Behind the Scenes with Home Free’s Tim Foust

Five-Octave Foust honored at Museum

Tim Foust is the latest inductee to the Museum of the Gulf Coast’s Music Hall of Fame honorees. The Home Free singer, formerly of Nederland, is among inductees representing the range of local talent from Janis Joplin and Tex Ritter to Johnny and Edgar Winter.

Home Free, an all-male country a cappella band, won NBC’s The Sing-Off competition in 2013. Despite all his accolades and success, Foust wasn’t always a singer.

“I spent my whole life in Southeast Texas,” he said. “I grew up in Nederland. I went to Highland Park Elementary School, Central Middle School and Nederland High School. I even spent a couple years at Lamar University as a pre-dental major before I just couldn’t fight the music itch any longer — I had to give it a shot. That was in 2001 and I never looked back.”

He’s ‘just Tim’

For most of the world, Foust is renowned for his rare five-octave vocal range, but to his hometown friends, teachers and family behind the scenes, he is just Tim.

“I love Southeast Texas,” he said. “It’s such a big part of who I am and I love coming back and sharing my stories.”

Foust’s story includes more than music, but food, sports and theatre arts.

And also a foodie!

“I love coming back and aggressively eating my way through Southeast Texas,” he said. “Cajun food is just my favorite thing in the whole world.”

After landing in Houston earlier the week of his Jan. 2020 induction, Foust and company stopped at the Original Ninfa’s on Navigation restaurant, Buc-ee’s, Hamilton’s in Port Arthur, The Feed Store in Port Neches, Butcher’s Corner and Floyd’s in Beaumont.

“We’ve just scratched the surface,” he said. “I brought some of my buddies down who have never been out here before. Some of them are big foodies, so I can introduce them to my favorite restaurants in the area.”

Oh, the drama

Foust played soccer in his school years and had not considered a career in the “fickle and scary” music industry.

“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 said coming home always reminds him of his childhood and a particular memory surfaced of the time he got kicked out of Nederland High School his senior year.

“I was in drama class,” he said. “We were doing this 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. “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 teachers 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.

Connecting to Fans

For Marcia Grzesiak and Eleanor Dennison, Foust’s hometown vibe and laid-back style are the reason they have followed his journey for the past seven years. Travelling all the way from Chicago for his induction ceremony and following concert.

“The only reason we are down here is for Tim,” Grzesiak said. “We fell in love with ‘Home Free’ ever since they won The Sing-Off. They are just down-to-earth, normal human beings. They are so kind and generous with their private lives to us. We can’t ask for better than that, they never let the fame go to their heads.”

Dennison has been to 78 Home Free concerts in the last six years, including all of the Nederland stops.

“They connect with their fans,” she said. “They seem to really care and want to connect with all of us and the connection with his hometown is really evident.”

This feature is courtesy of the Port  Arthur News by Cassandra Jenkins; cassie.jenkins@panews.com