American Idol’s John Foster Earns Huge Praise for His Pure-Country Don Williams Tribute — Fans Are Already Calling Him a ‘Future Country Music Legend’
John Foster wasn’t even born when Don Williams recorded some of his greatest songs — but the 20-year-old singer’s latest Grand Ole Opry performance has country fans convinced he understands exactly how the classics should sound.
The former American Idol runner-up has built a reputation for treating traditional country music with respect rather than trying to completely reinvent it.
During his latest tribute to the genre’s past, Foster turned his attention to Don Williams and delivered a warm, unmistakably country rendition of “It Must Be Love.”
The response was immediate.
“He could sing the dictionary and still sound good,” one impressed listener declared.
Another went even further:
“Future country music legend.”
John Foster Keeps Bringing Classic Country Back to the Opry
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Millions of viewers first discovered Foster during Season 23 of American Idol, where he ultimately finished as runner-up.
Throughout his run, the young Louisiana singer repeatedly demonstrated his love for traditional country music with performances of songs including “Neon Moon,” “Callin’ Baton Rouge” and “I Cross My Heart.”
That connection to country music’s past didn’t disappear when the competition ended.
Foster has continued performing classic material while becoming an increasingly familiar presence at the Grand Ole Opry.
He recently celebrated his 20th Opry performance, marking the occasion with Dolly Parton’s deeply personal “Coat of Many Colors.”
His rendition of Parton’s “I Will Always Love You” also attracted widespread attention following her death.
But another Opry performance showed Foster reaching even further back into country history.
A Special Night Honoring Don Williams
Foster performed “It Must Be Love” during the Opry 100 Honors tribute to Don Williams on June 10.
Williams, who died in 2017, left behind one of country music’s most distinctive catalogs, earning generations of fans through the calm, understated vocal style that helped make him known as the Gentle Giant.
Foster wasn’t the only major name helping celebrate that legacy.
The lineup also included Keith Urban, Trisha Yearwood, Jamey Johnson, Brandy Clark, Rodney Crowell and The Isaacs.
Foster reportedly performed three Williams songs during the event: “It Must Be Love,” “Amanda” and “Tulsa Time.”
Yet his performance of “It Must Be Love” has found a particularly enthusiastic audience online.
Foster Keeps the Performance Pure Country
There was no need for an elaborate reinvention.
Standing before a backdrop of cascading hearts, Foster delivered the song with the traditional country sensibility that has increasingly become his calling card.
Midway through the performance, he smiled and encouraged the Opry audience to join him.
The moment felt less like a young singer attempting to modernize an old standard and more like one generation of country music respectfully carrying another generation’s song forward.
Fans loved it.
“He’s awesome. He can sing anything,” one wrote.
“Listening to you, John never gets old!” another said.
Other reactions included “Absolutely amazing! My favorite country singer!” and a simple but emphatic “He is soooooooo good.”
The Country Classic Has Already Been No. 1 Twice
Foster also chose a song with an impressive history.
Legendary songwriter Bob McDill wrote “It Must Be Love,” with Don Williams releasing the original recording in 1979.
Williams took the song all the way to No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot Country Songs chart.
By the end of that year, it ranked at No. 27 on the year-end country chart and became closely associated with Williams.
More than two decades later, another country superstar introduced it to a new generation.
Alan Jackson released his own version in 2000, and remarkably, his recording also reached No. 1 on the country chart.
Jackson’s version crossed over to No. 37 on the all-genre Hot 100, finished at No. 11 on the year-end Hot Country Songs ranking and was later certified Gold by the RIAA.
That means Foster wasn’t merely covering an old country song.
He was stepping into a musical lineage already associated with two of the genre’s most beloved voices.
Fans See Something Special in the 20-Year-Old Singer
Foster’s age makes his connection with this material particularly striking.
Many of the songs he performs were released decades before he was born, yet classic country has remained central to his musical identity from his American Idol appearances through his increasingly frequent Opry performances.
And fans appear to be noticing.
At only 20, Foster has already gone from American Idol runner-up to celebrating 20 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
Now his Don Williams tribute has listeners using an even bigger description for where his career could be headed.
“Future country music legend.”
That’s an enormous prediction for any 20-year-old.
But after hearing John Foster breathe new life into “It Must Be Love,” plenty of country fans seem ready to make it.
