Mick Jones won't be at Foreigner's Rock Hall induction and Dennis Elliott also withdraws
Things don't seem happy in the Foreigner camp
Last updated 18th Oct 2024
Foreigner founder and creative force Mick Jones won’t be at the band’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction on Saturday (19th October), while original drummer Dennis Elliott has also pulled out.
When Foreigner were named among the Class of 2024 back in April, it was confirmed that the following band members would be inducted - Mick Jones, Lou Gramm, Dennis Elliott, Al Greenwood, longtime bassist Rick Wills, and deceased members Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi.
Taking to social media on Thursday, Foreigner revealed who will be attending the back-patting ceremony at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in Cleveland, Ohio.
“Foreigner is greatly looking forward to Saturday’s Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony,” the statement read.
“The band will be joined by Demi Lovato, Sammy Hagar, and Kelly Clarkson in a set celebrating the induction of the guys who started it all almost fifty years ago.
“Original members Lou Gramm, Al Greenwood, and Rick Wills will be there to accept the awards on behalf of the band’s leader and founder Mick Jones, drummer Dennis Elliott, and Ian McDonald and Ed Gagliardi who are no longer with us.”
No reason was given for Mick Jones and Dennis Elliott’s absence, however Elliott took to social media to hit out at his former band mates.
Mick Jones revealed his Parkinson's disease diagnosis back in February.
“Dear Foreigner Fans & Friends. Don’t look too hard, we will not be there,” Elliott wrote. “We were finally given the schedule last night, and it is not to our satisfaction. So we are staying home.
“We have been asking for weeks, and they have waited until the very last minute to send it knowing we were all packed and going to bed. Totally unacceptable to us. Hope you have a good time.”
London-born Dennis Elliott joined Foreigner upon their formation and he performed on every studio album from 1977 debut ‘Foreigner’ through to 1991’s ‘Unusual Heat’ before his departure in 1993.
Foreigner has been eligible for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame since 2002, a quarter of a century after the release of their debut long-player.
Saturday's Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony honours this year’s Inductees: Mary J. Blige, Cher, Dave Matthews Band, Foreigner, Peter Frampton, Kool & the Gang, Ozzy Osbourne, and A Tribe Called Quest, along with Alexis Korner, John Mayall, and Big Mama Thornton for Musical Influence, and Jimmy Buffett, MC5, Dionne Warwick, and Norman Whitfield for Musical Excellence, as well as Suzanne De Passe for the Ahmet Ertegun Award.
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