Lou Gramm (born Louis A. Grammatico on May 2, 1950 in Rochester, New York) is an American rock vocalist and songwriter. He was the lead vocalist for the rock band Foreigner for over 27 years and also had a successful solo career. Lou is now recording and touring with the Lou Gramm Band.
Gramm began his musical career in his mid-teens, playing in local Rochester bands, including St. James Infirmary (later The Infirmary), and PHFFT. He later sang harmony vocals in another local band, Poor Heart; then went on to sing and play drums, and to eventually become frontman for the band Black Sheep. Black Sheep had the distinction of being the first American band signed to the Chrysalis label, which released their first single, "Stick Around" (1973). Soon after this success, Black Sheep signed with Capitol Records, releasing two albums in succession S/T (1974) and Encouraging Words (1975).
With his powerful vocals, Lou Grammatico became Lou Gramm as frontman for the band initially known as "Trigger," and later renamed Foreigner and became one of the most successful rock vocalists of the late 1970s and 1980s.
Gramm was the lead vocalist on many of Foreigner’s hit songs, including "Feels Like The First Time", "Cold As Ice", "Hot Blooded", "Urgent", "Double Vision", "Juke Box Hero", "Head Games", "Dirty White Boy" and "Say You Will". The band achieved two of its biggest hits with the ballads "Waiting for a Girl Like You", which spent ten weeks at 2 on the 1981 American singles charts, and "I Want to Know What Love Is", which was a number 1 hit internationally in 1984.
In 1987 Gramm released his first solo album, Ready or Not, which received critical acclaim and contained a top five hit single with "Midnight Blue". This was followed by a late 1987 Foreigner album Inside Information and, eventually, a second solo effort, Long Hard Look, that included the top ten hit, "Just Between You and Me", and "True Blue Love", which reached the Top 40. Gramm also performed the title song from the 1987 movie The Lost Boys, titled "Lost in the Shadows."
Shadow King was another of Lou’s projects which released its self-titled album on the Atlantic label in 1991. It remains a cult classic among hard rock and heavy metal fans worldwide. With its evocative hooks and melodies, outstanding keyboards and guitars, and the ever powerful vocals of Lou Gramm, it is truly one of the best hard rock releases of the 90s.
Gramm returned to Foreigner in 1992 to record three new songs for the compilation, The Very Best of ... and Beyond, bringing a new energy back into the mix. In 1994, the group released the album Mr. Moonlight on the Rhythm Safari label.
In April 1997, two months after providing vocals for Christian rock band Petra’s Petra Praise 2: We Need Jesus, and on the eve Foreigner was to leave for a Japan tour, Gramm was diagnosed with a brain tumor. Surgery was successful and Lou continued to tour with Foreigner until late 2002.
In 2003, Gramm once again split from Foreigner to rejuvenate his solo career. Following the death of both his father and mother, Bennie and Nikki Grammatico (he a trumpeter and bandleader, she a singer for his Big Band, The Gateswingers), Gramm fulfilled a lifelong wish of his parents that their three musical sons might someday make their music together. Gramm and his brothers, Ben and Richard, formed the current lineup of the Lou Gramm Band (also known as "LGB"). The band has been touring the U.S., Canada, and Mexico steadily since January 2004, as well as occasional dates off the continent...and the touring continues. Lou, Ben, and Richard, with friends Don Mancuso and Andy Knoll, play a retrospective of Gramm’s work with Foreigner, his solo material, plus a few personal favorites of their own. In addition, the band has taken on Christian rock. The Lou Gramm Band will soon release a Christian rock album, which is currently in production, on the Spectra label.
Hi Lou, Just read the LGB Summer Update e-mail and saw that you're not feeling well - I'm SO SORRY to hear that - you're in my prayers for whatever ails you!! God bless you, Lou!! Pls. know there are so many of us out there that wish you well ;-)! ~lin
HELLO SWEET LOU, I HOPE YOU ARE FEELING BETTER... MY PRAYERS AND WISHES ARE WITH YOU...TAKE GOOD CARE OF YOURSELF... I AM SENDING WELL WISHES AND ALL MY LOVE TO YOU...MERRY
Hello Lou & hello 2 the band. Thank u 4 the add. I've been an admirerer of u ever since I saw the video 4 "I Want To Know What Love Is" back in 1984. God bless u and thank u 4 so many wonderful power songs from ur God given powerful voice. Take care.
Hey, Lou. Hope you're feeling much better soon. I just said a prayer for ya. May our awesome God wrap His loving arms around you and hold you so close to His heart that you hear His every heartbeat. Take good care, and have a peaceful Sunday. Love, hugs, & kisses, Leslie
Hi Lou, Just came by to wish you well, noticed the msg below...Will ask for God's healing hand to be extended to you this very hour. Please be well, Take care, Kind Regards Chezza
Hey, Lou. Hope your weekend is going perfectly, and that God is truly blessing you and the kids :). He's truly blessing me. He is a great God. That's for sure :). Well, hope you're enjoying a relaxing night with sweet dreams. Give the kids a big hug & kiss from me, k? Love, hugs, & kisses for you, too :), Leslie
I'm stopping to say hello and hi to you and hope all is o.k. Are you very busy for the moment? I think...I'm very busy too for the moment. Stay cool and have a lot of fun. I would like share with you this. I hope all will be o.k. soon. I wish you a great weekend and you and your music is always in my heart and my mind and helps me in difficult times. Love and Hugs and take care of you Franziska
Hey, Lou. Hope you're having a great day today and enjoying a beautiful weekend. I forgot to tell you yesterday that a I went with one of my best friends to the downtown street fair and saw a bunch of classic/muscle cars. I thought of you and was wishing you were with us. Then today we had the parade to celebrate the 100th birthday of our city. And yep, there were more classic/muscle cars. And again, I thought of you, wishing you were standing there with me. Ok, have an amazing day today, and may God continue to smile on you :). Love, hugs, & kisses, Leslie
Hey, Lou. Hope you and the kids had an amazing 4th of July. I watched fireworks from the local college and had a few with one of my best friends :). This weekend will be filled with celebrations of different sorts. Hope your weekend is just as exciting if not more :). You're probably sleeping as I type this, so I'm hoping you're sleeping peacefully and having sweet dreams that will keep you smiling for weeks ;). Can't wait to see you again. May God bless you amazingly. Love, hugs, & kisses, Leslie
HELLO MY SWEET LOU... I HOPE THE DAY WAS A LOT OF FUN AND THE KIDS ENJOYED THE FIREWORKS..HAPPY 4TH OF JULY... MY WINDOWS ARE OPEN AND I CAN HEAR THE FIREWORKS ARE STARTING AND SO WENT AND SAT IN MY BEDROOM AND WATCHED THEM AND NOW I AM BACK TO SAYING GOOD NIGHT TO YOU... HAVE A GREAT NIGHT...SWEET DREAMS AND ALL MY LOVE TO YOU... I LOVE YOU, MERRY
Have a great holiday weekend, Lou. Your music was a big part of my youth. I recently upgraded some of the old albums from tapes to CD to relive the old days. Keep rockin'...
Hi Lou :) I hope your enjoying your weekend :) I found out that Mattawa Voyageur Days and Sudbury are all sold out.Your a very popular man in these areas ;) Maybe next time! But like I said,I hope you have a WONDERFUL time while here.Oh!If you have time while in mattawa,visit the echology center if you enjoy beautiful nature and warm waters.The boys from Trooper camped there at one of their gigs and Gogo(Paul) didn't want to leave..lol Anywho.. Take care!! Peace.. Sylvie
Hey, Lou. Hope you and the family are having a safe and exciting 4th of July. May God continue to bless you & the kids always. And let everything you do reflect Christ Who is in you :). Take good care. Love, hugs, & kisses, Leslie
I hope you have good day. We can need good days at the moment. My Mother is in the hospital since thursday. It was for 3 years the same. I hope all will good again. this times was worse it, it fell down and a hole in the head and the nose broke, is really not so good. It this times into the tube put whether everything with the head and the whole body correct is. Pressures me the thumbs that it is not anything bad. I'm really down since yesterday and made worry me. I wish you and your family really the best and hope you have a great weekend. I think of you allways. Except also my mother you are really only important person in my life. Love and Hugs and a safe life for you wishes Your Angel Franziska
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