1970s Gramm became front man for the band
Black Sheep. Black Sheep was the first American band signed to the
Chrysalis label, which released their first single, "Stick Around" (1974). Soon after this initial bit of success, Black Sheep signed with Capitol Records, releasing two albums in succession:
Black Sheep (1975) and
Encouraging Words (late 1975). They were the opening act for
Kiss when an accident with their equipment truck on the ice-covered
New York State Thruway suddenly ended the band's tour on Christmas Eve 1975. Unable to support its albums with live performances, Black Sheep disbanded. A year earlier, Gramm met his future bandmate
Mick Jones. Jones was in Rochester, New York, performing with the band
Spooky Tooth, and Gramm had given Jones a copy of Black Sheep's first album (
S/T). It was early in 1976, not long after Black Sheep's truck accident, when Jones, in search of a lead singer for a new band he was assembling, expressed his interest in Gramm and invited him to audition. Gramm traveled to New York to audition and got the job. Lou Grammatico then became Lou Gramm. The band, which was initially known as "Trigger," was later renamed "Foreigner". With Foreigner, Gramm became one of the most successful rock vocalists of the late 1970s and 1980s.
1980s Foreigner's first eight singles cracked the Billboard Top 20, making them the first band since
The Beatles to achieve this milestone. Gramm performed vocals on all of Foreigner's hits including "
Urgent", "
Juke Box Hero", "
Break It Up", "
Say You Will", and "
I Don't Want to Live Without You". He co-wrote most of the band's songs, including the hit ballads "
Waiting for a Girl Like You", which spent ten weeks at #2 on the 1981/82 American Hot 100, and "
I Want to Know What Love Is", which was a number one hit in eight countries. Gramm has called the
4 album (1981) the high point of his work with Foreigner. Foreigner's next album,
Agent Provocateur (1984), took three years to release due to the ongoing creative differences between Jones and Gramm. The band released
Inside Information in 1987. Gramm released his first solo album,
Ready or Not, in January 1987 to critical acclaim. The single "
Midnight Blue" reached the top five. Also in 1987, Gramm contributed the song "
Lost in the Shadows" to the soundtrack for the comedy horror film
The Lost Boys. A second solo effort,
Long Hard Look (October 1989), included the top ten hit "
Just Between You and Me" as well as "
True Blue Love", reached the Top 40. The album also included "Hangin' on My Hip", which was featured in the 1990 film
Navy SEALs.
1990s Departure and return to Foreigner, brain tumor diagnosis Gramm announced his departure from Foreigner in May 1990 due to differences with Jones, and to focus on his solo career. Gramm also formed
Shadow King with close friend and former Black Sheep bassist Bruce Turgon; their 1991 self-titled album was released by Atlantic Records. Despite positive reviews, the group did not enjoy the level of marketing and promotional support necessary to sustain a new project and soon disbanded. Also in 1991, Gramm contributed the song "One Dream" to the movie
Highlander II: The Quickening. Gramm rejoined Foreigner in May 1992 after working out his differences with Jones during the
Los Angeles riots. In 1994, Foreigner released the album
Mr. Moonlight on the Rhythm Safari label which, although relatively successful in Europe, was not as widely marketed or distributed in the U.S. Still, "Until the End of Time" made inroads at adult contemporary radio, peaking at number 8. In 1996, Jones invited Gramm to perform backing vocals on a
cover version of "
I Want to Know What Love Is" he was producing for the Australian singer
Tina Arena. The song went on to become a major hit again throughout Europe. In 1997, Gramm provided vocals for Christian rock band
Petra's album titled
Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus. In April 1997, on the eve of a Japan tour, Gramm was diagnosed with a benign brain tumor and underwent surgery. He continued to work with Jones throughout his illness. By 1998, Gramm was back touring with Foreigner.
2000s to 2020s Final departure from Foreigner, solo career (2003–2012) In early 2003, Gramm departed from Foreigner again, his last full tenure membership from the band. The Lou Gramm Band released a Christian rock album in 2009.
Autobiography, Songwriters Hall of Fame and Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction (2013–2024) In May 2013, Gramm released his autobiography ''Juke Box Hero - My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll''. Gramm was inducted into the
Songwriters Hall of Fame on June 13, 2013. On July 20, 2017, Gramm joined Foreigner for three songs during an encore at Jones Beach Theatre in Long Island, New York. However, he stated that he would continue to release studio music and perform occasional live shows a celebrity concert produced by Howard Perl Entertainment to benefit children at
Akron Children's Hospital. In 2019, Gramm toured on a bill with
Asia Featuring John Payne, where they also acted as his backup group. Gramm performed lead vocals on the track "Sometimes" on the 2019 album
The Secret by
Alan Parsons. Gramm told RockBandReviews.com in 2019 that he was planning to release some new solo material later that year. In 2024, Gramm was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of Foreigner alongside Mick Jones,
Ian McDonald,
Al Greenwood,
Dennis Elliott,
Ed Gagliardi, and
Rick Wills.
Touring with Foreigner, first new solo album in 37 years (2025–present) In 2025, Gramm joined
Foreigner on selected dates of the band's farewell tour. In January, February, and March 2026, Gramm released the new singles "Young Love", "Long Hard Look", and "Time Heals the Pain" ahead of his new album which will be called
Released. This is his first full-length album since 1989's
Long Hard Look. ==Legacy==