Radney Foster: 5 Random Questions…
A year after the release of his most recent album, The World We Live In, FranklinIs checked in with singer/songwriter Radney Foster to get his take on our Five Random Questions…
FI: What subject do you ‘Google’ the most?
Radney: Vintage guitars and wine
FI: If you could swap glasses with anyone, who would it be and why?
Radney: John Lennon in the ’70s. Though I didn’t agree with everything he believed, he had a great and clear vision.
FI: What song do you wish you could have written?
Radney: “I Fall To Pieces,” “Today I Started Loving You Again” “Yesterday” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” “Should I Stay or Should I Go” and many others.
FI: What is your favorite stage to play in the Nashville area?Radney: The Mercy Lounge
FI: How do you like your coffee?
Radney: Cream and sugar in the morning, espresso in the afternoon
FI: What is the most memorable moment from your career thus far?
Radney: Sitting in the studio with my oldest son, as the Dixie Chicks played him their version of “GodSpeed.” (A song I had written for him).
Texas-born singer-songwriter – and, recently, producer – Radney Foster has been writing songs since he was a kid, writing songs by age 7 and playing guitar by age 12. He came to Tennessee in the late 70s to attend The University of the South. While he was there, he played small-club gigs, and then decided to head to Nashville, where he signed with MTM as a staff songwriter. He gained popular notoriety as part of the duo Foster & Lloyd, and released his first solo album, Del Rio, Texas, 1959, in 1992.
You can hear influences of vintage pop, classic rock, and Texas country throughout his music, but Foster’s gift for charming yet insightful songwriting is what has led his songs to be recorded by the likes of Jack Ingram, Pat Green, Keith Urban, Kenny Chesney, Brooks and Dunn and Sara Evans. Foster’s latest album, The World We Live In, came out in 2006, and simply bolsters the notion that his work holds appeal for fans of many genres. The sound ranges from rootsy to rock, from classic to contemporary – but the songwriting is purely Foster. Just listen to songs like Sara Evans’ “Real Fine Place to Start” or Jack Ingram’s “Measure of a Man,” and you’ll recognize Foster’s unique voice in the lyrics.
Foster will be on the road again starting in June, heading to Texas’ famous Gruene Hall, but you don’t have to wait to hear him – his website and MySpace page are resources for the newly interested or the veteran fan, complete with message boards, journal entries (his latest one is from his trip to France last year!), and – of course – streaming audio of his songs.
