Fosterchild

History

Fosterchild got its start in Calgary, Alberta, in 1976, founded by Jim Foster and Vern Wills, who had been playing music together since their teens. Producer Bob Gallo, then head of A&R for CBS Records Canada, pushed to get the band signed to the label that same year. Their sound was described as rock with country touches, not country rock, and Foster and Wills wrote or co-wrote most of the songs. During that first contract, Gallo steered them away from writing pop-heavy material.

The core lineup featured Foster and Wills on guitars and vocals, with Gordon Marr on guitar, Dwight Thompson on bass, and Bob "Mickey" Mathews on drums. Gaye Delorme handled production on their early demos at Sundown Recorders in Edmonton. Before their debut album, Peter Sweetzir joined on keyboards, Barry Boothman took over bass from Thompson, and Gerry Wand replaced Mathews on drums.

The band put out three albums and scored two national chart hits: "Until We Meet Again" and "I Need Somebody Tonight." Their touring mostly stuck to western Canada. The first two records, Fosterchild (1977) and Troubled Child (1978), came out on Columbia Records and were cut at Little Mountain Sound Studios in Vancouver with Bob Gallo producing. The debut album stands out because it featured session drummer Larrie Londin, who had played in Elvis Presley's touring band and on his recordings.

After the first album, Gordon Marr left the group. In 1978, following Troubled Child, Doug Johnson was brought in on second keyboards for the supporting tour. But label interest faded, and the cross-Canada tour got cut short. The band's deal with CBS ended there. Barry Boothman left around this time, and Doug Johnson didn't stick around past the Troubled Child tour.

In 1979, Fosterchild signed with Edmonton's Vera Cruz Records and released their third album, On The Prowl, in 1980. The record was made by Foster, Wills (who also took over bass duties from Boothman while still playing guitar), Sweetzir, and Wand, with backing vocals from Mavis McCauley of One Horse Blue and saxophone from John Wesson. They hit the road with One Horse Blue, another Vera Cruz act, but ran into the same kind of tour disruptions caused by the label's money problems.