1985 to 1990 Foster moved to Nashville in 1985 and found work at
MTM Publishing Company as a songwriter. There he met Bill Lloyd and they co-wrote the song "Since I Found You" which became a Top Ten hit for the
Sweethearts of the Rodeo.
1991 to 2000 Two years later Foster signed with
Arista Nashville and released the album
Del Rio, TX 1959 (named for Foster's place and year of birth). After the lead single "Labor of Love" failed to make the Top 40, Arista delayed the album's release so that it would not compete with the compilation album ''
Mama's Hungry Eyes: A Tribute to Merle Haggard'', to which Foster had contributed the track "The Running Kind". Foster's third album was 1999's
See What You Want to See, featuring a more
pop-oriented sound and backing vocals from
Darius Rucker of
Hootie & the Blowfish. The album produced a charting single in "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)", a duet with
Emmylou Harris which peaked at No. 74 on the country charts and was recorded by the
Dixie Chicks in 2003. Two of the album's cuts were later covered by
Keith Urban, who released his renditions as singles: "
Raining on Sunday" from
Golden Road, and "
I'm In" from
Defying Gravity. The latter was also a single for
The Kinleys, whose version Foster produced, in 2000.
2001 to 2011 In 2001, Foster signed to
Dualtone Records Keith Urban recorded Foster's song
"I'm In" for his 2009 album
Defying Gravity and it became a No. 2 single. In December 2010, Foster rejoined the Foster & Lloyd duo and they released the album "It's Already Tomorrow" in 2011. Foster is the host of the music anthology series "Crossroads" on CMT.
2017 In early 2017, Foster starred in
Troubadour, a country musical by
Sugarland member
Kristian Bush and playwright Janece Shaffer. The production took place in Atlanta, at the Tony Award-winning
Alliance Theatre. Foster also appears in the 2017 film
Beauty Mark. In September 2017, Foster released
For You To See The Stars, a CD/book duo. The collection of short stories is his first print publication and follows the stories on the CD, which included nine new songs and a special re-recording of "
Raining on Sunday", Foster's single that was later recorded by
Keith Urban for his album
Golden Road.
For You To See The Stars is Foster at his classic storytelling best, both as a seasoned singer-songwriter and a soulful writer of prose. Although both components stand alone as separate pieces of art, they are meant to be enjoyed together. When coupled, the book and CD give fans a deeper insight into the subconscious of Foster's storytelling. Long-time
Tennessean journalist
Peter Cooper commented, “Radney Foster writes with uncommon depth of emotion, humor, empathy, and clarity. I’m going to ask him how he does it, and if he tells me I’ll let you in on his secret. Until then, it’s best that we read, wonder, and revel.” ==Personal life==