The Foremen
| Company type | Music group |
|---|---|
| Industry | Music |
| Founded | 1990 |
| Founder | Roy Zimmerman |
| Headquarters | Los Angeles , United States |
| Products | Satirical folk music albums and singles |
The Foremen were a Los Angeles-based satirical folk music ensemble established by Roy Zimmerman. They became known for their politically motivated lyrics from a leftist viewpoint, frequently targeting personalities such as Rush Limbaugh with satire.
History
The band came into existence in 1990 when Zimmerman stumbled upon a Wayfarers record in a discount bin. He then enlisted guitarist Doug Whitney and bassist Andy Corwin to form the complete group. Their initial release was a live album titled Sing it Loud under Metaphor Records. Subsequently, after Jim Ed Norman—head of Warner Bros. Nashville at the time—heard them perform at a social event, they secured a contract with Reprise Records. Norman took on production duties for their Reprise debut, resulting in two studio albums: Folk Heroes (1995) and What's Left (1996).
In 1995, the band issued the single "Ain't No Liberal" from their Folk Heroes album, which featured Republican figure Phil Gramm on its cover art. To promote this track, Reprise distributed copies to candidates participating in the 1996 US Presidential election, incorporating satirical imagery that mocked contender Pete Wilson. According to Reprise president Howie Klein, this approach aimed to elicit a provocative "counterattack" from the politicians who were lampooned.
In February 1996, The Foremen appeared on Oliver North’s radio program to perform "Ollie, Ollie, Off Scot Free," a song that parodied North himself. Although initially apprehensive, North reacted with indifference, expressing that his main concern was the song’s subject matter and describing the band as a "very weird group." He even took a photo with them. By 1997, Zimmerman had departed and was succeeded by actor and musician Lance Guest.
Style
Zimmerman has acknowledged that the band's political stance draws inspiration from activism of the 1960s era, highlighting figures such as Tom Lehrer, Phil Ochs, and to a lesser degree Pete Seeger as significant influences. Guitarist Whitney characterized the group as "partly a goof on the lesser folk groups of the late '50s." Meanwhile, Billboard likened their satirical approach to that of Allan Sherman. Jim Walsh concurred with Zimmerman's reference to Phil Ochs and additionally cited Steve Goodman as an influence. Mark Jenkins of The Washington Post observed that although Tom Lehrer endorsed The Foremen's Folk Heroes album, it is stylistically less folk-centric and less sharply satirical than Lehrer's own output.
Studio albums
- Folk Heroes (Reprise, 1995)
- What's Left? (Reprise, 1996)
Live albums
- Sing it Loud! (Metaphor, 1994)