Biography

"Howl At The Blues" 2006
HI-REZ Downloads -> "Hi-Rez "Howl At The Blues" Downloads"

Other Stephen Foster & Howler Albums ->
"Howl At The Moon" 2011 "Howl At The Moon""
"Demo Blues" 2011 ->"Demo Blues"
"Swingin' The Blues" 2011 ->"Swingin' The Blues"

Howl At The Blues Liner Notes:
This album charted in the AMA National FM Top-40 Charts in 2007 and stayed on the charts for 10 months.
Nominated "Emerging Artist Of The Year" AMA Awards 2007
Nominated "Blues Album Of The Year" Muscle Shoals Music Awards 2007
All songs written by Stephen Foster unless otherwise noted. The album was recorded in one weekend on the mountain with the exception of "Changing Times" which we cut a few weeks later. Vocals cut in one day, mixdown was 2 days. No overdubs to speak of, just live rhythm tracks, and 4 of the songs were written during the sessions.
"Mad As Hell" was written/constructed by the Howler band (Eddie Russell, Jay Jernigan, Larry Hartsfield & myself) onstage at a club in Tennessee. "Cathead Blues" is about a fictional trip to Jackson, MS. This live cut was done in Sheffield, AL at a club."Mama" was a quick 2-take cut, just felt good. "Wearin' A Hole" is about Jim Mangrum (Jim Dandy of Black Oak) who married a "lady of the night" in Memphis, and discovered that if he wanted to have conjugal relations with Brandy, he basically had to pay for it. "Middle Class" was written in Memphis in 1998 after seeing a news report on starving kids. Jay wrote "Still Blue" in response to his dad's lack of respect for Jay's musical abilities. "Cold Fever" was written in 1980 in Memphis. "Why Do They Go" was a session jam. The "Cathead Blues" studio version vocals were done under the gun. I had a horrible toothache and figured that was a good time to cut the vox on this painful song. 4 Advil and a sock full of ice on my cheek, and I could only get one take done, and this is it. Changing Times was written in 20 minutes at the kitchen table at Larry Hartsfield's cool cabin in Tennessee one afternoon.

Steve
"Barefootin'"
Stephen Foster's professional music background goes back to 1969 in Muscle Shoals, AL, where he grew up. The list of musicians he's worked with in studio or onstage is a veritable who's who of American music. His music education however, started much earlier, in the 50s, when radio consisted of stations like WLS and WSM at night, and the playlist was as varied as imaginable. Jazz, Blues, Country, Texas Swing, Pop and early R&B all played side-by-side. His father, a stride jazz pianist, and his mother, a contralto jazz torch singer, insisted on a music education for their children. Piano lessons started at age 5, and the home was filled with music of all styles, but the records most played by his father were big band swing, Chet Atkins, and Pete Fountain. These influences led to the style Stephen displays to this day, stylish grooves and powerful choruses, forays into the country's rich musical past, and a willingness to let a song flow without pressing it into any genre.

Stephen picked up guitar at age 11, bass at age 13, and was playing out at age 14 in talent contests and local shows. At 19, after a year in college and a Summer spent in California meeting musicians, he walked into Broadway Sound in Muscle Shoals and naively asked for session work. Amazingly enough, he had come at the exact day when the guitarist for the day session didn't show up, and his studio work began in earnest.

Publishing and production contracts followed. His session credits are legendary. Record deals and concerts and sessions were steady through the 70s, but by '78 he was through with labels, and he went "Indie", starting WhiteHorse Records in Virginia. He made his living singing jingles at Alpha Audio in Richmond alongside Steve Bassett ("The Heartbeat Oh America") and other great ad singers.
In the middle of this, Stephen always had a camera around. Here's one of his Osprey photos:


Stephen opened Howler Recording in Memphis in 1981 and ran the studio for 10 years until burnout pushed him out of the business for 7 years in the 90s. He didn't write a song or step foot in a studio during that time. Instead, he concentrated on his photography

In 2001, revitalized and refreshed, he reentered the music business, entering into a partnership in MillKids/Howler studio in Huntsville, AL. His first album recorded there "Howler", released in 2002, produced the international hit "The Mighty Field Of Vision Anthem". He moved his studio to a mountaintop lodge in 2004, releasing "Howl At The Blues" in 2006. The album hit the charts in 2007, charting at #37 nationally and staying on the charts for 10 months and gaining national FM rotation with 6 songs. Hits from that album include "Mad As Hell", "Mama's Goin' Dancin' When The train Comes Home", and "Changing Times".

Stephen was a victim of the 2007 economic downturn, losing his mountain home, studio, and most of his material possessions. He and Trish moved to Nokomis, FL and lived in a shack for over a year, getting things back together, and Stephen had open-heart surgery during this time. Things are better now, and the family of 2 dogs & 2 cats are living on a quiet canal in SWFL.
A fierce indie, he was heavily involved in the internet drive to break the major labels' stranglehold on musicians and songwriters.

At age 61 Stephen has become a legendary figure in Southern music history. His songs are lasting, his voice is still amazingly vigorous, his musicianship is better than ever. The new album showcases his extraordinary talent and vision.

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