Written by Bonnie Foster, Daughter of Marin & Wayne Foster
2020 has been a year of many challenges, but it’s also been a time for me to reflect on and appreciate the things that matter most. When life throws curveballs, I often think of my parents, Marin and Wayne Foster, and how they have been such incredible examples of strength, resilience, and joy even when things get tough.
My father, Wayne Foster, was born totally blind. However, he never let his visual disability get in the way of leading a full and exciting life as an accomplished musician, entertainer, husband, and father. At age three, Wayne Foster started playing the accordion and then graduated to the piano. By age 12, he was winning contests on TV and even played an impromptu piano performance at The White House during a school field trip!
Marin & Wayne Foster in the 1960s
My parents met when my mother, Marin (age 16), was attending a fundraiser dinner dance in New York where my father, Wayne (age 17), was performing with his band. Feeling emboldened by a dare from her friends, my mother touched my father’s hand and he responded by gently placing his hand on top of hers. They say that at that moment, they both knew they would be together for the rest of their lives. My parents have now been married for almost 70 years.
Marin and Wayne Foster’s marriage is an incredible example of unconditional love and true partnership. They not only were a great team raising me and my three sisters, but together they also created Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment, a band in which my father played the accordion and the piano and my mother (having received music and voice lessons) sang, danced, played various instruments, and eventually went on to fully produce. When my three sisters and I were children, we also learned music and became a part of Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment.
Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment performed at inaugurations at the White House, and for many legendary names such as Oprah, Steven Spielberg, Michelle Pfeiffer, Harrison Ford, Julio Iglesias, Magic Johnson, Quincy Jones, Ben Roethlisberger, Corey Maggette, Berry Gordy, and Dr. Phil, to name a few. In the span of 50 years, Wayne Foster Music performed at over 25,000 weddings and other special events across the country and around the world.
Ed McMahon and Bonnie Foster as Co-MCs for a 1940’s themed 70th birthday party inside a private airplane hangar.
I was born with music in my blood. By the time I was six years old, I was singing and dancing on stage with Wayne Foster Music. However, my parents wanted me to understand that performing wasn’t the only important part of running our family’s successful musical entertainment business, so during my high school years, they also taught me basic bookkeeping, how to audition and book talent, how to write contracts, how to provide exceptional customer services to our clients, and how to produce bands and orchestras. My parents taught me the value of hardwork in addition to the joy of music.
Burt Bacharach and Bonnie Foster
While I was in college at UCLA, I would travel to wherever Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment had an event and join the performance. After college, I got married and was blessed to become a mother to two beautiful children, Izzy (my son) and Sami (my daughter), so I decided to take their first 5 years off to be a stay-at-home mom. After my kids started school, I rejoined Wayne Foster Music to take on business development. I believed in our product and was passionate about making people happy and creating memorable events with our music. Within five years, I met with so many wonderful people planning parties, I was able to quadruple the number of weddings and special events for which we provided the musical entertainment.
I also acted as the Master of Ceremonies and Conductor for the New Wayne Foster Dance Orchestra, while my father played his signature white baby grand piano and my mother produced all aspects of the show from off stage, including the lighting, sound, wardrobe, music selection, talent placement, timing and every other detail that made our live musical experiences unique, elegant and fun.
Natalie Cole and Bonnie Foster.
Eventually, I went on to create Bonnie Foster Productions and continue to apply the lessons I learned from my parents and my upbringing in Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment to work hard, provide an exceptional experience, and exceed our clients’ expectations. I also learned that at live events, there will always be unexpected aspects that are out of our control, but a true professional quickly adjusts and adapts, and “the band keeps playing on” as they say.
I was recently contacted by a woman who told me that Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment performed at her wedding reception in the 1970s and now her own daughter was getting married and she wanted to have Bonnie Foster Productions be a part of it. I love hearing stories about how our family’s music helped to create wonderful lasting memories for life’s biggest celebrations for our clients.
I am honored to be able to carry on Wayne Foster Music & Entertainment’s legacy through Bonnie Foster Productions and to ensure that my family’s decades of experience in providing award-winning musical entertainment for weddings and special events continues to be shared with the world.
There have been challenges for all of us in 2020, but the lessons I’ve learned from my parents, Marin and Wayne Foster, have taught me to keep working hard, adjust and adapt to unexpected changes, and keep smiling because there is still a lot to celebrate.
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