After more than two decades of eligibility, Foreigner was finally nominated, selected and inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, in its Class of 2024. The band—known for such Top 10 hits as “Feels Like The First Time,” “Cold As Ice,” “Hot Blooded,” “Waiting For A Girl Like You” and “I Want To Know What Love Is”—were represented at Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse to accept their long overdue honor on October 19 by original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood and Rick Wills. Regrettably they were without their leader Mick Jones and original drummer Dennis Elliott, who chose not to attend the ceremony for different reasons. (Fellow originals Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi are both deceased.)
The event was streamed live on Disney+ and is now available on Hulu. An edited presentation will be shown at a later date on ABC.
In presenting Foreigner, Sammy Hagar singled out the band’s song, “Jukebox Hero,” calling Gramm’s singing “one of the greatest rock vocal performances ever.” Hagar congratulated the band’s fans for their groundswell of support in helping them finally get selected for inclusion.
Mick Jones’ daughter Annabelle Dexter-Jones speaking on his behalf at Foreigner’s 2024 Rock Hall induction
Jones, who on Feb. 21 revealed that he has been battling Parkinson’s disease, was represented during the acceptance speeches by his daughter Annabelle Dexter-Jones. In his remarks, which she read with pride and a degree of emotion, he said, “Rock and roll was the first thing that grabbed me. There was no Plan B.
An eclectic all-star group of musicians including @DemiLovato, @Slash, and @RHCPchad pay tribute to @ForeignerMusic covering their smash hit “Feels Like the First Time”. Tune in NOW on @DisneyPlus to watch the 2024 Induction. #RockHall2024 pic.twitter.com/fBvQkgonDm
— Rock & Roll Hall of Fame (@rockhall) October 20, 2024
“Right from the start, Mick and I hit it off. We didn’t always agree… but our music continues to stand the test of time.”
Three of those songs were performed at the event. Slash and Demi Lovato joined Foreigner’s current touring band on 1977’s “Feels Like the First Time,” their first hit.
Hagar then sang “Hot Blooded.” After Kelly Clarkson began singing “I Want To Know What Love Is,” she was joined by Gramm.
The 74 year-old, London-born Elliott announced on Oct. 17 that he wouldn’t be attending. In a brief statement on his Facebook page, Elliott wrote:
“Dear Foreigner Fans & Friends,
Don’t look too hard, we will not be there.
We were finally given the schedule last night, and it is not to our satisfaction. So we are staying home. We have been asking for this for weeks, and they have waited until the very last minute to send it knowing we were all packed and going to bed. Totally unacceptable to us.
Hope you have a good time.”
The drummer was to be joined by his wife of 52 years, Iona Elliott.
Hours after Elliott revealed that he wouldn’t be attending, this announcement appeared on Foreigner’s official Facebook page: “Foreigner is greatly looking forward to Saturday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. The band will be joined by Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson in a set celebrating the induction of the guys who started it all almost fifty years ago. Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Rick Wills will be there to accept the awards on behalf of the band’s leader and founder Mick Jones and Dennis Elliot along those of Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who passed away some years ago.”
This isn’t the first time that the Rock Hall has courted controversy with the artists that are being honored. In 2016, at the official press conference following his performance at his own induction, Steve Miller went on a rant about the hall. “They need to get the legal work straight. They need to respect the artists who they say they’re honoring. I don’t have any of my paperwork signed. No licensing agreements with these people. They’re trying to steal footage. They’re trying to make me indemnify them.
“When they told me I was inducted they said, ‘You have two tickets — one for your wife and one for yourself. Want another one? It’s $10,000. Sorry, that’s the way it goes,’” he added. “What about my band? What about their wives? They [the Rock Hall] makes this so unpleasant.”
The Rock Hall announced its Class of 2024 on April 21. The inductees were led by Peter Frampton and Foreigner, who had been overlooked for decades. They were joined by Ozzy Osbourne, the Dave Matthews Band, Cher, Kool & the Gang, A Tribe Called Quest, and Mary J. Blige. Jimmy Buffett, who was not on the ballot, was selected for Musical Excellence, along with Dionne Warwick, MC5, and Norman Whitfield. The Musical Influence honorees are British blues rock legend John Mayall, as well as Alexis Korner, another British blues musician, and blues singer Big Mama Thornton—the first to record “Hound Dog.” The Ahmet Ertegun Award went to industry executive Suzanne de Passe.
