"When I produce a record, I roll up my sleeves; I'm not one of those passive guys. I really get in there and make sure every note is measured."

• Born David Walter Foster on Nov. 1, 1949, in Victoria, British Columbia

• Foster broke out as an in-demand producer through co-writing and producing several of the band Chicago's best-selling albums in the 1980s, including 1984's Chicago 17.

• He won his first career GRAMMY for 1979 for Best Rhythm & Blues Song for Earth, Wind & Fire's "After The Love Has Gone," which he co-wrote with Jay Graydon and Bill Champlin.

• Did you know? Foster joined Chuck Berry's backing band at the age of 16.

• He helped launch the David Foster Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising money to help children in need of organ transplants.