Foot Stompin’ Music: Grand Funk Railroad

This band was one of the biggest acts of the 1970s, selling out arenas and stadiums around the world. But what made them so special? Their music was a perfect blend of hard rock and soul, and it still sounds fresh today. If you’re looking for some foot-stompin’ music, you can’t go wrong with Grand Funk Railroad.

Introduction

Formed in 1968, Grand Funk Railroad became one of the best-selling rock bands of the 1970s. The band’s name is a play on words of the Grand Trunk Railroad, a line that ran through the band’s hometown of Flint, Michigan. The group’s signature sound was a combination of bluesy hard rock and pop melodies, which resulted in a series of gold and platinum albums. Over the course of their career, Grand Funk Railroad sold more than 25 million records and had 19 charting singles.

History

Grand Funk Railroad came onto the music scene in the late 1960s and quickly made a name for themselves. They were known for their high-energy live shows and their catchy, hard-rocking tunes. The band released their debut album, On Time, in 1969 and it was an instant hit. It featured the hit single “Time Machine.” The album went on to sell over a million copies.

Early years (1969–1971)

Grand Funk Railroad was formed in 1969 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (lead vocals, guitar) and Don Brewer (drums), who had played together since 1964 in a band called Terry Knight and the Pack. Terry Knight was the group’s manager and producer and gave the band its name after a dream he’d had about a “grandiose” railroad. Along with Farner and Brewer, keyboardist/vocalist Craig Frost and bass player Mel Schacher rounded out the lineup.

The band released its first album, On Time, in August 1969. The album was recorded live on June 15 at the Pop Festival in Atlanta. It sold over one million copies and was certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA). The single “I’m Your Captain/Closer To Home” also sold one million copies and was certified gold by the RIAA. The band’s second album, Grand Funk (also known as The Red Album), was released in October 1970 and reached number two on Billboard’s Top 200 Album Chart, eventually selling over three million copies. The single “Locomotion” spent two weeks at number one on the Billboard Hot 100 singles chart in January 1971.

Success with “We’re an American Band” (1972–1974)

After the release of E Pluribus Funk, Grand Funk toured Japan and Hawaii. Shortly after their return to the United States, Winter was discharged from the band for unreliability, creative differences and excessive drug use. He was replaced by Craig Frost, keyboardist with Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band.

The band’s first album with Frost, We’re an American Band (1973), became their most successful release. It featured their most popular single, the title track, which was written by Don Brewer and produced by Jones. The album also featured cover versions of “The Loco-Motion” (a number-one hit for Little Eva in 1962 and 1963) and “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home” (a medley that originally appeared on Closer to Home). The album peaked at number four on Billboard’s Top LPs chart and was certified gold by the RIAA. A live version of the song “We’re an American Band” peaked at number seven on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart in 1973; it remains one of three of the band’s singles to make it into the Hot 100.

Grand Funk toured extensively in support of We’re an American Band, including a stint as opening act for The Rolling Stones during their 1974 North American tour. During this time, a documentary about the band entitled Inside Looking Out: The Rise of Grand Funk Railroad was released; it included footage from several live shows as well as interviews with band members.

Post-Mark Farner era (1975–1983)

Afteratonementfor his public comments and the ensuing uproar, Mark Farner dutifully led Grand Funk through another album and a tour in an effort to ‘show Farner the door’ and get back to their self-proclaimed ‘roots.’ Neither effort was very successful. 1976’s Good Singin’, Good Playin’ was hamstrung by weak material and lack of direction, with only a couple of good tracks (‘Bad Time’ being the obvious standout) emerging from the sessions. The quality didn’t improve with 1977’s Born to Die, which featured a new rhythm section (bassist Dennis Bellingerand drummer Michael Lutz) but no real improvement in direction or songwriting. A live album, Budapest Bootleg, was hastily assembled and released late in 1977 to fill the gap until a new studio album could be completed.

1978’s All the Girls in the World Beware!!! was another weak effort, sounding like a hodgepodge of outtakes from earlier albums with some new songs thrown in for good measure. The band’s live shows were still strong, as evidenced by the Live Album, but it was apparent that creatively Grand Funk had run its course and Farner was ready to move on. Rather than try to continue with another studio album, the band wisely decided to call it quits (for the second time) after one last farewell tour in early 1980.

After breaking up for a second time in early 1980 (with plans to reunited again in 1991), Grand Funk Railroad guitarist/singer/songwriter Mark Farner went on to have a moderately successful career as both a solo artist and occasionally as part of various reunions with his former band mates.

Later years (1984–present)

The band reunited once again in 1981 with new drummer Timothy Drury and released the album Grand Funk Lives. The album was recorded live with no overdubs and featured Mark, Mel and Don on vocals, Bruce on bass guitar and Drury on drums. It was the first Grand Funk studio album not to be certified gold or platinum since On Time. Drury amicably left the band in late 1982 to pursue other interests. He was replaced in early 1983 by former Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers drummer Stan Lynch. Lynch made his recorded debut with the band on their album What’s Funk?. Released in 1983, the album featured the Top 40 hit “Some Kind of Wonderful” (co-written by Eagles guitarist Joe Walsh), which peaked at number 35. The follow-up single “We’re an American Band ’83” stalled at number 59 but did make the Top 10 on Billboard’s Mainstream Rock Tracks chart. Also released in 1983 was a greatest hits package simply titled Grand Funk Hits, which contained newly re-recorded versions of some of their classic songs with Lynch on drums.

Members

The members of Grand Funk Railroad were Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Mel Schacher (bass), and Don Brewer (drums). They were formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, United States. The band is notable for their high-energy live performances and hits such as “We’re an American Band” and “The Loco-Motion”.

Current members

Grand Funk Railroad’s current lineup includes three original members: singer/bassist Mel Schacher, drummer Don Brewer, and guitarist/singer Mark Farner. The band’s most recent album, 2015’s “We’re an American Band,” also features longtime keyboardist Bruce Kulick (a member since 1981) and singer/guitarist Max Carl (a member since 2000).

Former members

Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was highly popular during the 1970s. The band was formed in 1968 by Mark Farner, Mel Schacher and Don Brewer, with Farner serving as the lead vocalist and primary songwriter. The band achieved success with their powerful and energetic live performances, as well as a string of hit singles, including “We’re an American Band” and “The Loco-Motion.”

The band went through a number of lineup changes over the years, with Farner being the only constant member. In 1976, Farner left the group to pursue a solo career, and Grand Funk Railroad disbanded shortly thereafter. However, the band reformed in 1981 with a new lineup that included Bruce Kulick on guitar and Max Carl on lead vocals. The new lineup released one album, What’s Funk?, before breaking up again in 1983.

In 1997, Grand Funk Railroad reunited once again, this time with original members Mark Farner and Don Brewer, along with new guitarist Tim Cashion. The reunion proved to be short-lived, however, as the band once again disbanded in 2000. In 2005, they reunited once again, this time with drummer Dennis Elliot replacing Kulick. They have continued to perform and tour regularly ever since.

Former members of Grand Funk Railroad include:

-Mark Farner: lead vocals, guitar (1968–1976, 1981–1983, 1997–2000, 2005–present)
-Mel Schacher: bass (1968–1971)
-Don Brewer: drums (1968–1971), lead vocals (1972–1976), percussion (1972–1976)
-Craig Frost: keyboards (1971–1972),vocals (1971)
-Dennis Nardini: drums (1971)
-Prairie Prince: drums (1971)

Bruce Kulick: guitar (1981–1983),vocals (1981)
Max Carl: lead vocals (1981–1983)
Tim Cashion: keyboards (1997–2000), vocals (1997–2000)

Discography

Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band that was popular in the 1970s. The band’s style is a blend of soul, funk, and hard rock. They have released 13 studio albums, 4 live albums, and 5 compilation albums. Let’s take a look at their discography.

Studio albums

Studio albums
On Time (August 1969)
Grand Funk (December 1969)
Closer to Home (July 1970)
Survival (May 1971)
E Pluribus Funk (November 1971)
We’re an American Band (July 1973)
All the Girls in the World Beware!!! (December 1974)
Born to Die (October 1976)
Freight Train Boogie (compilation, April 1978)
No Frills/Some Girls Do (compilation, October 1978)

Live albums

GFR played more than 200shows a year in order to keep up with audience demand, and this roadwork resulted in the release of numerous live albums. The first of these, 1976’s `Caught in the Act`, became the band’s fourth platinum album. It was recorded during two performances at Cobo Hall in Detroit on May 31 and June 1, 1975, and featured material from throughout GFR’s career to that point. Some of the songs were culled from the band’s previous live releases, but six were previously unreleased. In addition to the regular release, `Caught in the Act` was also issued as a limited-edition box set containing a bonus album of six additional tracks recorded at other shows during the same tour.

The next GFR live album, 1978’s `Good Times`, was another multi-platinum success. It was recorded during four performances at Chicago Stadium on October 6–8, 1977, with material drawn from throughout the band’s career. The album included three new studio tracks, which were recorded specifically for inclusion on `Good Times`.

1979’s `Grand Funk Lives` was recorded during GFR’s 1978 world tour and featured material from throughout the band’s career. The album was pulled from release shortly after its completion due to disagreements between the band and its record label, but it eventually saw official release in 1981.

After leaving Capitol Records, GFR released 1982’s `Live: The 1971 Tour`, which was recorded during the band’s 1971 tour. It featured material from GFR’s first three studio albums as well as several cover songs. The album was reissued by Legacy Recordings in 2009 with six bonus tracks drawn from various live concerts during the same tour.

Compilation albums

There have been many Grand Funk Railroad compilation albums released over the years. Here is a sampling of some of the more popular ones:

· Greatest Hits (1969)
· Footstompin’ Music: The Best of Grand Funk Railroad (1976)
· We’re an American Band: The Best of Grand Funk Railroad (1982)
· Greatest Hits of Grand Funk Railroad (1990)
· The Essentials: Grand Funk Railroad (2002)
· 30 Years of Funk: 1969-1999 The Anthology (1999)

Singles

“I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home” (July 1970), No. 1 US Billboard, No. 5 UK
“Footstompin’ Music” (December 1970), No. 1 Billboard
“Mean Mistreater”/”I Don’t Have to Sing the Blues” (January 1971), No. 4 Billboard
“Inside Looking Out” (April 1971), No. 11 Billboard, No. 8 UK
“Locomotion” (July 1974), No. 1 US, No. 3 UK
We’re an American Band: “We’re an American Band”, “Walk Like a Man”, “Black Licorice”, “The Loco-Motion”, and “Sin’s a Good Man’s Brother”.

References

-Discography at Discogs
-Grand Funk Railroad at AllMusic
-Chronology of Grand Funk Railroad