Lou Gramm, Foreigner’s original lead singer, turns 75 today. Born Louis Andrew Grammatico on May 2nd, 1950, in Rochester, New York, where he still resides, Gramm's journey into music began on a fateful Sunday, February 9th, 1964. Lou recalls, "I remember seeing The Beatles when I was 12 years old on The Ed Sullivan Show, sitting in the living room with my older and younger brother and my mom and dad. And I went crazy when I saw that, and I turned to my mom and dad and I said, 'That's what I want to do for a living.' And they looked at each other and smiled and then they started laughing and they said, 'Okay son.'"
Gramm's path to stardom took a significant leap when he was with the band Black Sheep. In 1974, while opening for Spooky Tooth, he met Foreigner founder and guitarist Mick Jones. Impressed by Gramm's talent, Jones invited him to audition for Foreigner after hearing Black Sheep's first album. That ultimately led to Gramm singing on all of Foreigner's biggest albums, solidifying his place in rock ‘n roll history. Despite leaving the band for good in 2003, his legacy with Foreigner remains intact.
Gramm and Jones were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013, and the band was honored with an induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame last year. Overcoming personal battles with drug addiction and a brain tumor, Gramm is currently on a farewell tour with Foreigner in Latin America. He joins the band to sing the final four songs, a tradition he plans to continue into next year.
[Source: Classic Hits Today]