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In 2015, legendary Texas singer-songwriter Radney Foster lost his voice for seven weeks. Not just a little hoarse, not just a scratchy whisper — he couldn’t sing or talk due to a laryngitis diagnosis. For a songwriter, that’s a form of exile. But for Foster, it became a kind of liberation. What started as a desperate exercise to stay sane turned into a book titled “For You to See the Stars,” a two-part project where each short story is paired with a song.
Long before that chapter, Foster had already made his mark on country music. He first turned heads as one half of Foster & Lloyd, the duo whose debut single, “Crazy Over You,” made country history. By the early ’90s, he was carving out his own path with Del Rio, Texas 1959, a record that blended classic storytelling with a modern edge — the kind of work that makes you feel both nostalgia and possibility in the same chord.
He’s penned eight number-one hits, including his own “Nobody Wins” and the Foster & Lloyd classic “Crazy Over You.” His songs have found homes in the voices of Keith Urban, The Chicks, Brooks & Dunn, Marc Broussard, Hootie & the Blowfish, and Kenny Loggins, just to name a few. Worldwide, his compositions have sold more than 50 million copies, and in 2023, the Texas Heritage Songwriter’s Hall of Fame inducted him — a long-overdue recognition for a career built on words that cut, soar, and linger.
Foster’s work extends beyond the page and stage. He’s hosted “CMT Crossroads,” appeared in the film “Beauty Mark,” performed in the musical “Troubadour,” and produced the first three Randy Rogers Band albums. These days, he’s splitting his time between fiction, film, and television projects, carrying the same restless curiosity that has always fueled his songs.
On Sept. 27, he’ll bring “For You to See the Stars” to life at The Post, a night of music and stories. We recently had a chance to chat with Foster about his book, songwriting, and what it’s like to stay silent for a long period of time.
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Fort Worth Magazine: How did you come up with the idea for the book “For You to See the Stars”?
Radney Foster: It started during a really rough winter in 2015. I got sick and coughed myself into laryngitis — couldn’t speak for seven weeks. After six more weeks of vocal therapy, I could sing professionally again, but during all that silence, I wrote a note to my wife, Cindy. I told her I was going to write a short story based on one of my songs — just to keep from going crazy. She picked up my pen and wrote back, “You should.” That was the beginning of my literary career.
FWM: So the book grew out of a personal struggle?
RF: Absolutely. My first story — a novella really — started as therapy. Cindy was my first editor and she told me, “Congratulations, this is publishable.” Then I had to learn the real-world editing process, which was brutal in the best way. One paragraph could be rewritten four times, or split into two to make the rhythm sing. I loved that — it reminded me of being a staff songwriter, learning structure, trimming a verse, tightening a bridge. Writing fiction became like writing songs in paragraphs.
FWM: Did the process put you back in a vulnerable state, like when you first started as a songwriter?
RF: Oh yeah. Songwriting and fiction both demand vulnerability. You have to put yourself out there, expose the messy stuff, then let someone else tell you it’s not quite right yet. My first year as a staff writer was exactly like that. Someone would tell me, “Your first verse sucks — make the second verse your first,” or “Cut the bridge in half.” You learn to take it, and in the end, it makes your work better.
FWM: What can you tell us about the music that accompanies “For You to See the Stars”?
RF: The CD is really a companion to the book — each song is paired with a story. Some of them you might already know, but hearing the story behind the song gives it a new layer. And for the live show in Fort Worth, I’ll be doing a mix of those songs — reading a short paragraph from the book before playing the track. People often know the music, but not the stories behind it, so it’s fun to connect the two.
FWM: Do you start with lyrics or melody?
RF: Guy Clark told me anything that gets you writing a song is fair game. Sometimes it’s a melody. Sometimes it’s a phrase someone said that sparks you, and you jot it down on an oil-change receipt in the glovebox. Writing is unpredictable — it’s different for every song, and every story. And collaborating makes you better on your own.
FWM: You mentioned some of your songs have had huge emotional impact.
RF: Yeah — the lullaby I recorded for my son, "Godspeed (Sweet Dreams)" for example. I just thought he’d fall asleep to it in France. Emmylou Harris sang on it, and then the Dixie Chicks covered it. I’ve had moms tell me they danced the mother-son dance at their kid’s wedding to that song. I had a police officer show up to one of my shows, you know, his hair is high and tight, and he shook my hand and told me he sang that song to his daughter when he was in Afghanistan over the phone, I tried no to lose it. I had to remind myself that I’m a professional (laughs). That’s why songwriting matters — money doesn’t measure it. Stories don’t either, really — they just move people.
FWM: What’s next for you?
RF: More stories, more songs, more collaborations. Another book, film projects. And I’ll keep performing, keep telling stories. Songs started it all — everything else flows from that.
