Visit us on InstagramVisit us on YoutubeVisit us on FacebookVisit us on TwitterSearch The SiteWhy Lou Gramm Refused Payment for Bryan Adams Backing VocalsMartin KieltyMartin KieltyPublished: January 22, 2023A&M / Hulton Archive, Getty Images called on for help while working on what would be his breakthrough album – and the vocalist was happy to oblige. In fact, Gramm said he refused payment for the work.What remains unclear is when and how it all happened, since Adams’ recollection differs from the story recounted in Gramm’s 2013 memoir Juke Box Hero: My Five Decades in Rock 'n' Roll.Adams told UCR’s Gary Graff that Gramm took so long returning a cold call to management that Adams initially had others , then taped over them when Gramm finally got in touch. Gramm says they got together toward the end of sessions for 1983’s , which was being completed down the hall from where Foreigner was recording.“This young guy named Bryan Adams came into our studio,” Gramm wrote, and he “had a dilemma. This was the last day he had booked the studio for, so he had no choice but to finish his recording that day or his album would be delayed – perhaps for months. Apparently a couple of his vocalists had taken ill, and he needed someone to sing back-up vocals.”Gramm said he could see Adams was “desperate” and so he “volunteered to help him out.” He said he “wound up singing in five or six of his songs,” but Gramm is officially named as a contributor on seven of the 10 tracks on the album.Whatever the particulars, Cuts Like a Knife would go on to secure Adams’ success, with platinum sales in the U.S. and triple-platinum sales in his home nation of Canada. Gramm said Adams was “so grateful” for the assistance “and offered to pay me, but I told him it wasn't necessary.”Gramm said he was certain Adams would have done the same thing in the same situation. “It was just a case of one rocker helping another as far as I was concerned,” he wrote in Juke Box Hero, “and it’s something I’ve tried to do whenever I could throughout my career.”Decades later, Adams remained a huge fan of Foreigner's long-time former frontman: “I think he’s one of the greatest rock singers ever,” Adams told Graff. “If I’ve got a chance to have him on my record, I’ll do whatever it takes.”Rock's 100 Most Underrated AlbumsYou know that LP that it seems like only you love? Let's talk about those.Did You Know Bryan Adams Wrote That Song?Next: When Foreigner Changed Gears With 'Waiting for a Girl Like YouFiled Under: , , Categories: , More From Ultimate Classic RockKelly Hansen Quitting Foreigner5 Solo Careers That Should’ve Been BiggerBryan Adams Albums RankedWatch Foreigner’s First Show With Luis Maldonado on Lead VocalsBryan Adams, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo Announce US TourHear Foreigner Star Mick Jones’ New Song ‘Shelter From the Storm’Foreigner Announces 2026 Orchestral Residency in Las VegasForeigner’s Upcoming Song Will Feature Lou Gramm on VocalsLou Gramm Details How HOF Induction Helped End Foreigner GrudgeInformationFollow UsVisit us on InstagramVisit us on YoutubeVisit us on FacebookVisit us on Twitter2025 Ultimate Classic Rock. All rights reserved., The song reached number 1 in Canada and number two in the United States. The song features backing vocals by fellow Canadian rock singer Bryan Adams., MJ also sang backup on follow up (and top 40) single “Obscene Phone Caller”—which literally no one remembers, despite the fact that Michael Jackson sang on it in 1983. All of this begs the question, why does the Universe hate Rockwell? 3 Bryan Adams in “Don’t Forget Me When I’m Gone” by Glass Tiger.