Upstate NY singer says Rock & Roll Hall of Fame pulled a ‘fast one’ on band

Cold as ice? An Upstate New York singer is looking back on his Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction with regrets.
Lou Gramm, the original voice of Foreigner, told SiriusXM in a new interview that he thought he would be performing with former bandmates keyboardist Al Greenwood, bassist Rick Wills and drummer Dennis Elliott. Gramm got to sing one song, “I Want to Know What Love Is” alongside Kelly Clarkson, but Greenwood and Wills didn’t get to play their instruments and instead only sang backup vocals on stage with Foreigner’s current touring lineup.
Elliott, upset by the decision, opted not to attend the induction ceremony at all. Co-founder Mick Jones also did not attend due to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s; his daughter Annabelle Dexter-Jones accepted his honor on his behalf and late Foreigner members Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi were also inducted.
“The reason Dennis didn’t come was because he found out from management a number of days before Rick, Al and I… that we weren’t gonna play,” Gramm told SiriusXM. “And we’re just going, ‘Dennis, come on… We’re gonna play.’ … And then we found out the afternoon of the show that we weren’t performing.
“We thought we were gonna be performing, and Dennis was gonna be there, and we’d have the guitar player from the new Foreigner play mixed parts and play a couple songs. And then we found out at the last minute that it was the new Foreigner who was gonna be playing and Rick and Al would be standing there singing background vocals.”
Gramm said he was told “time constraints” were part of the reason why the Rock Hall pushed back on their expectations of performance time. However, several Foreigner songs were still played live, featuring special guests like Clarkson, Sammy Hagar, Slash, Chad Smith and Demi Lovato.
“I don’t know. I didn’t know sooner… and when I found out that that’s why [Elliott] didn’t come, I even got more angrier – but not at him. It was almost like there was a fast one being played,” Gramm told SiriusXM.
Foreigner, known for mega-selling rock hits like “Hot Blooded,” “Cold As Ice,” and “Feels Like the First Time,” was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame after being nominated for the first time this year despite being eligible since 2002. Gramm, who was born Louis Grammatico in Rochester and currently lives in Webster, N.Y., and Jones were previously inducted in the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.
The band recently extended its farewell tour through 2025, including a June 6 concert at the Erie County Fair, with its current lineup of lead singer Kelly Hansen, guitarists Bruce Watson and Luis Maldonado, bassist Jeff Pilson, keyboardist Michael Bluestein and drummer Chris Frazier. Jones, 79, is the only original member of Foreigner who is currently part of the band, though he no longer tours due to his health.
Gramm, 74, previously said he plans to retire at the end of the year, but is reportedly in talks to make appearances at “select” tour dates with Foreigner’s current lineup next year. Greenwood and Wills are also expected to appear at some shows, including the band’s upcoming Las Vegas residency.