Stephen Collins Foster was born in 1954 in St. Paul, MN. The first born son of big band leader Jack Foster was promptly named after the famous American composer.

  Steve grew up around a lot of music as a child, remembering " a lot of Ray Charles and Nat King Cole." Steve's first memory of finding his own music was around 1959 when Elvis Presley was getting airplay for his hit single "Little Sister". This song had the driving rhythm and excitement that still drives Steve's music almost fifty years later.

  At the age of four years Steve's father had him practicing trumpet every day. As time went on, young Foster learned to play along with records by Wilson Pickett and James Brown.

  In high school Steve ran into a new crowd that was listening to rock music that featured the sound of guitar. He was particularly fascinated with the sound of guitarists "bending" their strings. After playing some of these records for an older guy from his original crowd, the music was identified as "nothin' but the blues". This was all it took for Steve to abandon trumpet immediately and start practicing on a borrowed Kalamazoo guitar the very next day. B.B. King, Freddie King, and others were amongst his favorites, but Steve says the most powerful blues he had ever heard before came from Texas guitar slinger Johnny Winter. "When I heard Johnny cover B.B. Kings' 'Be Careful With A Fool' I was absolutely blown away. I had never heard such a blend of raw, high energy blues infused with such technical expertise. He set the bar for "excellence in blues."

  Steve struggled through the early seventies to get a blues band going, but the raging popularity of rock music was a continuing obstacle to putting together a band that he could be proud of. A chance meeting with Muddy Waters side man Mojo Buford was just what Steve was waiting for. "I was at Mojo's show and introduced myself," Steve recalls. "Mojo asked me if I had my guitar with me. Luckily I did, and Mojo invited me to sit in. It was a big show on a weekend and I finished the night with him. Mojo hired me that night. Knowledge of Muddy Waters' and Howlin' Wolfs' material was very helpful, but it was my B.B. King impression that got me the gig."

  The years that followed took a path that is all too familiar in the music business. Steve ended up repeating the same pattern that had been the ruin of many that went before him. Excessive drinking and drug use took their toll. "It was just a matter of time before everything would fall apart." says Steve.

  In a bizarre cross-country odyssey, Steve wound up in Nevada as a professional card counter. While there he became so frustrated with the lifestyle he was living that he sought help to clean up his act. This would prove to be the start of a new life. Relocating to Northern California, Steve got his music going again but realized that he'd have to sing and front his own band if he was going to really express his blues music the way he felt it. And express it he does. Steve sings and plays the same fiery, high-energy style that motivated him in the beginning. Slide guitar fascinated Steve as a young man and years of refining his technique have made him the world class slide guitarist that he is today.

  In addition to forging a friendship with his mentor Johnny Winter, Steve has done shows with Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Willy 'Big Eyes' Smith, Sam Lay, Luther Allison, Chuck Berry, Johnny Johnson, Taj Mahal, 'Wild Child' Butler, Chris Cain, Rod Piazza, Jimmy Rogers, and 'Pinetop' Perkins.

  The future is bright for Steve Foster. He is working on the final stages of a much awaited live CD for his fans. Steves' commitment to the blues is as strong today as it was when he first borrowed the old Kalamazoo (thanks Richie).