On June 10, “American Idol” season 23 runner-up John Foster performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville for the 17th time as he took the stage for a special night dedicated to the late Don Williams.
Foster kicked off his performance singing Williams’ biggest hit, “Tulsa Time,” even getting the audience to sing along with him. During the tribute, he also shared a sweet personal connection his mother has with the country legend, adding an extra layer of meaning when he performed his next song.
John Foster Shares Mom’s Special Connection to Don Williams During Opry Tribute
GettyJohn Foster continues to make his mark at the Grand Ole Opry, country music’s most iconic stage. The “American Idol” runner-up returned to the Nashville venue on Wednesday, June 10, as one of several artists invited to perform during a special tribute to Don Williams. Foster was joined by Rodney Crowell, Brandy Clark, The Isaacs, Jamey Johnson, Trisha Yearwood, and Keith Urban.
According to American Songwriter, after performing Williams’ “Tulsa Time,” Foster spoke to the audience and shared that the next song he was about to sing held special meaning. The song “Amanda” inspired his mom’s name. Williams released the song in 1973.
Singing the song made the night even more special for Foster. Before leaving the stage, he also sang Williams’ 1978 classic, “It Must Be Love.”
Foster’s performance that night marked his 17th appearance at the Grand Ole Opry. The Idol alum made his Opry debut in June 2025 shortly after his run on “American Idol.” After his 10th appearance in April, where he was joined by several artists who paid tribute to Don Schlitz’s passing, Foster shared on Instagram that he got a coffee mug “for passing 10 shows,” adding, “I don’t think I’ll ever drink out of anything better.”
Foster’s Mom Shares How She Supported Him During His ‘American Idol’ Journey
GettyJohn Foster’s road to “American Idol” wasn’t easy, but he had constant support from his family. While speaking on the “Unfiltered with Kevin” podcast, Foster’s mom, Benoit, shared that her son had auditioned for the show twice before he finally got a chance to sing in front of the Idol judges his third time around.
“He didn’t make it past the open call that first time,” she said, sharing that his first audition was in 2021, when he had to sing virtually because of the pandemic. “But I’ll never forget how excited I was. I left work early that day. We had everything set up, and my heart was pounding. I just had so much faith in him—even when he didn’t quite believe in himself yet,” she said.
Foster auditioned for the second time and made the producers cut, but was eliminated before getting to sing in front of Carrie Underwood, Luke Bryan, and Lionel Richie.
According to his mom, Foster just needed a little more confidence and found that when he began singing at local shows that sold out. He finally got a chance to sing in front of the judges during season 23, but it took a little convincing by Underwood to allow him to go to Hollywood Week, as Bryan wasn’t initially sold.
Benoit also shared on the podcast that she believed it was not only his voice but his authenticity that made fans vote for him week after week.
“He never changed to fit what someone else thought he should be. He went through Idol just being John Foster. And I was scared they wouldn’t see that—see him for who he really is. But they did. America saw the John I know,” she said.
Foster would end up making it all the way to the finale, where he placed runner-up, with Jamal Roberts winning that season.
