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The Mike & Carla Morning Show

The Mike & Carla Morning Show

The Mike & Carla Morning Show

Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen Talks Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, Wikipedia, And More

Author Mike O'Brian
Foreigner's Kelly Hansen performs with the band in concert.

The band is in town this week at The Venetian Theater and Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen is talking about the Rock-n-Roll Hall of Fame, Wikipedia and much more! On The Mike &  Carla Morning Show, Kelly opened up about how the campaign is going to get Foreigner into the Hall of Fame. How having former Beatle Paul McCartney in you corner is not a bad thing, And siting Mark Ronson leading the charge and that momentum has picked up.

Of course, Mark is the stepson of Mick Jones, one of the original members of the band. Ronson has also employed Dave Krohl, Slash, and many more are on board. Kelly even told us how you can actually vote on line for the band to get into the Hall. You’d think with all their hits, it’s only a matter of time right?

Foreigner’s Kelly Hansen Talked About The Hall Of Fame, Wikipedia And Much More

But we also started the conversation off by correcting Wikipedia on where Kelly lives. You might notice, if you look him up, he has a home in Calabasas and in Malibu, California. When asked where we were talking to him at, his home in Calabasas or the “Boo”, Kelly said “…obviously reading Wikipedia, don’t believe what you read!”

However, Kelly did talk about his early beginnings on getting into singing on the beach in Southern California. Joining a friend’s band and just like that, he’s the lead singer. Sited his mom’s great taste in music for his inspirations featuring Aretha Franklin, Ray Charles, and more. He also mentioned that he was a fan of Top 40 radio growing up which really helped him perfect his craft.

We did ask about using local high schools during performances of “I Want To Know What Love Is” on the road and even here in Las Vegas. The band has been doing this for a while with great results from area high schools. Kelly talked about the importance of music program in schools and how the band is dedicated to keeping those programs alive.

Various high school choirs from Las Vegas will be featured during their run this week at The Venetian Theater. All in all, it was great catching up with the lead singer…so, check out the visit below and enjoy!

Mike O’Brian is the Program Director and Morning Show host on 96.3 KKLZ in Las Vegas, along with Carla Rea. He has been with the Beasley Media Group for almost 23 years. Mike was named one of the “Best Program Directors In America” by Radio Ink magazine. Over the years, “The Mike & Carla Morning Show” have been presented with a number of proclamations for their work in the community and numerous awards. Having lived in Las Vegas for over 35 years, he writes articles on living in Las Vegas, sports, and odd stories happening within the state of Nevada. Mike is the host of the morning show and program director of 96.3 KKLZ/Las Vegas. He has been doing mornings in Las Vegas for the past 38 years. Over the years, he has hosted a numerous amount of community events and has been the P.A. announcer for a number of sports teams in Las Vegas. He has written on living in Las Vegas, the sports teams here, as well as odd & little-known facts about Las Vegas & Nevada.

Foreigner: 10 Best Songs

Foreigner is a band that has helped define classic rock radio for decades. They have a catalog of hits that most bands only dream of. Those tracks helped the British-American band sell over 80 million albums worldwide.

Foreigner’s success is thanks, in large part, to the songwriting team of guitarist Mick Jones and former singer Lou Gramm. While the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame finally acknowledged Foreigner with a nomination in 2024, Jones and Gramm were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2013.

Foreigner has had many lineup changes over the decades, but the constant has always been Jones, who started the band in 1976. After nearly 50 years, Foreigner is saying goodbye. They kicked off their farewell tour on July 6, 2023 in Alpharetta, Ga.

When the tour was announced, Jones said in a statement, “While I’m sure our fans will have mixed feelings about the end of the road for the band, I know our shows are going to delight audiences everywhere.”

In honor of their farewell tour and their incredible run, here’s our ranking of Foreinger’s ten best songs.

2024 Rock Hall Nomination & Induction

As previously stated, Foreigner finally received their first nomination for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2024. They’ve been eligible for induction since 2003 and are considered one of the Rock Hall’s most notable snubs over the years.

Guitarist/founding member Mick Jones said in a statement about the Rock Hall Nomination, “I deeply appreciate the recognition from the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee … Getting this news today is an incredible endorsement of what we have achieved over time.”

On April 21, it was announced Foreigner was part of the 2024 Rock Hall class. The classic rock band is being inducted in the Performer category along with Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Peter Frampton, Kool & The Gang, Ozzy Osbourne and A Tribe Called Quest.

Founder/guitarist Mick Jones told Billboard, “I think it means more to me now than perhaps 20 years ago. I’ve had a great career, and this is like the whipped cream and cherry on top.”

Former Foreigner bassist Rick Wills also told Billboard, “It’s been over 20 years since we’ve been waiting for this day. I suppose we were frustrated, to be perfectly honest, but we tried to hide it as best we could because we didn’t want to appear like we were sad people. (laughs).”

When is the Rock Hall 2024 Induction Ceremony?

The 2024 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony will take place on Saturday, October 19 at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio. As previously reported, the 2024 ceremony will live stream on Disney+. An edited special will air on ABC at a later date, which will be available on Hulu the next day.

The Rock Hall noted in a press release, “Four out of the eight inductees in the Performer category were on the ballot for the first time, including Cher, Foreigner, Kool & the Gang and Peter Frampton.” However, it should also be noted that Ozzy Osbourne was on the ballot for the first time as a solo artist, despite being eligible since 2005.

  • 10. 'Dirty White Boy' - 'Head Games' (1979)

    A little bit cheeky and whole lot of fun, “Dirty White Boy” was the lead single off of Foreigner’s third studio album, Head Games. Guitarist Mick Jones told SongFacts that the song was loosely inspired by Elvis Presley. He said, “To me, he always was that dirty white boy who changed the shape of music completely. It was talking about the kind of heritage that he left, and I think that had an effect on all the musicians that came after, like Mick Jagger – he was also a dirty white boy.”

  • 9. 'Cold As Ice' - 'Foreigner' (1977)

    Mick Jones’ piano intro is so effective on this track. Just playing the first two or three notes makes most listeners recognize this hit right away. However, Mick Jones told Classic Rock, “I must admit though that I was surprised when it went into the Top 10 in America. But then we were a new band, and everything was exciting and surprising at the time.”

  • 8. 'Head Games' - 'Head Games' (1979)

    Man…Foreigner can’t seem to catch a romantic break on this one! Whoever inspired “Head Games” must have done a real number on Lou Gramm and Mick Jones. But that chorus is one earworm we just can’t quit. (Seriously, just try!)

  • 7. 'Urgent' - '4' (1981)

    Foreigner wasn’t wasting any time on 4. Out the gate, its lead single, “Urgent,” set the tone for this classic album, which is the band’s only album to top the Billboard charts. Fun fact: Thomas Dolby, who released “She Blinded Me with Science” the following year, plays synthesizers on this track. Here’s hoping that nugget will earn you a free drink at a trivia night in the future.

  • 6. 'Double Vision' - 'Double Vision' (1978)

    No, this jam isn’t about seeing double due to intoxication. Singer Lou Gramm said a game between the New York Rangers and the Philadelphia Flyers actually inspired the song. During the game, Rangers goalie John Davidson was knocked out by an elbow from the Flyers left winger Dave Schultz. Gramm was watching the game on a small TV at the recording studio, and the announcer said Davidson wasn’t returning to the game due to experiencing double vision.

  • 5. 'I Want to Know What Love Is' - 'Agent Provocateur' (1984)

    “I Want to Know What Love Is” is an iconic power ballad. (In fact, we ranked it at number 11 on our list of the ‘50 Best Power Ballads of All Time.’) The track is notable for being Foreigner’s lone number-one hit when it was released in 1984 as the lead single off of Agent Provocateur. It also has one of the best choruses to scream-sing of all time.

  • 4. 'Blue Morning, Blue Day' - 'Double Vision' (1978)

    Lou Gramm, obviously, doesn’t need help in the vocal department. However, there’s truly something special about the harmony in the chorus thanks to backing vocals from Mick Jones, Ian McDonald, Ed Gagliardi and Ian Lloyd. Al Greenwood’s keyboards are a secret weapon that adds another layer to this surprisingly moody track. “Blue Morning, Blue Day” is somehow both a hit and underrated in that regard.

  • 3. 'Hot Blooded' - 'Double Vision' (1978)

    The riff on “Hot Blooded” is such a monster hook it makes you forget Foreigner rhymes “mind” with “mind” in the first verse. (“You don’t have to read my mind/To know what I have in mind.”) Nitpicking the lyrics aside, the pressure Foreigner was under to follow up their hit debut must have been intense. However, they more than delivered with “Hot Blooded,” the lead single off of Double Vision, which topped out at number three on the Billboard Hot 100.

  • 2. 'Juke Box Hero' - '4' (1981)

    Some of the biggest rock stars of all time likely have “Juke Box Hero”-esque origin stories. This is just one of the reasons this track never fails to hit you “right in the feels.” It never loses its grandness, even after repeated listens. If there’s a hallmark for an iconic track, it’s that.

  • 1. 'Feels Like the First Time' - 'Foreigner' (1977)

    As far as debut singles go, “Feels Like the First Time” is one of the best. And yet, it may be the most underrated in the grand scheme of classic rock. Foreigner gets a lot of love from its fans, but they never really got their due. Perhaps, to paraphrase the Adam Sandler comedy Big Daddy, they only caught a bad rap because most critics are cynical a–holes.

    There’s no debating it, though; “Feels Like the First Time” is an undeniable classic. If you need a reminder, just listen to the track below and judge for yourself.

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