Foreigner is still exciting audiences nearly 50 years into their tenure. Though Mick Jones is the only remaining member of the AOR outfit, their music continues to connect with audiences just as it did in the late ’70s.
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With songs like “Juke Box Hero,” “Hot Blooded, “Cold as Ice,” and “Feels Like the First Time” under their belt, it’s hard to imagine their luster will ever fade. As the group embarks on its farewell tour, we thought it apt to look back at the band’s history. Find out the origin of Foreigner’s band name, below.
Behind the Band Name
It all started with Jones. The English guitarist lent a hand to a number of big names in the ’70s—the likes of George Harrison and Peter Frampton. After making a name for himself behind the scenes, Jones moved to New York City, played briefly with an outfit named the Leslie West Band, and started working as an A&R man for a record company.
Being adjacent to the creative process stopped being enough for Jones, prompting him to set his sights on his own musical project.
The name comes from the mixed nationality of the bandmates Jones accumulated—sax player Ian McDonald, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Ed Gagliardi, and vocalist Lou Gramm.
Jones and McDonald hailed from England while the rest of the band members were from New York. Jones came up with the name as a nod to the fact that regardless if the band were in England or in the U.S., some of the members would be considered foreigners.
Foreigner
The band hit the ground running after the release of their debut album in 1977. The self-titled project housed timeless hits like “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.” The record peaked at No. 4 on the Billboard Hot 200 chart but stayed in the Top 20 for most of ’77.
By May of the same year, Foreigner was already embarking on a headlining tour and had earned a gold-certified album. Their second album, Double Vision, proved even more successful, peaking at No. 3 on the Billboard charts. The album is notable for hits like “Hot Blooded” and “Blue Morning, Blue Day.”
Around the time of their third album’s release, Gagliardi, Greenwood, and McDonald were all fired. “The chemistry that made the band right in the beginning didn’t necessarily mean it would always be right,” Gramm wrote in his book, Juke Box Hero. “I think a pretty major communication lapse appeared and I don’t think anybody really knew what anybody was feeling—the deep, inner belief about the direction of the band and how we were progressing. We had reached a point where there was a lot of dissatisfaction.”
Despite line-up changes, the group continued to put out music and tour in whatever iteration they found themselves in.
The band—currently consisting of Jones, Jeff Pilson, Kelly Hansen, Michael Bluestein, Chris Frazier, Bruce Watson, and Luis Maldonado—is currently on their farewell tour.
“The time has come,” lead singer Hansen said in a statement. “We have more or less lived our lives on the road for almost eighteen years. We have always strived to give you our best and we intend to finish this the same way. Foreigner has a brilliant and increasingly demanding catalog of songs to sing and I refuse to give them less than they deserve.
“So, we’re going to finish strong,” he continued. “I want to make it very clear how grateful and appreciative we are to our audiences all over the world who have supported this band. I’m sure there may be occasions when we’ll do some special appearances, but I think the time is coming for us to live off the road. Thank you all so much!”
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