Foreigner

Foreigner crushed with their 1977 self-titled album debut, spawning some of the biggest FM hits of that year, including the anthemic “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice,” both of which were anchored – like most of Foreigner’s songs – by the muscular but traditional riffing of guitarist Mick Jones, the soaring vocals of Lou Gramm, and the state-of-the-art rock production values of the day, which AllMusic reviewer Andy Hinds says allowed the band to sound hard but polished. The architect behind Foreigner’s extraordinary catalogue, Mick Jones, has crafted some of rock music’s most enduring songs. Grammy and Golden Globe-nominated songwriter, performer, and producer and winner of the prestigious Ivor Novello songwriter award in 1998, Jones first began playing guitar in his early teens. After starting his own rock band and opening for the Rolling Stones in pubs across South London, Mick’s first big break came in 1964 when he moved to Paris and was hired to play with French singer Sylvie Vartan. After a brief stint in England to reform the band Spooky Tooth, Jones moved to New York City and formed Foreigner with Ian McDonald and Dennis Elliott and Americans Lou Gram, Alan Greenwood, and Ed Gagliardi. Foreigner defined a generation of rock music to people across the globe. From its iconic debut album, the band moved on to record-breaking hits including “I Want To Know What Love Is,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You,” “Double Vision,” “Hot Blooded,” “Juke Box Hero,” and many more.