English journeyman rocker Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald started the rock band, Foreigner, in 1976 in New York City.  They recruited Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Al Greenwood, and Ed Gagliardi to round out the roster.  They released their debut album, Foreigner, in 1977.

Foreigner

I find singing some of Foreigner's older songs are a little reckless and not exactly who I am now.

The Early Years

English journeyman rocker Mick Jones and ex-King Crimson member Ian McDonald started the rock band, Foreigner, in 1976 in New York City.  They recruited Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Al Greenwood, and Ed Gagliardi to round out the roster.  They released their debut album, Foreigner, in 1977.  The album was a hit, peaking at #4 on the Billboard Top 200.  Of the three singles released, Feels Like the First Time and Cold as Ice appeared in the Top 10.  Foreigner certified 5x platinum in the US and platinum in Canada.

They released their follow-up, Double Vision, the following year, to eagerly awaiting fans.  This album certified 7x platinum in the US and double platinum in Canada.  Double Vision and Hot Blooded hit the  top ten, of the three releases.  1979 saw Head Games and five million sales in the US, with the hits, Dirty White Boy and Head Games reaching #12 and #14 respectively.

Superstars

In 1980, Jones fired Ian McDonald and Al Greenwood, replacing them with session musicians for recording and performing purposes.  The following year, Foreigner released the album, 4.  The album peaked at #1 on the Billboard Top 200, and produced the hit singles, Juke Box Hero, Urgent, Night Life, and Waiting for a Girl Like You.  The album certified 6x platinum in the US and 4x platinum in Canada.  They launched a world tour to promote the album, selling out multiple arena-style venues.

After two more multiplatinum albums and several more hit singles, Foreigner headlined Atlantic Records' 40^th Anniversary Concert in 1988.  In 1991, they released Unusual Heat, with Johnny Edwards as lead vocalist.  It was a  commercial failure, and Lou Gramm returned the following year.  Their 1994 release, Mr. Moonlight performed even worse commercially than Unusual Heat had.  

Legends

In 2001, Warner Bros. Music Group chose specific albums from their repertoire to re-master and release in DVD format.  Foreigner and 4 were both chosen for re-release.  The following year, Rhino Entertainment re-issued 1977-1981 multi-platinum albums in special enhanced formats.  This included Foreigner, Double Vision, Head Games, and 4.  

Foreigner toured with Def Leppard and Styx in 2007, and then toured on their own.  Their headlining tour was to celebrate their thirtieth anniversary as a band.  In 2009, Can't Slow Down,  their most recent album, was released exclusively through Wal-Mart.  Also available online, it is in the Top 200 albums according to Soundscan requested for download purchase in mp3 format.   Foreigner is back in the studio, and hopes to release their next album at the end of 2010.

Did you know . . .

1. In 1997, Gramm underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor.  The medications precribed caused considerable weight loss and a change in his voice control.

2. At the 1988 Atlantic Records Fortieth Anniversary Concert, the encore performance was I Want To Know What Love Is, and in place of the back-up choir voices of the studio recording, Foreigner was joined by Phil Collins; Crosby, Stills, & Nash; Roberta Flack; and other Atlantic recording artists.

3. Foreigner currently tour small venues and are available for private parties and conventions.

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