hip-hop and R&B musicians took notice as well and his was sampled by artists such as A Tribe Called Quest and J. Cole.

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