Foreigner Inducted Into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame

Foreigner was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on Saturday night. Present to accept the award was original singer Lou Gramm, keyboardist Al Greenwood, and bassist Rick Wills.

Mick Jones and Dennis Elliott were not in attendance, while Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi, died in 2022 and 2014, respectively.

“I’m really sad [Jones] is not here tonight,” Sammy Hagar, who inducted the band, said from the stage. “Mick, we love and miss you and congratulations.”

Hagar also spoke about his own experiences listening to Foreigner’s music, particularly songs like “Jukebox Hero,” when he himself was coming up as a rock singer.

“The first time you heard that song you know you were jealous,” he said. “To me that’s one of the greatest rock vocal performances ever.”

Following Hagar’s speech, an all-star performance of their music took place, featuring Hagar, Slash, Chad Smith, Demi Lovato and Kelly Clarkson.

READ MORE: The Enduring Legacy of Foreigner’s ‘I Want to Know What Love Is’

Lovato took on the lead vocal for “Feels Like the First Time,” followed by “Hot Blooded” featuring Hagar singing lead, with some assistance from current Foreigner singer Kelly Hansen. Then Clarkson came on for “I Want to Know What Love Is,” who was joined by Gramm himself.

Clarkson has covered Foreigner previously, posting a video of her singing “I Want to Know What Love Is” in 2016, dedicated to the victims of the Orlando nightclub shooting.

In February, Slash and Smith appeared in a video posted by the producer Mark Ronson, the son-in-law of Mick Jones, advocating for Foreigner to be inducted. “I can’t believe they’re not in already — oh my God,” Smith said. Other artists in the video included Paul McCartney, Dave Grohl and Jack Black.

Jones’ daughter, Annabelle Dexter-Jones, was on hand to help accept the award.

“He’s in New York and he’s watching from home,” she said. “I’m going to speak his words. … Thanks to my brothers in song and rock and roll who helped build this legacy from the very first single. .. I want to thank the fans, the listeners, the dreamers who made this journey possible. Thank you to everyone who has been a part of this incredible odyssey. Rock and roll is forever.”

“We didn’t always agree about Foreigner’s musical direction,” Gramm added, “but all told we were very fortunate to be in Foreigner together and our music continues to stand the test of time.”

‘Justice Has Been Done’

“We’ve waited basically 21 years for this to happen,” Wills said in June. “So when it did happen, it was a surprise in a sense. But it was also a relief that we finally could join our peers in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame because I think we’ve definitely earned our place with the singles and the songs we’ve written and performed over the years. You know, what did we do wrong? I don’t know.”

Though it took decades for Foreigner to be nominated and ultimately inducted into the Rock Hall, singer Lou Gramm is content. “It gives the ultimate credibility to all the creativity and work that myself and Mick and the whole Foreigner band has been doing for decades,” he told Rolling Stone in April. “Justice has been done.”