Lou Gramm
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Lou Gramm (born Louis Andrew Grammatico; 2 May 1950) is an American singer-songwriter, best known for being the lead singer of the rock band Foreigner from 1977 to 1990 and 1992 to 2003 during which time the band had numerous successful albums and singles.


Early life

Louis Andrew Grammatico was born on 2 May 1950, in
Rochester, New York Rochester () is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York, the county seat, seat of Monroe County, New York, Monroe County, and the fourth-most populous in the state after New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffalo, ...
, the son of Nikki (née Masetta), a singer, and Bennie Grammatico, a band leader and trumpeter. He attended
Gates-Chili High School Gates Chili High School is a secondary school in the Gates Chili Central School District in Gates, New York. It opened in September 1958. The current principal of the school is Kenneth L. Hammel. Gates Chili High School has a science wing, with ...
in Rochester, graduating with the class of 1968, and majored in education and art at
Monroe Community College Monroe Community College is a public community college in Monroe County, New York. It is part of the State University of New York. The college has two campuses; the main campus in the town of Brighton, and the Downtown Campus in the City of Ro ...
.


Music career


1970s

Gramm became front man for the band Black Sheep. Black Sheep was the first American band signed to the
Chrysalis A pupa ( la, pupa, "doll"; plural: ''pupae'') is the life stage of some insects undergoing transformation between immature and mature stages. Insects that go through a pupal stage are holometabolous: they go through four distinct stages in their ...
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 A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...
when an accident with their equipment truck on the ice-covered
New York State Thruway {{Infobox road , state = NY , type = NYST , alternate_name = Governor Thomas E. Dewey Thruway , maint = NYSTA , map = {{maplink, frame=yes, plain=yes, frame-align=center, frame-width=290, type=line, stroke-width=2, type2=line, from2=New Yor ...
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 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 The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band, formed in Liverpool in 1960, that comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatles, most influential band of al ...
to achieve this milestone. Gramm performed vocals on all of Foreigner's hits including "
Urgent Urgent may refer to: * Urgent (American band), a 1980s band from New York City * Urgent (Canadian band), a 1980s band from Toronto, Ontario, Canada * "Urgent" (song), a 1981 song by Foreigner * Urgent! Records, a former record company See also ...
", "
Juke Box Hero "Juke Box Hero" is a song by British-American rock band Foreigner written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones from their 1981 album '' 4''. It first entered the ''Billboard'' Hot Mainstream Rock Tracks chart in July 1981 and eventually reached #3 on th ...
", " Break It Up", " Say You Will", and "
I Don't Want to Live Without You "I Don't Want to Live Without You" is a song written by Mick Jones that was first released by the pop rock band Foreigner on their 1987 album ''Inside Information''. Jones has rated it as one of his favorite Foreigner songs. Released as the fo ...
". He co-wrote most of the band's songs, including the hit ballads "
Waiting for a Girl Like You "Waiting for a Girl Like You" is a 1981 power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner released as the second single from the album '' 4'' (1981) and was co-written by Lou Gramm and Mick Jones. The opening motif was written by Ian Mc ...
", which spent ten weeks at #2 on the 1981/82 American Hot 100, and "
I Want to Know What Love Is "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, ''Agent Provocateur''. The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom ...
", which was a number one hit in eight countries. Gramm and Jones had a volatile chemistry. Gramm wanted the band to remain true to its purer rock origins, favoring music with a solid drum and guitar structure, whereas Jones embraced the 1980s style of synthesizer ballads. 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 Insider trading is the trading of a public company's stock or other securities (such as bonds or stock options) based on material, nonpublic information about the company. In various countries, some kinds of trading based on insider informatio ...
'' in 1987. Gramm released his first solo album, '' Ready or Not'', in January 1987 to critical acclaim. The single "
Midnight Blue Midnight blue is a dark shade of blue named for its resemblance to the apparently blue color of a moonlit night sky around full moon. Midnight blue is identifiably blue to the eye in sunlight or full-spectrum light, but can appear black unde ...
" reached the top five. Also in 1987, Gramm contributed the song "
Lost in the Shadows Vampires Everywhere! is an American rock band from Los Angeles, California, currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada. The last lineup consisted of vocalist Michael Vampire and guitarists Matti Hoffman and Grey Soto. In 2021, the lead singer Michael ...
" to the soundtrack for the comedy horror film ''
The Lost Boys ''The Lost Boys'' is a 1987 American supernatural black comedy horror film directed by Joel Schumacher, produced by Harvey Bernhard with a screenplay written by Jeffrey Boam, Janice Fischer and James Jeremias, from a story by Fischer and Jerem ...
''. A second solo effort, ''
Long Hard Look ''Long Hard Look'' is the second solo album from original Foreigner lead vocalist Lou Gramm, released in 1989 (See 1989 in music). Track listing #"Angel with a Dirty Face" (Gramm, Ina Wolf, Peter Wolf) - 5:14 #" Just Between You and Me" (Gramm, ...
'' (October 1989), that included the top ten hit " Just Between You and Me" as well as "
True Blue Love "True Blue Love" is a single by Lou Gramm, from his second solo album ''Long Hard Look'', released in 1989 (See 1989 in music). Chart positions References

1989 songs 1989 singles Songs written by Lou Gramm Songs written by Peter Wolf ( ...
", reached the Top 40. The album also included "Hangin' on My Hip", which was featured in the 1990 film ''
Navy SEALs The United States Navy Sea, Air, and Land (SEAL) Teams, commonly known as Navy SEALs, are the U.S. Navy's primary special operations force and a component of the Naval Special Warfare Command. Among the SEALs' main functions are conducting sm ...
''.


1990s

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 The Shadow King (Amahl Farouk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is particularly associated with the X-Men family of comics. His nemesis is the X-Men's leader, Professor X, while he also ...
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 1995, 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 In popular music, a cover version, cover song, remake, revival, or simply cover, is a new performance or recording by a musician other than the original performer or composer of the song. Originally, it referred to a version of a song release ...
of "
I Want to Know What Love Is "I Want to Know What Love Is" is a power ballad by the British-American rock band Foreigner. It was released in November 1984 as the lead single from their fifth album, ''Agent Provocateur''. The song hit number one in both the United Kingdom ...
" he was producing for the Australian singer
Tina Arena Filippina Lydia "Tina" Arena (born 1 November 1967) is an Australian singer-songwriter, musician, musical theatre actress and record producer. She is one of Australia's highest-selling artists and has sold over 10 million records worldwid ...
. The song went on to become a major hit again throughout Europe. In 1997, Gramm provided vocals for Christian rock band Petra's album entitled '' 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 present

In early 2003, Gramm once again departed from Foreigner. The Lou Gramm Band released a Christian rock album in 2009. In May 2013, Lou released his autobiography Juke Box Hero - My five decades in rock 'n' Roll. Gramm was inducted to the
Songwriters Hall of Fame The Songwriters Hall of Fame (SHOF) is an American institution founded in 1969 by songwriter Johnny Mercer, music publisher/songwriter Abe Olman, and publisher/executive Howie Richmond to honor those whose work, represent, and maintain, the her ...
on 13 June 2013. On 20 July 2017, Gramm joined Foreigner for three songs during an encore at Jones Beach Theatre in Long Island, New York. On 29 December 2018, Gramm announced on stage in Schenectady, New York that he was retiring from touring. However, he stated that he would continue to release studio music and perform occasional live shows including The Lopen, a celebrity concert produced by Howard Perl Entertainment to benefit children at
Akron Children's Hospital Akron Children's Hospital (ACH) is a pediatric acute care hospital in Northeast Ohio that provides care to infants, children, adolescents, young adults, aged 0–21 and even some older adults. History Akron Children's Hospital began as a day nur ...
. In 2019, Gramm toured on a bill with
Asia Featuring John Payne Asia featuring John Payne is a British–American rock group band formed in 2007 following a schism in the lineup of Asia. The band is a continuation of singer and bassist John Payne's career as the band's frontman, which lasted from 1991 unt ...
, where they also acted as his back-up group. Gramm performed lead vocals on the track "Sometimes" on the 2019 album '' The Secret'' by
Alan Parsons Alan Parsons (born 20 December 1948) is an English audio engineer, songwriter, musician and record producer. Parsons was involved with the production of several notable albums, including the Beatles' ''Abbey Road'' (1969) and '' Let It Be'' ...
. Gramm told RockBandReviews.com in 2019 that he was planning to release some new solo material later that year. "I'm working on some things now that were extra songs on my solo albums," he said. "If there's 10 songs on the album, you usually record 13 and pick the best 10, or the 10 that are finished. So the other three have been siting around for 25, 30 years, and I went back recently and listened to them, and they sounded so good that I finished them. Starting in about two months, maybe three months, I'm gonna be releasing three songs on downloads and see how that works out. So those songs will be heard for the first time. And then in another three or four months, there's gonna be three more new songs released. So that could be going on for six or eight months, and we'll see what happens." Gramm also said that he is "thinking about" releasing a greatest-hits package of his non-Foreigner works.


Personal life

In 1992, Gramm, after having completed a stint in drug rehabilitation, became a
born again Christian Born again, or to experience the new birth, is a phrase, particularly in evangelicalism, that refers to a "spiritual rebirth", or a regeneration of the human spirit. In contrast to one's physical birth, being "born again" is distinctly and sep ...
. In April 1997, Gramm was diagnosed with a type of
brain tumor A brain tumor occurs when abnormal cells form within the brain. There are two main types of tumors: malignant tumors and benign (non-cancerous) tumors. These can be further classified as primary tumors, which start within the brain, and seconda ...
called a
craniopharyngioma A craniopharyngioma is a rare type of brain tumor derived from pituitary gland embryonic tissue that occurs most commonly in children, but also affects adults. It may present at any age, even in the prenatal and neonatal periods, but peak incidence ...
. Although the tumor was benign, the resulting surgery damaged his
pituitary gland In vertebrate anatomy, the pituitary gland, or hypophysis, is an endocrine gland, about the size of a chickpea and weighing, on average, in humans. It is a protrusion off the bottom of the hypothalamus at the base of the brain. The ...
. In addition, the recovery program had caused Gramm to gain weight, and likewise affected his stamina and voice. Along with his love for music, he developed an affinity for fast cars. In Rochester in the late 1960s and early '70s, Gramm remembers, it wasn't difficult to find a summer night drag race. Gramm's vehicle of choice: A Chevy Nova 396, 375-horsepower, factory-printed. As of 2017, Gramm is married to Robyn Grammatico. They have a daughter. He also has four children from previous marriages.


Discography


Solo albums


Solo singles


With Black Sheep

*1974: ''Stick Around / Cruisin' (For Your Love)'' – 45 single *1975: ''Broken Promises'' – 45 single *1975: ''Black Sheep'' *1975: ''Encouraging Words''


With Foreigner


With Poor Heart

*1988: ''Foreigner in a Strange Land'' *1993: ''The Best of the Early Years'' (Note: These are actually releases of much older recordings)


With

Shadow King The Shadow King (Amahl Farouk) is a supervillain appearing in American comic books published by Marvel Comics. The character is particularly associated with the X-Men family of comics. His nemesis is the X-Men's leader, Professor X, while he also ...

*1991: ''Shadow King''


With Liberty N' Justice

*2004: ''Welcome to the Revolution''


Lou Gramm Band/The Voice of Foreigner Band members

* Lou Gramm – lead vocals, percussion (2003–present) * Ben Gramm – drums (2003–2016, 2018) * AD Zimmer – bass guitar, backing vocals (2010–2018) * Michael Staertow – lead guitar, backing vocals (2012–2018) * Scott Gilman – saxophone, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (2016–2018) * Jeff Jacobs – keyboards, backing vocals (2017–2018) Timeline


References


External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gramm, Lou 1950 births Living people American performers of Christian music American male singer-songwriters American rock singers American hard rock musicians American rock songwriters Black Sheep (rock band) members Foreigner (band) members American people of Italian descent Musicians from Rochester, New York Shadow King members Singer-songwriters from New York (state) Atlantic Records artists