Chris Foreman is an English guitarist born on 8 August 1956 in London. Chris is best known as a member of an English pop/ska band ‘Madness’.
In 1976, Chris Foreman formed the band ‘Madness’ with Mike Barson on Keyboards, Chris himself on guitar, Lee Thompson on saxophone and vocals.
Chris Foreman, Mike Barson and Lee Thompson formed the band as ‘The North London Invaders’ in 1976 and recruited Cathal Smyth (best known as Chas Smash) on bass guitar and John Hasler on drums. Later in the year, a lead vocalist ‘Dikron’ joined the band. Chris used to write music with his other group members, mostly with Lee Thompson and Graham McPherson (better known as Suggs).
The array of this six people lasted when ‘Graham McPherson’, an English singer, actor, TV personality and former radio RJ, better known as Suggs joined the band as a lead vocalist after seeing their performance in a friend’s garden in 1977. Mike Barson criticized saxophone playing of Thompson which made him leave the band. Cathal Smyth was replaced by Barson’s friend Gavin Rogers, McPherson was thrown out of the band as he was watching football instead of rehearsing and he was replaced by Hasler.
McPherson rejoined the band after patching things up with Barson and two more members joined the band, Mark Bedford, a bass guitarist who replaced Gavin Rogers and Daniel Woodgate, a drummer who replaced Garry Dovey by 1978. The band changed their name to ‘Morris and the Minors’. However this name of the band stayed for a short period and the band renamed itself as ‘Madness’ by giving respect to one of their favourite songs of “Prince Buster”, ska/reggae artist. Chas Smash rejoined the band as a backing vocalist and trumpet player and became the seventh member of ‘Madness’.
The band ‘Madness’ got split up in 1986 and Chris formed a new band ‘The Madness’ with Suggs, Chas Smash and Lee Thompson which broke up after their first album ‘The Madness’ in 1988.
Chris Foreman and Lee Thompson later formed the band ‘The Nutty Boys’ in 1990. The band released their first album called Crunch! The album was dedicated to ‘the good ship Madness (1979 to 1989) and all who sailed on her’. They play in London every couple of years and known as Crunch!
In 1992, Chris Foreman got reunited with the original band members of ‘Madness’. It was announced that Chris was leaving the band in 2005, later in 2006 November 30 it was confirmed that Chris Foreman was returning to play on forthcoming UK Christmas tour of ‘Madness’.
DISCOGRAPHY:
- (1979) One Step Beyond
- (1980) Absolutely
- (1981) 7
- (1982) The Rise & Fall
- (1982) Complete Madness
- (1984) Keep Moving
- (1985) Mad Not Mad
- (1986) Utter Madness
- (1988) The Madness
- (1990) It's... Madness
- (1991) It's... Madness Too
- (1992) Divine Madness
- (1993) The Business
- (1997) Total Madness
- (1999) Wonderful
- (2002) Our House
- (2005) The Dangermen Sessions Vol. 1
- (2008) The Liberty of Norton Folgate (To Be Released)
Some of his singles include: - (1979) "One Step Beyond"
- (1979) "My Girl"
- (1980) "Work Rest and Play EP"
- (1980) "Baggy Trousers"
- (1980) "Embarrassment"
- (1981) "The Return of the Los Palmas 7"
- (1981) "Grey Day"
- (1981) "Shut Up"
- (1981) "It Must Be Love"
- (1982) "House of Fun"
- (1982) "Driving in My Car"
- (1982) "Our House"
- (1983) "Tomorrow's (Just Another Day)"/ "Madness (Is All in the Mind)"
- (1983) "Wings of a Dove"
- (1983) "The Sun and the Rain"
- (1985) Uncle Sam
- (1986) (Waiting For) The Ghost Train
- (1992) "It Must Be Love"
- (1999) "Lovestruck"