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Mo Foster
Musical artist

Mo Foster is a highly respected British session musician, playing primarily jazz, jazz-fusion and rock bass guitar. He is also an in-demand and highly-regarded music producer, songwriter/composer and author.

The Early Years

Mo's first dalliance as a musician in public was in primary school playing the recorder and violin. In secondary school Mo changed to a "much cooler" instrument and became the bass player (utilising a Dallas Tuxedo bass) in his school band, The Tradewinds.

The University Years

Mo studied physics and maths at the University of Sussex in the mid-1960s. During his student days he played both drums and bass in a wide variety of bands. Once he graduated, a short spell as a laboratory research assistant convinced him that a career in music was preferable. During mid-1968 Mo, along with friends Lynton Naiff, Mike Jopp, Grant Serpell and Linda Hoyle, formed the progressive jazz/rock group Affinity, managed by the late Ronnie Scott.

The Session Years

As a studio session musician, he has played on over 350 albums - and many singles - by artists as varied as: Phil Collins, Jeff Beck , Gerry Rafferty, Ringo Starr, Frida (of ABBA), Gary Moore, Cher, Peter Green, Elkie Brooks, Michael Schenker Group, Olivia Newton-John, Neil Innes, Judie Tzuke, Sheena Easton, Meat Loaf, Andrew Lloyd-Webber & Tim Rice, Luka Bloom, The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and The London Symphony Orchestra plus numerous others.

As a sideman Mo has toured the world - or played concerts with - Jeff Beck, Phil Collins , Joan Armatrading, Gil Evans , Mike d’Abo, Van Morrison , RMS, Eric Clapton , Sting, Maggie Bell , Dusty Springfield, The Manfreds, George Martin, Hank Marvin (who wrote the foreword of the UK version of Mo's book), Cliff Richard , Veronique Sanson, and The London Symphony Orchestra.

As a session musician Mo was asked to work on many many film sessions include For Your Eyes Only, Octopussy, Revenge of the Pink Panther, Clockwise, Heaven's Prisoners, Lost and Found, Billy the Kid and the Green Baize Vampire, and Silver Dream Racer while those for TV include "Minder", "Bergerac", "Grafters", "Stay Lucky", "Dangerfield", "The Last Salute", and "Peak Practice".

In 1975 Mo pioneered the teaching of Bass Guitar in Britain by founding the first-ever course at Goldsmiths College, University of London. He continues to give occasional seminars at various music colleges in the UK.

The Jazz Years

In the mid to late 80's Mo was the ‘M‘ in the jazz/rock trio called RMS with fellow session musos, Ray Russell and Simon Phillips. They released (originally on Peter Van Hooke's then at the time fledgling MMC record label) an album called Centennial Park which was remastered and re-released in 2002 on the Angel Air record label. This in turn prompted the release of a live album from 1982 that had never been heard publically before. RMS: Live at the Venue, 1982.

As a result of the success of these two CD releases, a DVD (which featured guests appearances by Gil Evans and Mark Isham) was released a year later. RMS: Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival, 1983 . Both the CDs and DVD were produced by Mo and Ray Russell.

The Solo Years

In the mid-80s Mo joined up with comedy writer/actor Mike Walling to form the core of the imaginary, but tragic RJ Wagsmith Band. Together they wrote a chart topping song for Roger Kitter (aka "The Brat". They also penned what became one of the few one-hit wonders that never made it into the charts. "The Papadum Song" was about two losers who go into an Indian restaurant for a meal after a football match. The song got quite considerable airplay and Mike and Mo appeared together on the BBC children's programmes "Blue Peter" and Granada TV's "Get It Together". Unfortunately there was an industrial dispute at Phonogram Records and no records actually got to the shops.

At the latter end of the 1980s Mo decided that he would like the freedom to perform, produce and record his own music rather than someone else's. He was easily able to call on some of his many friends who happened to be some of the UK's foremost session musicians to help him. Since 1987 he has released five solo albums, all of which feature some of the best instrumentalists in the world.

Bel Assis (featuring Gary Moore), Southern Reunion (featuring Gary Moore and Snail's Pace Slim of The Hamsters), Time To Think and Live At Blues West 14.

Discography

Additional projects

  • Survivors - Survivors
  • RJ Wagsmith Band - Make Tea Not War

The Producer Years

Apart from his five solo albums Mo has produced – or co-produced - albums for Deborah Bonham (The Old Hyde) , Dr John (Such A Night), Maggie Bell (Live At The Rainbow) , Affinity (Live Instrumentals 1969, 1971-72, Origins 1965-67, and Origins Baskervilles 1965), Survivors (Survivors), Maria Muldaur (Live In London), Adrian Legg (Fretmelt), RMS (Centennial Park, Live At The Venue 1982), RMS with Gil Evans (Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival 1983 DVD), The RJ Wagsmith Band (Make Tea Not War).

In addition Mo has composed and produced hundreds of titles for the major Production Music Libraries, co-wrote with Ray Russell the instrumental "So Far Away" for Gary Moore, co-wrote with Mike Walling the comedy hit single "Chalk Dust" for The Brat, co-wrote with Kim Goody the song "Sentimental Again" which reached the final in the Song for Europe Contest in 1990, and co-wrote with Ringo Starr, Joe Walsh, and Kim Goody the main song "In My Car" from Ringo’s album Old Wave.

The Author Years

In 1997 Mo authored a semi-autobiographical and anecdotal book about the birth and rise of Rock guitar in the UK during the period 1955 - 1975.

The book's title is Seventeen Watts?, the title having come from the school band member's quandary of "do we really need that much power?" when a 17W Watkins Dominator Amplifier was acquired as a replacement for the 'aging' 5W amp they had previously been using.

The first half of the book covers the emergence of a new breed of musician, the "Rock Guitarist" and features many anecdotes of the efforts of now legendary guitarists to not only learn the latest chord but to have to figure out how to build their own guitar because they couldn't afford the shiny one in the music shop window. There are stories and quotes from such six-string luminaries as Jeff Beck, Ritchie Blackmore, Joe Brown, Clem Cattini, Eric Clapton, Lonnie Donegan, Vic Flick, Herbie Flowers, Roger Glover, George Harrison, Mark Knopfler, Hank Marvin, Brian May, Gary Moore, Joe Moretti, Pino Palladino, Rick Parfitt, John Paul Jones, Francis Rossi, Gerry Rafferty, Mike Rutherford, Big Jim Sullivan, Andy Summers, Richard Thompson, Bert Weedon, Bruce Welch, and Muff Winwood.

The second half of Seventeen Watts? is devoted to the rise and eventual demise of the London studio session scene. Mo tried to present an insider's view of this creative world, and the wonderful absurdity of musicians' humour in general.

The Non-Muso Years

Most recently he has worked as an archivist/interviewer on the recent UK Channel 4 series Live From Abbey Road , which involved interviewing musicians and bands who were performing live sets at EMI's world-famous Abbey Road Studios.

Mo now concentrates on producing albums for others, composing music, session work (he recently played with Brian May and Brian Bennett on a 12 hour session at Abbey Road Studios for a re-make of Cliff Richard's 1958 hit "Move It") , writing, researching and remastering his back catalogue (not only for his solo projects but also for artists such as Affinity, Maggie Bell, Mike d’Abo, Linda Hoyle, Survivors, RMS, and The RJ Wagsmith Band).

Mo has also resumed playing concerts with his band RMS, featuring Ray Russell, and Gary Husband - notably with Gary Moore at a recent charity concert Vibes From The Vines.

Along with guitarist Ray Russell and drummer Ralph Salmins Mo is currently embarking on several music seminars at different educational establishments around the UK. The most recent (September 2007) being Leeds University.

Trivia

This article contains a list of miscellaneous information. Please relocate any relevant information into other sections or articles. (September 2007)

References

  1. University of Wolverhampton School of Computing and IT department: Local History
  2. Brewood Grammar School Old Boys Association website A short history of The Tradewinds: The Early Years (1958-1964
  3. Jeff Beck set list archive
  4. The Jeff Beck Bulletin Issue #11 (Oct 2003-July 2004)
  5. Softshoe's Music Matters Site: Gary Moore album listing archive
  6. IMDb: Phil Collins: Live at Perkins Palace
  7. ^ All About Jazz website Live at The Montreux Jazz Festival 1983 (8 April 2006) Cite error: The named reference "montreux" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. Mike d'Abo official website
  9. Mick Ronson fansite
  10. Peter Van Hooke, Mo Foster, Van Morrison: Wonderland Tour 1977
  11. Jeff Beck, Eric Clapton, Mo Foster, playing at the Secret Policeman's Ball
  12. ^ Maggie Bell - Live at the Rainbow Cite error: The named reference "MaggieBell" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  13. Cliff Richard Tour, Knokke, Sweden, 1977
  14. IMDb Blue Peter trivia page recalling Mo accidentally swearing during the recording of Blue Peter
  15. Track Records: Deborah Bonham bio
  16. Ringo Starr - Old Wave album credits (JPGR archive)
  17. Seventeen Watts?, Foster, Sanctuary Publishing, first published 1997, ISBN 186074267X
  18. IMDb: Other Works by Mo Foster
  19. Live from Abbey Road
  20. Brian May official website

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