Radney Foster is a name that is synonymous with songs in Nashville. He has written hits both for himself and for other artists, but recently he released a book along with one of his CDs, both carrying the title "For You To See The Stars."
Foster was sidelined from singing, and even talking, after getting pneumonia and laryngitis, so he focused his songwriting energy into writing short stories.
"A couple weeks in I was really, really frustrated, and scared," Foster recalled. "I wrote my wife a note and I said, 'I think I'm gonna write a short story based on this song to keep from going crazy,' and she said, 'You should, because you're driving me crazy!"
So Foster took a song he wrote and got to work, using inspiration from that song to write a short story. It's not an extended version of the song, but a story on it's own.
"You can't really just rewrite the song in pros form, because it would be terribly boring, you know. I mean, you already know that story," Foster said of writing a short story based off of a song.
For Foster, the technique went both ways. Some stories were inspired by the songs, and some songs that ended up on the album were inspired by short stories. The result is a treat for readers and music lovers alike.
"I kind of love the thought that even though you might have listened to a song many times, that after you read the story, you'll go through and go, 'Oh!' You know?" Foster said.
At the end of every chapter in the book, there's a prompt to listen to a specific song, and Foster is even incorporating the book into his live shows, but he also let's people know, he's still all about the music.
"I did have a fan with a great deal of fear go, 'Are you going to stop writing songs?' I said, 'Not as long as they keep waking me up at night!'"
Foster's book and album are both available for purchase on Foster's website, and Foster will be performing in Nashville at City Winery on Saturday, October 28th.
