Lou Gramm , Mick Jones and the rest of the living founders of Foreigner are rock survivors.
One of the best-selling classic rock bands of all time, Foreigner is poised to enter the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland on Saturday, Oct. 19, after after a 22-year wait.
Gramm, Foreigner’s lead signer during its greatest years, was born Lou Grammatico in 1950 and was raised in Gates. The graduate of Gates Chili High School and Monroe Community College became a role model for rock fans of how high a Rochester kid could rise.
“Everybody liked Foreigner, everybody,” says Mike Collato , 57, who was attending high school in Rush-Henrietta when Foreigner’s “4,” containing the iconic “Juke Box Hero,” hit record shelfs in 1981.
The songwriting partnership of Gramm and Jones resulted in Foreigner’s first eight singles charting in the Billboard Top 20 , according to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Its music is a touchstone to a bygone era in rock music and has been featured in everything from “Miami Vice” to “Stranger Things.”