Foreigner

Foreigner is a British-American rock band formed in New York in 1976 and remains active. The group’s original line-up consists of Lou Gramm on vocals, Mick Jones on guitar, Ed Gagliardi on bass, Dennis Elliott on drums, Al Greenwood on keyboards, and Ian McDonald on multi-instrumental duties. Its name reflects the group’s mixed nationalities, with British members Jones, Elliott and McDonald alongside American members Gramm, Greenwood and Gagliardi.

Early albums and breakthrough

The band’s self-titled debut album appears in 1977 and becomes the first of six consecutive releases to go multi-platinum and reach the US Top 10. It includes the singles “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice”. Double Vision follows in 1978 and produces the US hits “Hot Blooded” and “Double Vision”.

Head Games arrives in 1979, with Rick Wills replacing Gagliardi on bass, and includes the singles “Dirty White Boy” and “Head Games”, both of which reach the US Top 20. The album 4, released in 1981, spends ten weeks at number one in the US and becomes the band’s breakthrough in the UK, where it reaches the Top 5. Its singles include “Urgent”, “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero”.

1980s success and later releases

After the greatest hits collection Records in 1982, which is certified seven times platinum in the US, Foreigner releases Agent Provocateur in 1984. The album reaches number one in the UK and includes “I Want to Know What Love Is”, the band’s biggest hit, which tops the charts in the US, UK, Canada and Australia, reaches number three in Germany, and enters the Top 10 in several other countries.

After a hiatus, the band releases Inside Information in 1987. It includes the US Top 10 singles “Say You Will” and “I Don't Want to Live Without You”, although the album does not match the multi-platinum and US Top 10 results of the group’s earlier records. The Very Best ... and Beyond, issued in 1992, is certified double platinum in the US and gold in the UK. Later studio albums include Unusual Heat, Mr. Moonlight and Can't Slow Down.

Members and recognition

Foreigner’s membership across its history includes Al Greenwood, Ian McDonald, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Mick Jones, Rick Wills, Johnny Edwards, Jeff Jacobs, Tom Gimbel, Bruce Turgon, Mark Schulman, Brian Tichy, Denny Carmassi, Chas West, Jeff Pilson, Kelly Hansen, Jason Bonham, Paul Mirkovich, Michael Bluestein, Jason Sutter, Chris Frazier, Luis Maldonado and Bruce Watson. The band is associated with acoustic rock, AOR, arena rock, classic rock, hard rock and pop rock.

It sells over 80 million records worldwide, including about 38 million in the United States, and is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2024.