A happy 80th birthday to Foreigner founder Mick Jones.
Jones got his first break in music in the 1960s as a member of Nero and the Gladiators and later played in such bands as Spooky Tooth and the Leslie West Band. He formed Foreigner in 1976, with multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald, singer Lou Gramm, drummer Dennis Elliott, keyboardist Al Greenwood and bassist Ed Gagliardi.
The band released their self-titled debut album in 1977, which peaked at #4 on the Billboard chart and featured two top-10 hits, “Feels Like the First Time” and “Cold as Ice.” The album’s follow-up, Double Vision, was also a hit, peaking at #3 thanks to songs like “Hot Blooded,” which hit #3, and the album’s title track, which went to #2.
Foreigner landed their only #1 album with 1981’s 4, which spent 10 weeks on top and featured hit singles “Urgent,” “Waiting for a Girl Like You” and “Juke Box Hero.” The follow-up, 1984’s Agent Provocateur, peaked at #4 and featured the band’s only #1 single, “I Want To Know What Love Is.”
Foreigner experienced various lineup changes over the years, with Jones being the only member to appear on all of Foreigner’s albums. As of 2003 he was the only original member still touring with the group, although since 2021 his participation in their tours declined.
In February 2024 Jones revealed he had stopped performing because he had been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease, although he insisted he was still very much involved with Foreigner behind the scenes.
Jones and Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014, and in 2024, almost 22 years after they were first eligible, Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Unfortunately, Jones’ health kept him from attending the ceremony.
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