Foreigner's Lou Gramm and Mick Jones In The Studio For 40th Anniversary

The latest episode of the syndicated radio show In The Studio with Redbeard: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands celebrates the 40th anniversary of Foreigner with Lou Gramm and Mick Jones interviews. The show sent over the following details:

Foreigner was the brainchild of Englishman and former Spooky Tooth guitarist Mick Jones, a veteran musician in 1977 looking to re-energize his career with a fresh start in America. Jones teamed with fellow Brit Ian McDonald and they auditioned thirty-five singers before discovering Lou Gramm, an unheralded singer then in a band called Black Sheep from Rochester in upstate New York. After a series of auditions with Gramm, this unlikely pair found common ground in the studio, putting together a remarkable debut album Foreigner of ready-made radio hits including "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice" and "Long Long Way From Home".

Foreigner's first release forty years ago would become the fastest selling album in Atlantic Records history. The skyrocketing success would later manifest as tension in the band and ultimately lead to a lineup change on their fourth effort, but it is the unique relationship between Lou Gramm and Mick Jones which would define Foreigner for a decade.

Speaking to Gramm and Jones, In The Studio producer and host Redbeard gets a clearer picture of the relationship behind Foreigner's hit machine. Lou Gramm said, "I felt there was an interesting chemistry...based on Mick's rock and roll experience and Ian's eclectic left field background, that there would be some really really interesting songs... That was really appealing to me."

Mick Jones, "We (Mick and Lou) weren't necessarily people who would hang out together. We sometimes found it, and still do find it, awkward to be together sometimes... I've gotten to know Lou over these years and he's gotten to know me. We have different tastes. We have different things we like to do in our spare time. We occasionally get together socially, but it's quite rare." Stream the episode here.

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