Produce Greatness

Quincy Jones and David Foster are the best of the best in music. Quincy Jones is the music man. David Foster is the hit king. Quincy Jones is a composer, artist, conductor, arranger, producer and record company executive. David Foster is considered the No. 1 music producer in the country. He’s a keyboardist, a session musician and is best known for his unique ability to discover new talent.

Both have worked with all the greats. Quincy Jones: Ray Charles, Count Basie, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald, Frank Sinatra and Michael Jackson. David Foster: Celine Dion, Whitney Houston, Andrea Bocelli and Michael Buble.

So what can you learn from these two musical geniuses?

Quincy Jones: Immerse yourself in a field you love. “I was inspired by a lot of people when I was young—every band that came through town, to the theater, or the dance hall. I was at every dance, every night club, listened to every band that came through, because in those days we didn’t have MTV, we didn’t have television.”

David Foster: Use your gifts. “Having perfect pitch is not a key to success, but it is an indicator that you maybe should be doing music. Fortunately, I loved it so much it’s all I wanted to do.”

Quincy Jones: Give back. “Imagine what a harmonious world it could be if every single person, both young and old, shared a little of what he is good at doing.”

David Foster: Don’t settle for good. Go for greatness. “It’s so easy to be good. I can be good any day of the week.” But if he was a shoe salesman instead of a music producer, Foster says, “I would be the best shoe salesman in the country.”

Quincy Jones: Don’t limit yourself to one area of expertise. “Expand, grow and explore.”

David Foster: Believe in yourself. “In my heart I knew I could produce successfully, and I couldn’t do that if I kept working as a studio musician. So I did what I had to do: I believed in myself almost to a point of madness.”

Quincy Jones: Let obstacles become your inspiration. “Train yourself to see barriers as exciting challenges. The harder the problem, the more rewarding the achievement.”