Home Free gained a huge and faithful following, thanks to their jaw-dropping country music covers and, of course, the incredible vocal range of the band’s bass singer, Tim Foust.
Tim Foust joined Home Free in 2012, and it was a game-changer for the group. In 2013, the Minnesota-based acapella group finally burst onto the country music scene after their epic win on the NBC singing competition The Sing-Off. The judges were captivated with Foust’s extraordinary five-octave vocal range.
Let’s learn more about him below.
Born On Lubbock But Raised In Nederland
Tim Foust was born on July 19, 1981, in Lubbock, Texas, but was raised in Nederland, a city in Jefferson County, Texas.
“I spent my whole life in Southeast Texas,” Foust said. “I grew up in Nederland. I went to Highland Park Elementary School, Central Middle School, and Nederland High School.” Foust has also expressed his love for Southeast Texas in his several interviews. His hometown is a big part of who he is today.
He Got Kicked Out During His Senior Year
One of Tim Foust’s fondest memories in Nederlands was when he got kicked out of Nederland High School during his senior year.
It happened during Foust’s drama class where they were doing a play called, ‘Into the Woods.
“The wolf dies pretty early on in the story, but everyone else who is in the play has these group lines that they recite together,” Foust recalled. “I was hanging out in the classroom with all the techies, and there were all these windows looking out to the back of the drama teacher’s head and the rest of the cast. They were all looking back my way to this window. I couldn’t resist the urge to stand up on a desk and moon everyone.”
“I got kicked out for that,” he joked.
He Wasn’t Always a Singer
Despite all the praises and success, Foust is enjoying today, he was initially not a singer and wasn’t even considering to be one.
In his early years, he attended Lamar University as a pre-dental major until the day he could no longer fight the music itch. “My original plan was to be an orthodontist, but I really felt like I should give this music thing I try — and I’m thankful I did,” Foust revealed.
He Credits His Mother For Bringing Out His Singing Skills
Tim Foust, whose extraordinary five-octave vocal range captivated the judges, has his mother, Dena Foust, to thank for. He credits his mother for bringing out his singing skills when she would sing to him when he was just a baby until he was a child.
He also credits his Central Middle School music teacher, Rene Klose, who helped him perfect his talent.
And Nederland Could Never be More Proud of His Talent
On his social media accounts, Tim Foust revealed that every February 3 is officially ‘Tim Foust Day’ in Nederland, Texas. “I’m unbelievably touched and honored,” Foust said.
Recently, the Nederland native was also inducted into the Museum of the Gulf Coast Hall of Fame due to his influence, talent and vocal range. He joined the likes of Janis Joplin, Tracy Byrd, and UGK.
“Obviously, I come from a place where sports are king, but people might be surprised to know how much love goes into the arts as well,” Foust said. “The community is really supportive of the arts.”
Museum director, Tom Neal, greatly believes that Foust deserves to be sitting along with other Mid-County and Port Arthur-area greats.
“If you just hear him sing, it explains it all,” Neal said. “The museum tells a story of important people. One of the reasons the museum is here is to show the kids people who have knocked it out off the park nationally and internationally in their fields. “
He Thinks It’s Time for Home Free to Carve out Their Place in Country Music
Ever since the band won the singing competition in 2013, Home Free has already released five albums. This includes their latest, Dive Bar Saints.
“Dive Bar Saints is mostly originals; this is the first time that we have done more originals than covers by a long shot,” Foust said. “It was just time. We were at that point where it’s time to carve out our place in country music.”
He Married His Longtime Girlfriend in 2016
In December 2016, Foust married his longtime, Jenika Marion, in a stunning ceremony held in a refurbished barn located near Nashville. Foust shared a photo following the wedding, featuring the couple’s new wedding bands. He wrote in the caption: “We do. And we did.”
Foust and Marion’s love story was also put on full display in one of Home Free’s music videos. The happy couple reenacted their engagement in the group’s music video for their cover of “Die a Happy Man” by Thomas Rhett.
The video is as romantic as it gets, and we can’t help but gush.