Original FOREIGNER Singer LOU GRAMM Announces 2026 U.S. Tour Dates In Support Of 'Released' Solo Album

Legendary vocalist and 2024 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductee Lou Gramm, best known as the iconic original voice of FOREIGNER will hit the road throughout 2026 in support of his third solo album, "Released", with a run of solo headline dates across North America. Highlights include stops at the Honeywell Arts & Entertainment Center in Wabash, Indiana, the Palace Theatre in Stamford, Connecticut, American Music Theatre in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, and the Arcada Theatre in St. Charles, Illinois, among others. The tour will bring Gramm's iconic voice to stages nationwide, celebrating both new material and the timeless hits that defined a generation.

Lou Gramm 2026 tour dates:

May 9 - Honeywell Arts & Entertainment - Wabash, IN
May 22 - Roanoke Festival in the Park - Roanoke, VA
May 28 - Palace Theatre Stamford - Stamford, CT
May 30 - American Music Theatre - Lancaster, PA
June 6 - Iroquois Amphitheater - Lexington, KY
July 10 -- Arcada Theatre - St. Charles, IL
Aug. 13 - Kenley Amphitheater - Layton, UT
Aug. 28 - Saracen Events Center - Pine Bluff, AR
Sept. 26 - The Palladium - Carmel, IN
Oct. 10 - The Family Arena - St. Charles, MO

For tickets and full details, visit www.LouGrammOfficial.com.

Set to arrive on March 27, 2026 on CD (HNE Recordings / Cherry Red Records) and vinyl (Friday Music),"Released" marks the long-awaited completion of a pivotal chapter in Gramm's solo catalog. Produced by Gramm with associate producer Matthew Gramm, the album features ten original songs co-written with Lou's longtime collaborator and former BLACK SHEEP bandmate Bruce Turgon, originally recorded during the 1980s in the wake of his solo releases "Ready Or Not" (1987) and "Long Hard Look" (1989). Recently revisited and carefully completed, these recordings preserve the warmth, grit, and analog character of the original sessions while benefiting from a renewed clarity and sonic depth. The result bridges Gramm's celebrated solo era with the perspective and enduring vocal power that have defined him as one of rock's most influential and recognizable voices.

Regarding how "Released" came together, Gramm told Barry Robinson of Classic Album Review: "Well, my solo albums, which came out in 1987 and '89, we had 10 songs on each album, but actually had about 15 songs written, and they were in various forms of being finished. But after we picked the songs for the album, I was gnawed by the fact that there was so many good songs that didn't make it to the album and deserved to be released. So when I started to come about doing this album, I went back and listened to those unfinished songs and picked the best ones. And some of 'em needed a lead guitar, some of 'em needed a third verse. I started finishing them all. And it was a very cathartic process to hear them as a lot of potential to being done. And it felt great to hear them finished. And that's when I came upon the idea of doing one last solo album. I think there might be one or two freshly written songs, and the rest of 'em are songs from the 'Ready Or Not' album and the 'Long Hard Look' album, that, like I said, weren't quite finished, but the ideas were very good. So I went back and put the third verse in and put the guitar lead in and mixed it and mastered it. And that's what all these songs on this album were — almost done, but now they're finished… Some of 'em were complete except for a third verse. Some of 'em needed a guitar lead. Some of 'em needed percussion. Every song was well along, and it just needed one or two things to make it finished. And that was cathartic for me to go back and do that."

Asked why it was cathartic for him to complete the songs more than three a half decades after they were originally started, Lou said: "Because when I went back to hear them after all these years, I remember recording them and remember the feel of of starting the song, what the idea was, and not finishing it and having it sit around for all these years was — it was just a little troubling to me. So when I decided to do this album, I was excited about going back and taking those ideas and finishing them up. Some needed a vocal, some needed a harmony, some needed a lead guitar, and so I went back and finished 'em all."

Produced by Lou Gramm himself, "Released" features appearances from an outstanding cast of musicians, including Tony Franklin on bass for "Long Gone" and Vivian Campbell (DEF LEPPARD) on guitar for the opening track "Young Love", alongside longtime collaborators such as Lou's brother Ben Gramm on drums.

Born and raised in Rochester, New York, Lou Gramm emerged from a highly musical family before forming BLACK SHEEP, whose two albums for Capitol Records have since become cult favorites. A pivotal meeting with Mick Jones in 1975 led to the formation of FOREIGNER the following year, launching a career that produced a run of multi-platinum albums and hit singles. FOREIGNER famously became the first band since THE BEATLES to see their first eight singles reach the U.S. Top 20.

Alongside his work with FOREIGNER, Lou enjoyed major solo success with "Ready Or Not" (1987),featuring the hit "Midnight Blue", followed by "Long Hard Look" (1989),which included "Just Between You And Me". Now, with "Released", Lou delivers his third solo studio album, completing a vital chapter in his solo catalogue while standing proudly alongside both his earlier solo work and his defining recordings with FOREIGNER.

"Released" also includes "True Blue Love (Unplugged)", the original version of which appeared on "Long Hard Look", and follows recent high-profile collaborations with FOREIGNER connected to the band's induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame in 2024.

Lou Gramm will be touring throughout 2026 in support of "Released", including solo dates and special appearances with FOREIGNER.

By the time Gramm left FOREIGNER for the first time in 1990, he had already released "Ready Or Not" and "Long Hard Look". He went on to launch LOU GRAMM BAND, which released an all-Christian rock album in 2009. He followed it up with "My Baby" in 2015.

SHADOW KING was a collaboration between Gramm and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell. The group released a self-titled album in 1991 and performed live only once, at the Astoria Theatre in London, England on December 13, 1991.

Gramm was the voice on FOREIGNER's biggest hits, including "Feels Like The First Time" and "Cold as Ice" from the band's eponymous debut in 1977, and later songs like "Hot Blooded" and "I Want to Know What Love Is".

FOREIGNER's ongoing tour features Gramm on guest vocals for some of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame group's biggest hits. Gramm is sharing the stage with Luis Maldonado, who replaced longtime FOREIGNER frontman Kelly Hansen on lead vocals.

FOREIGNER replaced Gramm with Hansen in 2005. Guitarist Mick Jones, the only remaining original member of FOREIGNER, suffered from some health issues beginning in 2011, eventually resulting in heart surgery in 2012. In February 2024, Jones revealed on social media that he was battling Parkinson's disease, which explained his absence from FOREIGNER's live shows since 2022.

Reconnecting with his former FOREIGNER bandmates, Lou contributed words and vocals for the new song "Turning Back The Time" to coincide with FOREIGNER's induction into the Rock And Rock Hall Of Fame in 2024, and also the unreleased "Fool If You Love Him" for the latest FOREIGNER "4" box set in 2025.

Photo: Krishta Abruzzini (courtesy of Shore Fire Media)