Mo Foster - A self-taught musical genius who beat his own path, and whose bass guitar echoed through the halls of rock and roll history, forever leaving a mark on the music industry.

Mo Foster (22nd December 1944 - 3rd July 2023), an English multi-instrumentalist, record producer, composer, solo artist, author, and public speaker, passed away from Stage 4 liver and bile duct cancer. A giant in the music industry, Foster's impact spanned over half a century during which he performed, recorded, and toured with dozens of renowned artists, including Jeff Beck, Phil Collins, Ringo Starr, and the London Symphony Orchestra among others. He also released several albums under his own name and authored a humorous book on the history of British rock guitar, contributing articles to music publications and establishing himself as a public speaker​​.

Born in Wolverhampton, he taught himself to play the recorder at school and later converted a cheap acoustic guitar into a bass guitar. When American musical instruments became available in the UK in 1959, he became a fan of bass playing and got his first bass guitar. He studied physics and mathematics at the University of Sussex, where he played drums for the university's band, supporting major acts such as Cream, The Who, Jimi Hendrix, and Pink Floyd​​.

Foster's professional career took off in 1968 with the band Affinity. After the band dissolved in 1970, he worked as a freelance bass guitarist and played on over 350 recordings with a variety of artists. Despite being self-taught, he navigated his early days as a session player even without the ability to read music. Eventually, he taught himself to read music during a challenging session at Abbey Road Studios​​.