Walter Foster

Walter "Walt" Foster, 70, passed away on August 13, 2014. He was born on August 27, 1943. He was preceded in death by his parents, Walter Sr. and Rosie Owens Foster.

Surviving family includes wife, Saundra; children, Joe (Michelle) Fowler; grandchildren, Deven (Johnathan) Burkhardt, Alexis Fowler, Myles Fowler; niece, Inetta Whitfield; brother, Jimmy Foster; brother Columbus "Lonnie" Foster; the rest of the Foster family and a host of friends.

At age 16 Walt left Augusta and moved to Washington DC where he met some men from his hometown that worked in the entertainment industry. They hired him as a roadie and a backup singer. Together they formed the band The Fiestas and recorded a song in the early '60s titled So Fine that went on to sell over 2 million copies. He later went on to work for Jackie Wilson and Otis Redding, driving and singing backup vocals.
In 1963 Walt began working for James Brown until 1975. During this time he would be a driver but he truly made a name for himself as having the best stage hands with the best light show and, by far, the best sound system on the road. He also sang some vocals with The Godfather of Soul.
In 1969 while living in Jersey City Walt met two brothers named Robert and Ron Bell as well as Dennis "DT" Thomas. These men would later be known as Kool and The Gang which Walt was instrumental in bringing together and originally producing.

From 1973-1976 Walt drove bus number 416 for Domenico Bus Co. During this time he drove for a number of bands including Kool and The Gang, Queen, Kansas, Bad Finger, Joe Tex, BT Express, Taj Mahal and Mahogany Rush, just to name a few.
To provide for his family, in 1977 Walt settled permanently in Columbus, OH and began working at Yellow Freight and soon after, he took a job at Roadway Express from which he would eventually retire in 2000.
Walt continued to write, record and perform his music which was a diverse mix of R&B and country. In conjunction with Craig Moreland in the mid '80s, they formed the band Unity and recorded the album Love and Pain. The album landed at number 14 on England's R&B chart. He also appeared on the show Nashville's You Can Be A Star.

In 2000 when Walt was forced to retire because of his renal failure, he no longer recorded his music. Those near him were still fortunate enough to occasionally hear him sing.

Walter fought a long, tough battle with diabetes and renal failure with many, many roadblocks along the way. On August 13, 2014 he finally was released from his suffering and called Home to be with the Lord.