One of the most successful rock bands of all time began with some bad winter weather in upstate New York.
Lou Gramm, the original singer of Foreigner, spoke about the group’s origins in a new interview with the “Beyond the Vibe” podcast. Gramm, a Rochester native, co-founded Foreigner with English guitarist Mick Jones in 1976 after Gramm’s previous band, Black Sheep, called it quits.
Gramm recorded two albums with Black Sheep in 1975, signing with Capitol Records and making some noise as the opening act for KISS. But Black Sheep had to drop out of the tour when its equipment truck slid off the icy New York State Thruway and flipped over on its side near Albany on Dec. 24, 1975.
The crew was “banged up” in the Christmas Eve crash, but was okay overall, Gramm said. The equipment, however, was not.
“The mic stands had gone through the amplifiers, ripping the cloth material and destroying the speakers. The drums were slammed into by amplifiers and the drums were not round anymore. They were oval,” Gramm told “Beyond the Vibe.” “Everything that we owned that could make us a whole band… looked to us like it would never function again.”
Gramm said he contacted the record label at the recommendation of KISS’ manager, but Capitol opted not to pay for new instruments and gear. The label released the band, leaving the members of Black Sheep struggling to decide what to do next.
As fate would have it, the incident occurred shortly after Gramm met Jones, who was performing with a band called Spooky Tooth, at a concert in Rochester. Jones listened to Black Sheep’s albums and called Gramm, inviting him to audition for a new band he was putting together.
Gramm told Jones about the crash and Black Sheep’s uncertain future, but said he first had to talk it over with his bandmates. They encouraged him to join Jones.
“We’re all done… Don’t waste your loyalty,” they said, according to Gramm. “Go explore this opportunity for yourself.”
So Jones bought Gramm a ticket to fly down to New York City for an audition in the studio, where they were recording demos of “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.” Gramm “started to get the hang of it” after a few takes, became the lead singer of a new band called Foreigner, shortened his name (from Louis Grammatico) and changed music history.
Foreigner (named because the band included American and UK musicians) became one of the best-selling artists of all time thanks to additional hits like “Hot Blooded,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Urgent,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero.” Gramm and Jones were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013 and (with the rest of the band) in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame last year, while a new Foreigner musical is coming to the stage.
Foreigner also continues to tour today with a lineup that includes Luis Maldonado, who’ll replace current frontman Kelly Hansen as the band’s lead singer later this year. Jones is the only original member still officially in the band, but no longer performs due to Parkinson’s disease.
Gramm, who still lives in Webster, N.Y., graduated from Gates-Chili High School in 1968 and attended Monroe Community College before pursuing a music career. He left Foreigner in 1990 and again in 2003, opting for a solo career.
But the Rock Hall honor softened the 75-year-old Gramm, who has joined Foreigner’s current lineup for several concerts this year. He plans to make more appearances, including helping Maldonado and the rest of the band celebrate Foreigner’s 50th anniversary next year.
“I know that that since we were inducted into the Rock Hall of Fame, there’s been a lot of reinterest in the band,” Gramm told “Beyond the Vibe.” “I want to help fly the flag for the band, the original band, and the current band right now in in these waning moments and moments when we’re getting so much attention for what we’ve accomplished over the years.”
Upcoming Foreigner concerts include an Aug. 7 concert at the Erie County Fair in Hamburg and Sept. 20 at the Turning Stone Event Center in Verona. Hansen and Maldonado are both expected to perform, but it’s unclear if Gramm will join those dates.
Tickets for the Turning Stone concert are on sale via Ticketmaster, Vivid Seats and Seat Geek.
Foreigner is also set to reissue its 1981 album, “4,” on Sept. 12. The expanded release will include a new song with Gramm as well as demos, live recordings and other rarities.