Bio : Lou Gramm

Lou Gramm’s love of music started young. As a teenager in the mid-1960s, he stood outside a concert hall in the rain, ear pressed to the backstage door, just to hear the guitar riffs of Jimi Hendrix. He didn’t have a ticket to the concert, but he had a dream: one day, he would be on stage, belting out songs and feeding off the energy of an adoring crowd.

Less than a decade later, that dream became reality. As lead vocalist and co-songwriter for Foreigner, Gramm became one of rock’s most iconic voices. The Rochester, New York native helped Foreigner sell more than 80 million albums worldwide, generating over twenty Top 40 hits, including “Cold As Ice,” “Feels Like the First Time,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Urgent,” “Midnight Blue,” and “Just Between You and Me.” Ian Anderson of Jethro Tull called Gramm “the best rock singer of all time; head and shoulders above the rest,” while Rolling Stone described him as “the Pavarotti of the power rock ballad.”

Gramm’s powerful tenor and songwriting partnership with Mick Jones helped Foreigner become the first band since The Beatles to see its first eight singles crack Billboard’s U.S. Top 20. In 2013, Gramm and Jones were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame, and in 2024, Foreigner earned induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Alongside Foreigner, Gramm has maintained a celebrated solo career. His 1987 debut Ready Or Not featured the hit “Midnight Blue,” followed by 1989’s Long Hard Look, which included the Top 10 single “Just Between You and Me.” Gramm continues this chapter of his artistry with his third solo album, Released (2026). A collection of ten hard-rocking, previously unfinished songs written with former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon in the 1980s, Released sees Gramm revisiting the past with the skill and perspective of a legend.

Produced by Gramm himself, the album features appearances from Tony Franklin on bass (“Long Gone”), Vivian Campbell on guitar (“Young Love”), and longtime collaborators including his brother Ben Gramm on drums. It also includes a new unplugged version of Lou’s Long Hard Look hit single “True Blue Love.” 

“These are powerful, heartfelt songs with a great vintage sound taken right from my old multitrack tapes,” Lou Gramm shares. “This new album was a long time coming and it’s a real nostalgia trip. When I pulled these songs out of the vault, I knew I had to finish them for my fans around the world, so they can experience what I did when I first heard them after all these years.”

Now in his fifth decade as a recording and performing artist, Gramm continues to tour with his own band while making occasional appearances with Foreigner, celebrating their 50th anniversary. From his early days in Rochester bands like Black Sheep to global stages with Foreigner, Gramm has built a career defined by passion, craftsmanship, and enduring influence—a true Juke Box Hero in every sense.

LOU GRAMM BOILERPLATE SHORT BIO

Lou Gramm rose from working-class roots in Rochester, New York, to become one of rock’s most distinctive voices and songwriters. As lead singer and co-writer for Foreigner, he helped the band sell more than 80 million albums worldwide and score over twenty Top 40 hits, including “Cold As Ice,” “Juke Box Hero,” “I Want to Know What Love Is,” “Urgent,” and “Midnight Blue.” Gramm is a Rock & Roll Hall of Famer and, alongside Mick Jones, a Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee.

Gramm’s solo work has been equally celebrated. His latest album, Released (2026), features ten hard-rocking songs originally written with former Black Sheep bandmate Bruce Turgon in the 1980s, recently completed with contributions from Tony Franklin, Vivian Campbell, and longtime collaborators including his brother Ben Gramm. Today, Gramm continues to tour with his own band while making occasional appearances with Foreigner, celebrating the band’s 50th anniversary and cementing his place as one of rock’s most enduring voices.