Behind the Music

Episode Synopsis

With nearly fifty million albums sold in the United States alone, Foreigner is one of the most successful rock bands in history. Formed in 1976, the group is brainchild of British-born guitarist Mick Jones and found its voice with the recruitment of lead singer Lou Gramm, an all-American boy from upstate New York. For a time, Mick and Lou's radically different styles and personalities propelled Foreigner to the top of the pop charts, and made them a headlining concert attraction. But as Mick Jones took ever-increasing control of the band, tensions began to develop, leading to the departure of several founding members. As the group's album sales increased, so did their drug use and personality conflicts... and when Mick changed the hard rocking band's direction by writing several ballads, Lou Gramm himself began to question his role within Foreigner. The tensions increased to the extent that Lou finally left the band in the late 80s to begin a solo career, but within a few years he'd returned, ready to begin anew. Foreigner seemed poised for fresh triumphs... until their comeback was suddenly halted when Lou Gramm was diagnosed with a massive brain tumor. Since his traumatic surgery in 1997, Lou - and Foreigner - have been battling their way back from that stunning setback and now they feel they are ready to reclaim their status as hard rock hitmakers.