Grand Funk Railroad
Formed in 1968, Grand Funk Railroad were the first American heavy rock 'power trio' to reach massive fame, while alienating another large segment of the rock audience and critics at the same time. The group consisted of guitarist Mark Farner (b. 29 September 1948, Flint, Michigan, USA), bassist Mel Schacher (b. 3 April 1951, Owosso, Michigan, USA) and drummer Don Brewer (3 September 1948, Flint, Michigan, USA). The group was a spin-off of Terry Knight And The Pack, a popular soul-rock group in the Michigan area in the mid-'60s. Farner and Brewer had both been members of that band (Brewer had also belonged to the Jazz Masters prior to the Pack). Following a single release on the small Lucky Eleven label, I (Who Have Nothin), which reached number 46 in the US, the Pack were joined by Schacher, formerly of ? And The Mysterians. At this point Knight stopped performing to become the band's manager, renaming it Grand Funk Railroad (the name was taken from the Michigan landmark the Grand Trunk Railroad). The new trio signed with Capitol Records in 1969 and immediately began making its name by performing at several large pop festivals. Their first singles made the charts but Grand Funk soon proved its real strength in the album market. Their first, ON TIME, reached number 27 in 1969, followed by the number 11 GRAND FUNK in 1970. By the summer of that year they had become a major concert attraction, and their albums routinely reached the Top 10 for the next four years. Of those, 1973's WE'RE AN AMERICAN BAND was the biggest seller, reaching number 2. The group's huge success is often attributed to the public relations expertise of manager Knight. In 1970, for example, Knight reportedly paid $100,000 for a huge billboard in New York City's Times Square to promote the group's CLOSER TO HOME, which subsequently became their first Top 10 album, reaching number 6 and spawning the FM radio staple title-track. That promotional campaign backfired with the press, however, which dismissed the band's efforts despite spiralling success with the public. In June 1971, for example, Grand Funk became only the second group (after the Beatles) to sell out New York's Shea Stadium. Their recordings sold in greater quantity even as many radio stations ignored their releases. 1970's LIVE ALBUM reached number 5 and included another concert and radio favourite in Farner's Mean Mistreater. The next year saw the release of SURVIVAL and E PLURIBUS FUNK, the latter most notable for its round album cover. In 1972 the group fired Knight, resulting in a series of lawsuits involving millions of dollars. (they hired John Eastman, father of Linda McCartney, as their new manager). In 1973 the group shortened its name officially to Grand Funk, and added a fourth member, keyboardist Craig Frost (b. 20 April 1948, Flint, Michigan, USA). Now produced by Todd Rundgren, they finally cracked the singles market, reaching number 1 with album title-track We're An American Band, a celebration of its times on the road. In 1974 a major revision of Little Eva's Loco-motion also reached the top (the first time in US chart history that a cover of a song that had previously reached number 1 also ascended to that position). In 1975, with their popularity considerably diminished, the group reverted to its original name of Grand Funk Railroad. The following year they signed with MCA Records and recorded GOOD SINGIN', GOOD PLAYIN', produced by Frank Zappa. When it failed to reach the Top 50, Farner left for a solo career. The others stayed together, adding guitarist Billy Elworthy and changing their name to Flint, a group who failed to derive commercial success with their solitary album. Grand Funk, this time consisting of Farner, Brewer and bassist Dennis Bellinger, reformed for two years in 1981-83 and recorded GRAND FUNK LIVES and WHAT'S FUNK? for the Full Moon label. Failing to recapture former glories, they split again. Farner returned to his solo career and Brewer and Frost joining Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band.