Foreigner's Mick Jones reacts to the band's long-awaited Rock Hall nomination

Foreigner's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame nomination is a first for the veteran rock band.

The group's appearance on this year's ballot is its first ever, despite being eligible since 2002. With worldwide record sales of more than 80 million and nine top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 (including “Feels Like the First Time, ” Cold As Ice “, ” Hot Blooded “, ” Urgent ” and ” I Want to Know What Love Is “), Foreigner has long been considered one of the Rock Hall's biggest snubs by critics and commentators as well as fans.

“I deeply appreciate the recognition from the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (nomination) committee,” says Mick Jones, who formed Foreigner in 1976 in New York. Advertising sign via email. “It's great that Foreigner has maintained a presence over the years and brought the music to our fans. Receiving this news is an incredible endorsement of what we have achieved over time.” Jones and original Foreigner singer Lou Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

Phil Carson, an Atlantic Records executive when Foreigner was signed and the band's manager since 2004, calls the nomination “wonderful” — and overdue. “Oh, of course it was disappointing, and I know a lot of the nominating committee members have put Foreigner on the list, but we never got in,” says Carson, noting that the late Rock Hall co-founder Seymour Stein was a strong supporter. This year, says Carson, “the usual suspects who have always been in our court voted, and I guess there was just that little bit of extra credibility of the people surrounding Foreigner, Mick, that helped.”

Since its release Foreign Debuting in 1977, the group has recorded six multi-platinum albums and 22 songs on the Billboard Hot 100, including a chart-topper in 1985 (“I Want to Know What Love Is”). The band, which has gone through line-up changes throughout its career, went on hiatus in the early 2000s, but reformed in 2004 with Kelly Hansen as frontman and former Dokken bassist Jeff Pilson. Several of the original and core members have participated in sporadic reunion and guest appearances, while founding bassist Ed Gagliardi died in 2014 and multi-instrumentalist Ian McDonald died in 2022.

Jones has stopped touring with the group for health reasons, but continues to oversee and participate in its activities.

Foreign fans have campaigned to get the band on the Rock Hall ballot for years, though Jones has stayed out of the fray while quietly mourning the abstention. He said before Advertising sign that, “I don't think about it much. I know we get a lot of support from a lot of places. obviously the fans who are like, “Let's induct Foreigner into the Hall of Fame” and all that stuff. And a lot of other people seem to think we should be there. I think it depends on the panel and whatever mood they're in and whatever style of music they're awarding…. But I'm pretty happy with what I've achieved and the songs speak for themselves. Whether it happens or not, I'm still a happy person.”

Carson says Foreigner will promote the nomination through its website and social media to encourage fans to participate in public voting. The current incarnation of Foreigner, meanwhile, embarked on a farewell tour last year that will resume with a second leg this year. It is scheduled to be completed in North America in the summer of 2025, but Carson says demand from other regions may push the completion date to 2026.