1970s The band initially featured
Dave Peverett ("Lonesome Dave") on guitar and vocals,
Tony Stevens on bass, and
Roger Earl on drums, after all three musicians left
Savoy Brown in December 1970.) in January 1971. There is a cartoon drawing on the back cover of the group's first album of a head wearing a foghat. Foghat relocated to the United States after signing a deal with
Bearsville Records. Its debut album,
Foghat (1972), was produced by
Dave Edmunds and featured a cover of
Willie Dixon's "
I Just Want to Make Love to You",
1980s After 1978, Foghat's record sales began to slip, and their last album for the Bearsville label,
Zig-Zag Walk (1983), only briefly touched the charts at number 192. MacGregor quit in 1982, and Jameson returned to play on
In the Mood for Something Rude and
Zig Zag Walk before being replaced by
Kenny Aaronson (1983) and then Rob Alter (1983-1984). MacGregor returned in 1984. The band briefly disbanded in 1984 after Peverett left and returned to England.
Charlie Huhn (formerly of
Humble Pie,
Ted Nugent, and
Victory) was brought in to replace him on lead vocals and guitar. This line-up of Earl, Stevens, Bassett and Huhn recorded the album
Family Joules (2003). Price died on 22 March 2005, aged 57, due to a fall resulting from a heart attack.
2010s The 2010 version of Foghat consisted of Earl, MacGregor, Huhn and Bassett. Former
Rainbow and
Black Sabbath drummer
Bobby Rondinelli had temporarily replaced Earl for a summer 2010 concert, while Earl was recovering from surgery. At another Foghat concert that summer, after Earl had returned to the band, bassist Jeff Howell temporarily replaced an ill MacGregor. Foghat's next album,
Last Train Home (released 15 June 2010), was the culmination of a dream shared by Earl and Peverett. It contained some of their favourite blues songs, three originals ("Born for the Road", "Last Train Home" and "495 Boogie"), and two songs by special guest performer and longtime friend
Eddie Kirkland, who was 86 years old at the time. He had played with Foghat as a guest in 1977 at Foghat's "Tribute to the Blues" show at New York City's
Palladium, and remained a good friend of the band until he was killed in a car accident on 27 February 2011. Also performing on
Last Train Home were Howell (bass), Colin Earl (piano) and Lefty Lefkowitz (harmonica). According to Earl, the album was "a testimony to Lonesome Dave. We always planned to do this. I am so fortunate to have partners in band members Charlie Huhn and Bryan Bassett who share the same passion for the blues. It was not hard work putting this album together; playing this kind of music is joyous. We had a blast!" The band went on to release another live album,
Live at the Belly Up, in June 2017. On 9 July 2017, Erik Cartwright, who played lead guitar from 1981 to 1984, died at his home in Nashville, Tennessee, from a heart attack. He was 66 years old. Longtime bassist MacGregor was diagnosed with stage IV
lung cancer in 2015. The cancer was first detected at an earlier stage in 2012, but MacGregor was not informed until 2015. Following this incident, he became a proponent of a bill that would require physicians to communicate test results with patients promptly. Although still officially a member of Foghat, the effects of
chemotherapy made him unable to play music. Former
Pat Travers bassist Rodney O'Quinn filled in for him on tours. MacGregor died on 9 February 2018. Matt Barranti substituted on guitar for Bryan Bassett for a gig at Palace Theater in
Greensburg, Pennsylvania on 11 February 2017.
2020s The lineup of Earl, Bassett, Huhn and O'Quinn went on to record a live record in November 2019 called
8 Days on the Road. The album was released in July 2021. In January 2022 lead singer Charlie Huhn retired and Scott Holt, formerly a guitarist for
Buddy Guy, became the new lead singer and guitarist. Holt had previously lent his vocals for
Under the Influence and was lead vocalist in Foghat side project Earl & the Agitators. In August 2023 Foghat announced plans to release their 17th studio album,
Sonic Mojo, with first single being "Drivin’ On," co-written by
Kim Simmonds from
Savoy Brown in November 2023. It was released on 10 November, nearly a year after the ailing Simmonds' death from colon cancer. In January 2025 Foghat called in current
Blue Öyster Cult drummer Jules Radino to sub for an ill Roger Earl until Roger was able to return in May. Also in 2025, one of the group's crew members, Eddie Lefebvre, began appearing on stage with them playing percussion. ==Members==