Vocalist LOU GRAMM Blames Keyboards For His 1990 Departure From FOREIGNER - "A Lot Of Our Keyboard Songs Were Ballads; I Started To Dislike Being Involved In The Band" (Video)
April 8, 2024, 7 months ago
Speaking with VRP Rocks, former Foreigner frontman Lou Gramm candidly discusses his decision to leave the band. He delves into the creative differences that led to his departure, including the band's shift towards keyboard-driven songs. Lou also reveals the friction with fellow band member Mick Jones and the impact Mick had on his solo career. This behind-the-scenes revelation offers fans a rare glimpse into the inner turmoil and artistic direction that ultimately led to the breakup of one of rock music's biggest selling guitar/singer combos.
Gramm on what influenced his 1990 departure from Foreigner:
"It was a couple of things. It was mostly because I didn't like the direction at the band had been going for the last couple albums. Mick seemed to be incredibly enamoured with all the new keyboards that had been coming out. He went out and bought all the modern new keyboards and would stay up nights playing with the sounds, thereby the songs he wrote were keyboard songs. I told him face-to-face, 'We're gonna lose our rock audience.' A lot of our keyboard songs were ballads; after we had a hit with 'Waiting For A Girl Like You', next albim was "I Wanna Know What Love Is'. Those albums were laced with ballads and mid-tempo songs that could pass for ballads. I started to dislike being involved in the band,"
Foreigner, Ozzy Osbourne, and Jane's Addiction are among the nominees for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024.
Lou Gramm took to social media to share his thanks for the nomination, writing, "I wanted to share my gratitude to the Rock Hall of Fame for this nomination, Mick Jones and I have waited a long time for this. Thank you to my friends in the entertainment industry and fans alike for their generous support in voting for us, keeping Foreigner in the Top 3 since voting commenced. You have been the reason #Foreigner has had so many multi-platinum albums, Billboard Hot 100 hits and is the most played classic rock band on radio. Thank you for the videos Mark Robson Slash, Jack Black, Josh Homme, Chad Smith and Dave Grohl and my buddy Bret Michaels, that I am on tour with this summer."
Watch Lou's video below:
With more Top 10 hits than Journey, as many as Fleetwood Mac, and ten multi-Platinum albums, Foreigner is universally hailed as one of the most popular rock acts in the world with a formidable musical arsenal that continues to propel sold-out tours and album sales, now exceeding 80 million. Responsible for some of rock and roll’s most enduring anthems, Foreigner still rocks the charts more than 40 years into the game with massive airplay and continued Billboard “Top 200” album success. Streams of Foreigner’s hits are over 15 million per week.
Says Mick Jones, founding member, songwriter, and lead guitarist, “I deeply appreciate the recognition from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee. It is wonderful that Foreigner has maintained its presence all these years and brought the music to our fans. Getting this news today is an incredible endorsement of what we have achieved over time. I know I speak for my fellow Foreigner nominees, Lou, Rick, Al, Dennis, and the families of Ed Gagliardi and Ian McDonald."
Foreigner‘s founder is Songwriters Hall Of Fame member Mick Jones. A visionary maestro whose stylistic songwriting, indelible guitar hooks and multi-layered talents continue to escalate Foreigner's influence and guide the band to new horizons.
As Foreigner manager and former Atlantic Records Executive Vice President Phil Carson says, "Under the overall leadership of John Sykes, and Rick Krim’s chairmanship of the nominating committee, the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame is fast becoming a more relevant, inclusive and vibrant place. I am thrilled that the committee has selected Foreigner as a nominee for the 2024 induction, and I join Mick Jones and the band in expressing our deepest gratitude for this recognition of Foreigner’s part in the rock & roll universe.”
To be eligible for nomination, an individual artist or band must have released its first commercial recording at least 25 years prior to the year of nomination. None of the acts nominated for a potential 2024 induction have been added to the ballot in their first year of eligibility.
The complete list of 15 nominees for the 2024 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame that will be voted upon by the Rock Hall's body for induction include:
Mary J. Blige
Mariah Carey
Cher
Dave Matthews Band
Eric B. & Rakim
Foreigner
Peter Frampton
Jane's Addiction
Kool & the Gang
Lenny Kravitz
Oasis
Sinead O'Connor
Ozzy Osbourne
Sade
A Tribe Called Quest
To access the FanVote visit this location. Fans can pick up to 7 acts once per day through April 26.
