Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city in Genesee County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. Located along the Flint River (Michigan), Flint River northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the Central Michigan, Mid Michigan region. Flin ...

, in 1969 by

Mark Farner Mark Fredrick Farner (born September 29, 1948) is an American musician. He was the original singer and guitarist of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he co-founded in 1969, and later as a contemporary Christian musician. Early life and ...

(vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica),

Don Brewer Donald George Brewer (born September 3, 1948) is an American drummer and singer who is a founding member and longtime original drummer of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Early life Brewer was born in Flint, Michigan, on September 3, 1948, ...

(drums, vocals) and

Mel Schacher Melvin George Schacher (born April 8, 1951) is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Early life Schacher was born in Owosso, Michigan, and was raised in Flint, Michigan. He b ...

(bass). The band achieved peak popularity and success during the 1970s with hit songs such as "

We're an American Band ''We're an American Band'' is the seventh studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, credited as Grand Funk. The album was released by Capitol Records in July 1973, and was certified gold by the RIAA a little over a month afte ...

", "

I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home) "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" is a 1970 song written by American musician Mark Farner and recorded by Grand Funk Railroad as the closing track to their 1970 album '' Closer to Home''. Ten minutes in duration, it is the band's longest studio ...

", " Some Kind of Wonderful" (a cover of

Soul Brothers Six The Soul Brothers Six were an American rhythm and blues band formed in Rochester, New York, during the mid-1960s. They are best remembered for their songs " Some Kind of Wonderful", which was later a hit for Grand Funk Railroad and "I'll Be Lov ...

), " Walk Like a Man", "

The Loco-Motion "The Loco-Motion" (or "Locomotion") is a pop music, pop song written by American songwriters Gerry Goffin and Carole King. "The Loco-Motion" was originally written for R&B singer Dee Dee Sharp, but Sharp turned the song down. The song is espec ...

" (a cover of

Little Eva Eva Narcissus Boyd (June 29, 1943 – April 10, 2003), known by her stage name Little Eva, was an American singer, well known for her 1962 hit "The Loco-Motion". Biography Boyd was born in Belhaven, North Carolina in 1943 and had twelve siblin ...

), " Bad Time" and " Inside Looking Out" (a cover of

the Animals The Animals, currently billed as Eric Burdon & the Animals (featuring original frontman Eric Burdon) and also as Animals & Friends (featuring original drummer John Steel (drummer), John Steel), are an English Rock music, rock band formed in Ne ...

). Grand Funk released six

platinum Platinum is a chemical element; it has Symbol (chemistry), symbol Pt and atomic number 78. It is a density, dense, malleable, ductility, ductile, highly unreactive, precious metal, precious, silverish-white transition metal. Its name origina ...

and seven gold-certified albums between their recording debut in 1969 and their first disbandment in 1976. Known for a crowd-pleasing

arena rock Arena rock (also known as stadium rock, pomp rock or corporate rock) is a style of rock music that became mainstream in the 1970s. It typically involves radio-friendly rock music that was designed to be played for large audiences. As hard rock ...

style, the band toured extensively and played to packed arenas worldwide, and was well-regarded by audiences despite a relative lack of critical praise. The original

trio Trio may refer to: Music Groups * Trio (music), an ensemble of three performers, or a composition for such an ensemble ** Jazz trio, pianist, double bassist, drummer ** Minuet and trio, a form in classical music ** String trio, a group of three ...

reunited at various times later into the band's career; after Farner's final departure in 1998, Brewer and Schacher have continued touring as Grand Funk Railroad.

History

Formation (1969)

Grand Funk Railroad was formed as a trio in 1969 by Mark Farner and Don Brewer from

Terry Knight and the Pack Terry Knight and the Pack (also known as The Pack and The Fabulous Pack) was an American garage rock band formed in Flint, Michigan in 1965. The band was signed to the Lucky Eleven label through most of its brief recording career. They produced ...

and Mel Schacher from

Question Mark & the Mysterians ? and the Mysterians (or Question Mark and the Mysterians) are an American garage rock band from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan, initially active between 1962 and 1969. Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven garage rock ...

Terry Knight Terry Knight (born Richard Terrance Knapp; April 9, 1943 – November 1, 2004) was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but ...

, after being approached by Brewer, soon became the band's manager and also named the band originally "Grand Trunk Railroad" as a play on words for the

Grand Trunk Western Railroad The Grand Trunk Western Railroad Company was an American subsidiary of the Grand Trunk Railway, later of the Canadian National Railway operating in Michigan, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. Since a corporate restructuring in 1971, the railroad ha ...

, a well-known rail line in Michigan. The railroad objected to using their name, and the band was forced to change the name to Grand Funk Railroad. Mark Farner talks of the circumstances leading up to the formation of Grand Funk Railroad: The band first achieved recognition at the 1969 Atlanta International Pop Festival, after their local promoter, Jeep Holland, got them the slot for no monetary compensation, and after opening the first day, the band went down so well that they were invited to appear on all three days. This exposure proved to be invaluable, and the band was signed by

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007), and simply known as Capitol, is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-base ...

, where their manager, Knight, was working as an A&R person. After a raucous, well-received set on the first day of the festival, Grand Funk was asked back to play at the 1970 Atlanta International Pop Festival II the following year. Patterned after hard-rock power trios such as

Cream Cream is a dairy product composed of the higher-fat layer skimmed from the top of milk before homogenization. In un-homogenized milk, the fat, which is less dense, eventually rises to the top. In the industrial production of cream, this proces ...

, the band, with Terry Knight's marketing savvy, developed its popular style. In August 1969, the band released its first album titled ''

On Time ''On Time'' is the debut studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released on August 25, 1969, by Capitol Records. It was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. "Time Machine", the band ...

'', which sold over 1,000,000 copies and was awarded a

gold record Gold is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol Au (from Latin ) and atomic number 79. In its pure form, it is a brightness, bright, slightly orange-yellow, dense, soft, malleable, and ductile metal. Chemically, gold is a transition metal ...

in 1970. The album topped the American album charts. In February 1970, a second album, ''

Grand Funk Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar, keyboards, harmonica), Don Brewer (drums, vocals) and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak p ...

'' (or ''The Red Album''), was awarded gold status less than 2 months after its release. Despite critical pans and little

airplay Airplay is how frequently a song is being played through broadcasting on radio stations. A song which is being played several times every day (spins) would have a significant amount of airplay. Music which became very popular on jukeboxes, in n ...

, the group's first eight albums (seven studio releases and one live album) were quite successful.

Early 1970s

The hit single "

", from the album ''

Closer to Home ''Closer to Home'' is the third studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on June 15, 1970, by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. This album r ...

'', released in June 1970, was considered stylistically representative of Terry Knight and the Pack's recordings. In the spring of 1970, Knight launched an intensive advertising campaign to promote the album ''Closer to Home''. That album was certified multiplatinum despite a lack of critical approval. The band spent $100,000 on a New York City

Times Square Times Square is a major commercial intersection, tourist destination, entertainment hub, and Neighborhoods in New York City, neighborhood in the Midtown Manhattan section of New York City. It is formed by the junction of Broadway (Manhattan), ...

billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

to advertise ''Closer to Home''. By 1971, Grand Funk equaled

the Beatles The Beatles were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Liverpool in 1960. The core lineup of the band comprised John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Starr. They are widely regarded as the Cultural impact of the Beatle ...

Shea Stadium William A. Shea Municipal Stadium ( ), typically shortened to Shea Stadium, was a multi-purpose stadium in Flushing Meadows–Corona Park in Queens, New York City.James (1999), pp. 15–16, 22, 37, 60. Following ''Closer to Home'', The double disc ''

Live Album An album is a collection of audio recordings (e.g., music) issued on a medium such as compact disc (CD), vinyl (record), audio tape (like 8-track or cassette), or digital. Albums of recorded sound were developed in the early 20th centur ...

'' was also released later in 1970 and was another gold disc recipient. ''

Survival Survival or survivorship, the act of surviving, is the propensity of something to continue existing, particularly when this is done despite conditions that might kill or destroy it. The concept can be applied to humans and other living things ...

'' and ''

E Pluribus Funk ''E Pluribus Funk'' is the fifth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on November 15, 1971, by Capitol Records. Like previous Grand Funk Railroad albums, it was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company ...

'' were both released in 1971. ''E Pluribus Funk'' celebrated the Shea Stadium show with an embossed depiction of the stadium on the album cover's reverse. By late 1971, the band was concerned with Knight's managerial style and fiscal responsibility. This growing dissatisfaction led Grand Funk Railroad to fire Knight in early 1972. Knight sued for breach of contract, which resulted in a protracted legal battle. Knight repossessed the band's gear at one point before a gig at

Madison Square Garden Madison Square Garden, colloquially known as the Garden or by its initials MSG, is a multi-purpose indoor arena in New York City. It is located in Midtown Manhattan between Seventh Avenue (Manhattan), Seventh and Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eig ...

. In

VH1 VH1 (originally an initialism for Video Hits One) is an American basic cable television network that launched on January 1, 1985, and is currently owned by the MTV Entertainment Group unit of Paramount Global's networks division based in New Y ...

's ''

Behind the Music ''Behind the Music'' is an American documentary television series that initially aired on VH1 from 1997 to 2014. Each episode profiles and interviews a popular musical artist or group, examining career beginnings, roads to success and any resul ...

'' Grand Funk Railroad episode, Knight stated that the original contract would have run out in about three months and that the wise decision for the band would have been to wait out the time.James (1999), pp. 31, 36–37, 76. However, at that moment, the band members felt they had no choice but to continue and fight for the rights to their careers and name. The legal battle with Knight lasted 2 years and ended when the band settled out of court. Knight became the clear winner with the copyrights and publisher's royalties to every Grand Funk recording made from March 1969 through March 1972, not to mention an enormous payoff in cash and oil wells. Farner, Brewer, and Schacher were given the rights to the name Grand Funk Railroad.''Discoveries Magazine'' No. 124 October 1998 Steve Bond In 1972, Grand Funk Railroad added former Fabulous Pack bandmate

Craig Frost Craig Frost (born April 20, 1948) is an American musician who rose to prominence as a member of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he joined in 1973 after working with them the previous year.Craig was credited as additional personnel on t ...

on keyboards full-time. Originally, the band had attempted to attract

Peter Frampton Peter Kenneth Frampton (born 22 April 1950) is an English-American guitarist, singer, and songwriter who rose to prominence as a member of the rock bands the Herd and Humble Pie. Later in his career, Frampton found significant success as a s ...

, late of

Humble Pie Humble Pie are an English Rock music, rock band formed by Steve Marriott and Peter Frampton in Moreton, Essex, in 1969. They are known as one of the first Supergroup (music), supergroups of the late 1960s and enjoyed success in the early 1970s ...

; however, he was not available due to signing a solo record deal with

A&M Records A&M Records is an American record label owned by Universal Music Group and functions as a branch of Interscope Geffen A&M Records, Interscope-Geffen-A&M. Established in 1962 by Herb Alpert and Jerry Moss, the label initially operated independent ...

. The addition of Frost, however, was a stylistic shift from Grand Funk's original garage-band-based rock & roll roots to a more rhythm & blues/pop rock-oriented style. With the new lineup, Grand Funk released '' Phoenix'', its sixth album of original music, in September 1972.James (1999), pp. 80, 83–84. The Loco-Motion - Cash Box ad 1974

To refine Grand Funk's sound, the band secured veteran musician

Todd Rundgren Todd Harry Rundgren (born June 22, 1948) is an American musician, singer, songwriter, and record producer who has performed a diverse range of styles as a solo artist and as a member of the bands Nazz and Utopia. He is known for his sophistica ...

as a producer. With the band’s name shortened to Grand Funk, its two most successful albums and two number-one hit singles resulted: the Don Brewer-penned "

" (from the number two album ''

'', released in July 1973) and "

" (from their 1974 number five album ''

Shinin' On ''Shinin' On'' is the eighth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released in March 1974, by Capitol Records. Although not as successful as its predecessor, '' We're an American Band'' (1973), it peaked at #5 in t ...

'', written by

Carole King Carole King Klein (born Carol Joan Klein; February 9, 1942) is an American singer-songwriter and musician renowned for her extensive contributions to popular music. She wrote or co-wrote 118 songs that charted on the Billboard Hot 100, ''Billbo ...

and

Gerry Goffin Gerald Goffin (February 11, 1939 – June 19, 2014) was an American lyricist. Collaborating initially with his first wife, Carole King, he co-wrote many international pop hits of the early and mid-1960s, including the US No.1 hits " Will You L ...

and originally recorded by

). "We're an American Band" became Grand Funk's first number-one hit on Farner's 25th birthday, followed by Brewer's number-19 hit " Walk Like a Man." "The Loco-Motion" in 1974 was Grand Funk's second chart-topping single, followed by Brewer's number-11 hit "Shinin' On". The band continued touring the U.S., Europe, and Japan.James (1999), pp. 90, 92–94, 104–106.

Mid-1970s

In 1974, Grand Funk engaged

Jimmy Ienner Jimmy Ienner ( ; born ) is an American music producer, best known for producing albums for such artists as Bay City Rollers, The Raspberries and Three Dog Night. Biography He went to Stamford (Connecticut) High School and graduated in 1963. ...

as producer and reverted to using their full name: Grand Funk Railroad. The cover of ''

All the Girls in the World Beware!!! ''All the Girls in the World Beware!!!'' is the ninth studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released by Capitol Records in December 1974 and was the group's second album released that year. The first single ...

'' (December 1974) depicted the band members' heads superimposed on the bodies of bodybuilders

Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger (born July30, 1947) is an Austrian and American actor, businessman, former politician, and former professional bodybuilder, known for his roles in high-profile action films. Governorship of Arnold Schwarzenegger, ...

and

Franco Columbu Francesco Maria Columbu (August 7, 1941 – August 30, 2019) was an Italian-American bodybuilder and actor. Originally a boxer, Columbu won the Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981, and competed in the inaugural edition of the World's Strongest Man ...

. This album spawned the band's last two top-10 hits, " Some Kind of Wonderful" and " Bad Time" in late 1974/early 1975. Although they were highly successful in the mid-1970s, tensions mounted within the band due to personal issues, burn-out, and disputes over musical direction. Despite these issues, Grand Funk forged ahead. Needing 2 more albums to complete their record deal with Capitol, Grand Funk embarked on a major tour and decided to record a double live album, '' Caught in the Act'' (August 1975). The double album should have fulfilled the contract with Capitol; however, because it contained previously released material, Capitol requested an additional album to complete Grand Funk's contractual obligation. While pressures between the band members still existed, they agreed to move forward and complete one more album for Capitol to avoid legalities similar to those they endured with Terry Knight in 1972. The band recorded ''

Born to Die ''Born to Die'' is the second studio album by American singer-songwriter Lana Del Rey. It was released on January 27, 2012, through Interscope Records and Polydor Records as her major label debut. A reissue of the album, subtitled '' The Paradis ...

'' (January 1976), but its lower sales (it only managed to reach #47 on the Billboard chart) and lack of hit singles disappointed the group. They began to drift apart, and rumours of a breakup were circulating.James (1999), pp. 113–116, 123–127. However, Grand Funk found new life from interest by

Frank Zappa Frank Vincent Zappa (December 21, 1940 – December 4, 1993) was an American guitarist, composer, and bandleader. In a career spanning more than 30 years, Zappa composed Rock music, rock, Pop music, pop, jazz, jazz fusion, orchestra ...

in producing the band. Signing with

MCA Records MCA Records was an American record label owned by MCA Inc. established in 1972, though MCA had released recordings under that name in the UK from the 1960s. The label achieved success in the 1970s through the 1980s, often by acquiring other ...

, the resulting album ''

Good Singin', Good Playin' ''Good Singin' Good Playin is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on August 2, 1976, by MCA Records. The band had actually broken up, but after Frank Zappa expressed interest in producing ...

'' (August 1976), although it netted them some of their best critical reviews ever, yielded little success. After this, a disillusioned Grand Funk Railroad disbanded in earnest in late 1976.James (1999), pp. 130–134. Farner recalled what happened then: "Things were disenfranchised within the band. I don't want to speculate about what was going on in Brewer's life—his first wife died, and that was rough—but one day he walked into the studio and said, 'I've had it. I need to find something to do with my life that's more stable.' He was done. He walked out and slammed the door. It was him, not me. Everybody thinks I broke the band up, but it was him."

First disbanding, 1976–1981; new lineup in the early 1980s

Following the breakup, Farner began a solo career and signed with

Atlantic Records Atlantic Recording Corporation (simply known as Atlantic Records) is an American record label founded in October 1947 by Ahmet Ertegun and Herb Abramson. Over the course of its first two decades, starting from the release of its first recor ...

, which resulted in two albums: ''Mark Farner'' (1977) and ''No Frills'' (1978). Brewer, Schacher and Frost remained intact and formed the band Flint. Flint released one 1978 album on

Columbia Records Columbia Records is an American reco ...

; a second record was finished but never released. In 1981, Grand Funk Railroad reunited after being approached by their former manager Andy Caviliere (who had taken over from Terry Knight in 1972). The reunion took place without Frost (who was playing with

Bob Seger Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

) and with Dennis Bellinger replacing Schacher on bass. Schacher begged off saying he had developed a fear of flying but later admitted that he had no longer wanted to be involved with Caviliere. The new lineup released two albums on

Irving Azoff Irving Azoff (; born December 12, 1947) is an American businessman, who is chairman of Full Stop Management, a company that represents recording artists. During the course of his career, he has worked as an agent, personal manager, concert pr ...

's Full Moon label, distributed by

Warner Bros. Records Warner Records Inc. (known as Warner Bros. Records Inc. until 2019) is an American record label. A subsidiary of Warner Music Group, it is headquartered in Los Angeles, California. It was founded on March 19, 1958, as the recorded music division ...

. These releases included ''

Grand Funk Lives ''Grand Funk Lives'' is the 12th studio album by Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released in 1981 by Full Moon Records. It was their first album since disbanding in 1976. Although known as a reunion album, it did not feature bassist Mel Schach ...

'' (July 1981) and '' What's Funk?'' (January 1983). Neither album achieved much in the way of critical acclaim or sales; but the single "Queen Bee" was included in the film '' Heavy Metal'' and its soundtrack album. The band toured in 1981 and 1982 with Rick Baker joining them on the road to play keyboards. But the dismal sales of ''Grand Funk Lives'' and the death of manager Caviliere in 1982 caused the group to disband a second time in early 1983, shortly after ''What's Funk?'' was released.

Second disbanding, 1983–1996

Farner continued as a solo performer and became a Christian recording artist while Brewer went on to join Frost in

Silver Bullet Band Robert Clark Seger ( ; born May 6, 1945) is a retired American singer, songwriter, and musician. As a locally successful Detroit-area artist, he performed and recorded with the groups Bob Seger and the Last Heard and the Bob Seger System throu ...

.James (1999), pp. 139–149. Farner was promoted by

David Fishof David Fishof is an American music producer, sports agent, and the founder and CEO of Rock 'n' Roll Fantasy Camp. Born in New York City, Fishof began his career representing acts in the Catskill Mountains. From there he went on to represent Hersc ...

in the late 1980s and was a part of Fishof's concept

Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band is a live rock music, rock Supergroup (music), supergroup founded in 1989 with shifting personnel, led by former The Beatles, Beatles drummer and vocalist Ringo Starr. History and description Since 1989, Starr ...

in 1995. After that, Fishof began sounding out Farner, Brewer and Schacher about reuniting again.

Re-formation, 1996–present

After some rehearsals in late 1995, Grand Funk Railroad's three original members (joined on tour by keyboardist/guitarist and background vocalist Howard Eddy Jr.) once again reunited in 1996 and played to 500,000 people during a three-year period. In 1997 the band played three sold-out Bosnian

benefit concert A benefit concert or charity concert is a type of musical benefit performance (e.g., concert, show, or gala) featuring musicians, comedians, or other performers that is held for a charitable purpose, often directed at a specific and immediate h ...

s. These shows featured a full symphony orchestra that was conducted by

Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian musician, actor, and comedian who served as David Letterman's musical director, bandleader, and sidekick on ''Late Night with David Letterman'' (1982–1993) and ''Late Show with D ...

(from ''

Late Show with David Letterman ''Late Show with David Letterman'' is an American late-night talk show hosted by David Letterman on CBS, the first iteration of the ''Late Show'' franchise. The show debuted on August 30, 1993, and was produced by Letterman's production com ...

''). The band released a live two-disc benefit CD called ''

Bosnia Bosnia and Herzegovina, sometimes known as Bosnia-Herzegovina and informally as Bosnia, is a country in Southeast Europe. Situated on the Balkans, Balkan Peninsula, it borders Serbia to the east, Montenegro to the southeast, and Croatia to th ...

'' recorded in

Auburn Hills, Michigan Auburn Hills is a city in Oakland County in the U.S. state of Michigan. A northern suburb of Detroit, Auburn Hills is located about north of downtown Detroit. As of the 2020 census, the city had a population of 24,360. Auburn Hills is home to ...

. This live recording also featured Peter Frampton, Alto Reed and Howard Eddy Jr. In late 1998, Farner left the band after disagreements with Brewer and returned to his solo career. And after a two-year hiatus, when Brewer and Schacher once again approached Farner about reuniting, he turned them down after they refused to honor his desire to be paid fifty percent, rather than a third of the group's revenue as in the past. He explained his reason in his autobiography, ''From Grand Funk to Grace'': "I do a hell of a lot more work on stage. I wrote the vast majority of the songs. During the 1990s, I committed to two years with Grand Funk. That first year we only did 14 dates. I ended up putting in three years. That was my mistake. I wasn't going to lose money again. At the time, each of us individually owned the Grand Funk trademark. In 1998 Don Brewer suggested we form a corporation to limit our liability as individuals on the road and I agreed. Unfortunately this meant that two thirds of the corporation is the majority". And so in late 2000, Brewer and Schacher voted to go forward without Farner, recruiting lead vocalist

Max Carl Max Carl Gronenthal (born January 29, 1950) is an American rock singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He is the co-lead singer of the classic rock band Grand Funk Railroad. In addition, he spent several years as the keyboardist and lea ...

(formerly of Jack Mack & the Heart Attack and

38 Special 38 Special or 0.38 Special or .38 Special, may refer to: * .38 Special, a revolver cartridge Music * 38 Special (band), an American rock band ** ''38 Special'' (album), the 1977 debut album of the band 38 Special * .38 Special (song), a 2022 ...

), former

Kiss A kiss is the touching or pressing of one's lips against another person, animal or object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely; depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sex ...

lead guitarist

Bruce Kulick Bruce Howard Kulick (; born December 12, 1953) is an American guitarist best known as a former guitarist of the band Kiss (band), Kiss (19841996). He was also a member of Union (band), Union with John Corabi from 19972002, Blackjack (American ba ...

and keyboardist

Tim Cashion Tim Cashion is the current keyboardist for the classic-rock band Grand Funk Railroad. He was born in Charlotte, North Carolina. His father played acoustic guitar and wrote country songs, recorded 78rpm singles, and played with his friends in a l ...

(Bob Seger,

Robert Palmer Robert Allen Palmer (19 January 1949 – 26 September 2003) was an English singer and songwriter. He was known for his powerful and soulful voice, sartorial elegance and stylistic explorations, combining soul, funk, jazz, rock, pop, regga ...

) to complete the new lineup. In 2005 Grand Funk Railroad was voted into the Michigan Rock and Roll Legends Hall of Fame. In 2018 Brewer and Schacher sued Farner for filing a trademark for the name "Mark Farner's American Band". The lawsuit stated that Farner had violated a 2004 agreement, which called for, among other things: that Farner's first and last names appear in capital letters before a reference to Grand Funk or Grand Funk Railroad, with only the first letters of the band capitalized, and first letters of the words, "former," "formerly" and "member" also capitalized. Another round of this lawsuit by Brewer and Schacher was filed two days after Mark Farner's son, Jessie Farner, had passed away. Also in 2018, bassist

Stanley Sheldon Stanley Sheldon (born September 19, 1950) is an American bass guitar player best known for his work with Peter Frampton. Allmusic performance credits page/ref> He is notable as an early adopter of the fretless bass for rock music. Sheldon was ...

(ex-

) filled in for Schacher after Schacher's wife, Dena, died of cancer. In 2019 Grand Funk's main hit writer, Mark Farner, was handed a legal victory to tour as "Mark Farner's American Band", after his ex-bandmates sued him to prevent him from using that name. Farner revealed that since the 2004 lawsuit, he was constantly sued by Brewer and Schacher over the mentions of Grand Funk Railroad by his promoters, and that many of his shows since 2004 were cancelled because of the injunctions against him by Brewer and Schacher. Grand Funk Railroad continues to tour, and kicked off its "The American Band Tour 2019", "Celebrating 50 Years of Funk" tour on January 17, 2019. On January 2, 2024 Bruce Kulick announced he was departing Grand Funk Railroad after 23 years, having played his final concert with the group on December 14, 2023 in Marietta, Ohio, citing that he wanted to focus on other projects. On January 4, 2024 Grand Funk Railroad announced that singer-guitarist Mark Chatfield ( The Godz, Rosie, Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band) would replace Bruce Kulick as permanent member of GFR.

Legacy

David Fricke David Fricke (born ) is an American music journalist who serves as the senior editor at ''Rolling Stone'' magazine, where he writes predominantly about rock music. One of the best known names in rock journalism, his career has spanned over 40 ye ...

of ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine once said, "You cannot talk about rock in the 1970s without talking about Grand Funk Railroad!"

Band members

;Current members *

– drums, lead and backing vocals (1969–1976, 1981–1983, 1996–1998, 2000–present) *

– bass guitar (1969–1976,1996-1998, 2000–present) *

– lead and backing vocals, rhythm guitar (2000–present) *

– keyboards, backing vocals (2000–present) *Mark Chatfield – lead guitar, backing vocals (2024–present) ;Former members *

– lead and backing vocals, lead and rhythm guitar, keyboards, harmonica (1969–1976, 1981–1983, 1996–1998) *

– keyboards, backing vocals (1973–1976; guest 2005–2012) *Lorraine Feather – backing vocals (1974–1975) *Jana Giglio – backing vocals (1974–1975) * Lance Duncan Ong – keyboards, synthesizer (1981) *Dennis Bellinger – bass guitar, backing vocals (1981–1983) *Rick Baker – keyboards, synthesizer (1981–1983) *Howard Eddy, Jr. – keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals (1996–1998) *

– lead guitar, backing vocals (2000–2023, 2025) *

– bass guitar (2018; substitute for Mel Schacher)

Timeline

Discography

*''

'' (1969) *''

'' (1970) *''

'' (1971) *''

'' (1971) *'' Phoenix'' (1972) *''

'' (1973) *''

'' (1974) *''

'' (1976) *''

'' (1981) *'' What's Funk?'' (1983)

References

External links

* *
The Railroad Rolls On For Grand Funk
, interview with Vintage Rock

{{Authority control Hard rock musical groups from Michigan Musical groups established in 1968 Capitol Records artists Musical groups from Flint, Michigan American blues rock musical groups