NEW YORK (AP) 鈥� This month, the rectifies a wrong that many rock fans will celebrate with their lighters up in the air 鈥� the band will finally be welcomed in.
The English-American rockers 鈥� with hits like 鈥淐old as Ice,鈥� 鈥淗ot Blooded鈥� and 鈥淲aiting for a Girl Like You" 鈥� topped the charts in the 1970s and 鈥�80s but never made it into the hall 鈥� much less a ballot 鈥� until last year, despite being eligible for more than 20 years.
鈥淚t鈥檚 just been a long wait and I know that we鈥檝e done enough in our career to warrant induction,鈥� says Al Greenwood, keyboardist and a founding member. 鈥淚鈥檓 not bitter about it. I mean, we鈥檙e finally getting in and that鈥檚 great.鈥�
Foreigner, led by singer Lou Gramm and guitarist Mick Jones, recorded nine Top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 and six Top 10 albums on the Billboard 200, including 鈥�4,鈥� which spent 10 weeks in the top spot in 1981.
Foreigner were nominated for three Grammys and their songs have been heard on everything 鈥淢iami Vice鈥� and 鈥淭he Simpsons鈥� to 鈥淎rrested Development鈥� and 鈥淪tranger Things.鈥� Tone-Loc sampled 鈥淗ot Blooded鈥� to create 鈥淔unky Cold Medina.鈥�
鈥淲e weren鈥檛 the best looking band in the world. We weren鈥檛 the most dress-conscious band in the world. But Mick and Lou came up with some very, very strong songs and that鈥檚 what鈥檚 kept it going,鈥� bassist Rick Wills says. 鈥淪ixteen top 30 hits isn鈥檛 too shabby.鈥�
The belated embrace by rock's establishment has a bittersweet taste, since original bassist Ed Gagliardi and multi-instrumentalist have died and Jones has been sidelined by Parkinson鈥檚 disease. The band will be inducted Oct. 19 in Cleveland.
The opening of the door for Foreigner coincided with in 2023 that led to key legacy acts getting invites, like Cher and Foreigner were among the top vote getters when the fans voted, nabbing almost 528,000 votes or 12.54%.
They'll join A Tribe Called Quest, Ozzy Osbourne, Dave Matthews Band, MC5, Dionne Warwick, Alexis Korner, and Big Mama Thornton
鈥淚 think a lot of the talent that is in this class has been waiting on the outside as well as Foreigner,鈥� says Greenwood. 鈥淚鈥檓 just so thankful that I鈥檓 in this class with such incredible talent.鈥�
The band got a public push from Jones鈥� son-in-law who recruited musical friends such as Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl, Slash, Jack Black and the Red Hot Chili Peppers鈥� Chad Smith.
Foreigner in their heyday offered varied songs 鈥� the ballad 鈥淚 Want to Know What Love Is鈥� is very different from 鈥淯rgent鈥� 鈥� but many have endured to become the backbone of classic rock playlists. A new line-up 鈥� dubbed Foreigner 2.0 鈥� attract tens of thousands a night on tour.
Jones started the American-British band in 1976 in New York City, selecting each of its members, the first being Greenwood, who he'd never met. The keyboardist was invited to jam with Jones in a storage area of the band's manager's office.
But Greenwood soon grew disillusioned by the lack of progress over two weeks and decided to tell Jones he was going back to his own band.
鈥淚鈥檓 about to go up to Mick and Mick comes in and says, 鈥業鈥檝e got this song.鈥� And he starts playing 鈥楩eels Like the First Time鈥� on guitar. And I go, 鈥榃ow, I think we got something here,鈥�" he says laughing. "Thankfully, I did not leave.鈥�
The fledgling band's four-song demo 鈥� which included a raw version of 鈥淔eels Like the First Time鈥� 鈥� was turned down by all the major record labels until music legend John Kalodner convinced Atlantic Records to reconsider.
Four hit albums in five years 鈥� 鈥淔oreigner,鈥� 鈥淒ouble Vision,鈥� 鈥淗ead Games鈥� and 鈥�4鈥� 鈥� cemented the band's place in classic rock history but not in the Rock Hall. Members watched bands that used to open for Foreigner go in while they waited.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any of us quite believed it because we thought, well, it was never going to happen,鈥� says Wills, who spent 12 years in Foreigner and then went into Bad Company.
Wills joined in 1979 after having worked with Frampton and Roxy Music. He was in New York and called Gramm because he heard Foreigner was looking for a new bassist. He was invited to their open auditions the next day.
After Wills showed his chops on songs like 鈥淒ouble Vision鈥� and 鈥淗ot Blooded,鈥� drummer Dennis Elliott announced he wanted Willis in the band. There were some 70 bassists still waiting to audition.
Willis urgently left to fly home to London to help care for his two young children, who were suffering from whooping cough and chickenpox, and woke up to a phone call that he was in the band. He got on the next flight to New York and straight into the studio for 鈥淗ead Games.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檝e been incredibly lucky with being in the right place at the right time. I guess that鈥檚 my mantra,鈥� says Wills. 鈥淚鈥檝e become what I鈥檝e become because of Foreigner.鈥�
Mark Kennedy, The Associated Press
