Mark has lived just down the road from me for 30yrs or so. He is as kind and down to earth family as he is talented. I do not give my admiration or comments lightly and I admire Mark greatly.
Never met him but always loved him. Always came across as a real guy. Nothing fake or plastic about him Followed GFR from the first time I heard Time Machine. Mark's voice was the best of late 60's and 70's rock. The band was great, despite what the moron critics said. It's not really GFR without Mark. Living in Michigan, Mark was always a guy I would have loved to have just had a burger and a beer with and a conversation.
I believe the 3 most screwed over bands in the world were Badfinger, Grand Funk, & Creedence Clearwater Revival, in that order. Deceptive management & malicious record company execs…. I guess I should include The Animals; their manager robbed them blind & he went on to do the same to Jimi Hendrix….
Grand Funk is one of the greatest bands to come out of America. I grew up with their music and still listen to it now, it takes me back to better days.
People keep saying that even though is true, but when all three original members reunited, Mark wanted to continue as a solo artist more than twice, so the other two needed to continue touring and couldn’t afford to keep him to whenever Mark decided to join again in the band, yes is wrong what Don and Mel did but Mark was being selfish as well even though he wrote 92% of the songs.
@@metallion0738 That's not true Mark wanted to and Don and Mel didn't as they had their mark wanna be clone of Mark and did not want to unite and upset their clone and whatever so go look up the interview with Mark he tells it straight out the truth of what went down.
I interviewed Mark Farner a couple of weeks ago, he's a man of strong convictions and really an all around nice guy who just happens to be talented on a genius level! What a combo!
What I admired about Mark Farner was that he was one of the very few guitar players worldwide that never had to have his eyes on his fingers and guitar while playing. Mark the extraordinaire guitarist doing his this thing. Millions of guitar player's past, present and future have to ALWAYS keep their eyes on the guitar and their fingers while they play. Mark Farner Was Grand Funk Railroad With A Style All His Own.
he was great but he wasn't exactly george lynch or vivian campbell on guitar, farner did it all he played, sang, wrote etc. he's super talented but he's not known for melodic leads and his guitar playing.
@@westoftherockiesMark was not known or wanted to be known as a guitar hero or guitar virtuoso or guitar god, he made music and made hits, yes he is a talented guitar player that can sing, he never claim to be an Eddie Van Halen either.
saw them a couple years after they had that giant billboard for 'Closer to Home'. I thought, "this Grand Funk RR is going places". but their manager went places.
Money = greed = flim flam. The story was repeated so many times in the 70's. Grand Funk was an amazing combo. I never saw them live but I did see Farner with Ringo's All Starr Band and he was terrific.
When I was in high school back in the late '60s, it seemed everyone owned a Grand Funk Railroad album. GFR was an awesome rock band that faded away too fast.
I have been listening to all things rock and roll, you know, bootlegs, live concerts, everything. From Zeppelin to Deep Purple. I started listening to grand funk I believe 2 years ago when I was 16. The theme I noticed, is whenever I dug super deep into a band, say zeppelin, there’s SO many stories and tales about them. Easy as they are one of the biggest bands during the 70s. Same with deep purple. That’s so much information about them. But with grand funk, I noticed so quickly they are not known at all by anyone nowadays. Sure, maybe “We’re an American Band,” but aside from that, I have yet to encounter a kid around my age to even know of their existence. And that’s devastating to me. I loved the red album as well as E pluribus funk.
This band was the soundtrack of my high school years. I remember my friends and I jamming to I'm Your Captain when we were beginner guitarists. Great band with some great music.
I heard something different about Mark Farner's departure from Grand Funk. That involved Don Brewer and Mel, they took advantage of Mark and had him sign the rights to the music to Don and Mel. They scammed him of all rights to his own music. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these two back stabbers.
No Mark Farner, no Grand Funk. I heard Don Brewer wanted to be in control so they tricked Mark into signing some legal papers giving up all his rights to the band. Maybe someone can clarify this.
Grew up in a little town just west of Fenton, Michigan. Whenever we heard the train horn, we would jump on our Sting Rays and watch another Grand Trunk go by. Sometimes the crew on the caboose would throw us big sticks of yellow chalk, that we decorated our driveways with. When Grand Funk Railroad came along some years later, we knew exactly where the inspiration came from. And yes, "We're an American Band" was a monster hit, and still a favorite!
Seen them in 1973 and Mark in 1986 ,Mark is the driving force and noone out rocked or grooved better than this band, especially Live , should a been in RRHIF years ago, pretty sad, for noone was better! Don't know why they never got in, for they deserve to be in more than anyone!
I saw them live back in 1996 on what would turn out to be Mark Farner's last tour with them. They were still a great live band that could get people up and dancing in the aisles. I find it disturbing to hear how Farner was forced out of the band by Don and Mel even though he was the driving force behind much of their music. Without Mark it is just not the same band. A locomotive failing to produce steam any more. My apologies to Don and Mel, but you guys could still be a great live band today had you not decided to jettison Mark out of the picture.
I think the original lineup toured until 1998. I last saw them in 1997. Don is squashing any chance of a reunion for ridiculously stupid and selfish reasons 🙄
@@steverherb I saw them on that tour here in NYC/Long Island in 98 as well. The Westbury Music Fair was the venue. I had seen them originally at Madison Square Garden in NYC in 72. One could make the argument the 98 show was actually better than the 72 show and that show was great. It is a pity that Brewer and Schacher took advantage of Farner and legally pushed him out of the band. What they call Grand Funk now is nothing more than a poor tribute band. I've heard them here on RUclips and they should be embarrassed. The funny thing is I have seen Farner interviewed in the last couple years and when asked if there would be a reunion of the three he said he was open to it but it was up to the other two!!! A testament to his Christian Faith to forgive the egregious wrong done to him. Farner still tours with his own band who have been with him for years, playing his own solo music as well as plenty of Grand Funk hits. He has income from touring what I imagine to be a modest income. He still gets royalties from every Grand Funk Album sale but there too probably not a lot seeing as they can't be selling many these days. He's got a total net worth of 16 million so he's set for life and with his modestt lifestyle he has no financial worries. Amazing how God has provided for him even when the others looked to do him in!!!! Grand Funk isn;t Grand Funk w/o Mark Farner!
@@Arturo-sm1tb not a stretch, I lived in LA during the 60s-70s saw every band that toured. I'm a musician and so are my friends who saw them. For a trio they were the very best live band, they got every one out of there seats and rocking.
And they wrote a song[ We're An American Band] to " SWEET SWEET CONNIE" from my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.Connie Hamzy passed away 💔 August 21, 2021 at age 66 in Little Rock, Arkansas. The very sad part Connie being a rock n roll GROUPIE, and one of the most famous; she died in a very run down home barely 580 square feet and in hospice.
Pretty sad to be remembered as the babe whose claim to fame was that she was the Blow Job Queen to the rock stars of the 70's. Grand Funk should have cut her a royalty check
I met her in St Louis county one night at a bar where they (short lived play famous RnR bands) she was nice. I liked her. Didn't they have her on some show like Sally Jesse Rafael back in the late 80's ,early 90's. Sad really, but it's always a sad day when someone is taken who's a decent person.
Born to die Survival and We're an american band are MASTERPIECES!!! The incredible high pitched soulful voice of Mark Farner is one of the best EVER!!!!
One of the great power trios of all time, Mark Farner is a world musical treasure, the work horse, the fabric that wove the band together, cant say enough about "grand funk railroad, love them, still listen to them on, special get togethers, reunions, or just kicking back on the deck with a cold one, listening to Mark & grand Funk while watching the grand kids play, awesome, feelin allright,,WOW!!!
@@kevhead1525 Hey, I didn't think of that! Hey, I didn't think of that! Hey, I didn't think of that! Hey, I didn't think of that! Hey, I didn't think of that! Hey, I didn't think of that!
The RRHOF is a private endeavor by a group of individuals. Basically, it’s a cash cow for these very shrewd folks, and they maintain control over the whole event. They choose who is nominated, when they’re nominated, and what they do at the ceremony, including how many family members they are allowed to invite free of admission charge. Furthermore, they also choose who will be excluded, as in barred, from their hallowed halls. It’s not an objective chronicle of the important contributors to the rock and roll genre, as I’m sure everyone already can surmise. I believe that there should be a legitimate institution dedicated to the cause. I’m not aware of any such undertaking, so I apologize if I’m wrong about that.
My future wife and I saw them at Pirates World in Dania Beach Florida in March of 1971. Great concert. Always loved um. Thanks for this interesting and educational post. P.S. We saw Frank Zappa at the Miami Pop Festival 1968. Frank was great also.
i was a clerk (in the rear with the gear) for all of 1970.....cannot remember exactly how now but i wound up with a portable record player and one record along with a pet spider monkey.....that record was grand funk.....i played it thousands of times and turned many g.i.s on to this new type of music....followed their sounds for years and still pull them out to rock with....
Cool video. When I was coming up Grand Funk was huge. E-Pluribus-Funk was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I will take exception with the idea that Elton John and Grand Funk stepped in to fill the vacuum left by the Beatles in 1970. Grand Funk was there for sure but Elton didn't start making an impact until a few years later. Back in the early 70s, Grand Funk, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and The Guess Who were jockeying for the top spot. At least in my circles. That was a great time to come of age as far as music went and when I hear anything from those bands it always triggers some memory of that time. Good old Michigan rock and roll. Grand Funk is right up there with Bob Seger, the MC Five, and all the Motown artists who played venues like the Grande Ballroom and the Michigan Palace, back when two bucks got you a decent seat. Kick out the jams and let that foot-stompin music take you down that long and lonesome highway.
I was in a band we called, "Tyne Kyte" out of north Indiana and when we played Ohio I got to sing lead on "Inside Looking Out". LOve that song and the college editor interviewed me for the paper. Cool chick too!. 1970..yepper I am an old rocker 73 today.
I saw Farner play, with one of the other grand funk members, in his Christian rock band (in about 1994 i think). They did some of the grand funk classics.
First heard GFR in Nacogdoches Texas about 1972?. I was 11. They played in old Shelton Gym on the campus of SFA, along with Three Dog Night or Doobie Brothers (I can't remember which one). I still remember how loud they were, how much pot smoke there was, and how incredible these three men were. Even an 11 year old can recognize stone cold ROCK&ROLL when it is this good, and wow were they good!
My Three Dog Night live at Colyseum in mint condition was stealed from my home some 20 years ago, The Byrds, Queen, Pink Floyd - almost complete collection, who knows what more...
Pat wow ever lucky to have known Mark Farner.I feel like I do , too,because looking back; he was one of the biggest influences in my life , if not the biggest.I’m 63,GRAND FUNK is #1 to me since 1971 when I first heard them. Richard Flint+ Lincoln Winnipeg, Manitoba Can.
Great band live, one of the all time best from the U. S. A. !! Seen them live when i was in the Army stationed at Fort Bragg, N. C. i am not sure if it was 1971 or 1972. Because we were smoking, drinking and eating some pills that made you see some things that were not real, if you know what i mean. i have one CD of GFR , greatest hit, love every thing they ever played !! City of Winston - Salem north east of Bragg. smaller arena sounded fantastic !!
On one side of the bridge, the logo said Grand Trunk Western R.R. originally then was changed to Grand Funk R.R. later. The other side of the bridge still shows a very faded Grand Trunk Western R.R. logo (at 2302 Fenton Rd Flint Michigan). So perhaps the name came from the railroad but the logo was there prior to the formation of the band.
What happened to Grand Funk Railroad is they went "strictly commercial" when they released "E Pluribus Funk." I often use that album as a milestone marking the end of the Classic Rock Era. Then when they covered "Loco-motion", they'd truly lost their way. I still pull out the old stuff though now and then. The Live album was great, "Paranoid;:, "inside Lookin' Out." et al, Great stuff.
The Live Album version of Mark Says Alright is phenomenal. Even though I didn't have a stereo player, the old Motorola player had great sound, especially when I used the album cover for a reflector. You could feel the crowd winding up as Mark finally said Alright!
I was too young to see grand funk live , but I heard hit after hit on the radio, later I saw the band in 2019 and they were fantastic, they played all their big hits as I remember hearing as a boy , very impressive
Gotta work on the narration. We know who this video is about. Don't begin so many sentences with "Grand Funk Railroad". It's redundant. Maybe something like "From there, the band.." or "next, the trio went on to.."
I've met Mark a few times, just a great guy and his wife Lisa is a sweetheart. I'm a huge GFR fan since I saw them in 1970 in San Antonio, Texas with Bloodrock opening up.
It just amazes me the amount of out put artists produced back then. And remember artists were writing their own songs. Now artists can't put out anything worth a nickel and that takes years between any new output
Solamente juntos todos los miembros de la banda, son la mejor banda Americana de los 70s. En México los recordaremos siempre El buen y auténtico Rock and Roll Americano! Saludos desde México.
They were a huge hit and a 3 man band at first . It was raw heavy and good . As teenagers we listened to all albums on 8 track stereo Awesome times . Music of our youth . Still listen to them .
Foot Stomping Music is my favorite Grand Funk Railroad song. I loved the album cover that was shaped like a silver dollar. It was a unique design for an album cover. I still remember when the album was released. I was a senior in high school when it was released in 1971. They were great singers and musicians !! If anyone knows what became of the band members, especially Mark Farner, please leave your answer in the comments section. 😊
They got so screwed over on their royalties they had no choice but to split up. Their contract paid them 9 cents on the dollar for every album sold. That's 3 cents each. If a record sold for $3.00 in 1974, they only earned less than 10 cents per album for each member. And don't even get started on touring, most bands got ripped off from just about every tour they engaged in. Sabbath got paid 100k for one show in California in 1974 but were told they were only paid 10k. Their managers got the remaining 90k. The music biz was one big con game from the mid 1960s until the early 1980s.
What happened to Grand Funk was Mark Farner is a good dude and a Christian who tries to see the best in people,and he trusted Don and Mel just like he trusted Terry Knight
The Survival Album ... Shaped my life ... By far the best album of all their offerings.... During the Vietnam war they were a long with black Sabbath my connection with sanity ...
Yup, they took me to Canada rather than 'Nam - I don't want to kill anyone. My life motto for years has been love everyone, serve everyone. But you know it don't come easy!
The first rock concert that I ever saw was GFR at Madison Square Garden with Suzie Quatro as the opener. I think it was in 1971. I was in eighth grade.
OK, I'll add my experience. I used to go watch "Terry Knight And the Pack" at Mt. Holly. Never missed a time when they were there. I was 15. So many times I would go see them in venues with less than 100. I feel blessed to have those memories.
Sometime in the very early '70s my older brother had the GFR Live album on 8-track. I fell in love with that sound and have been a fan ever since. Seen them in concert in 1975 and 2-3 times since 1996 without Mark (just not the same). Caught Mark live around 2006 and again in 2019. He's still got it! One of the best bands ever from the USA! R'nR Hall of Fame, what the hell is wrong with you people??
Please, please redo the narration of this video! It's painful to listen to "Grand Funk Railroad" being repeated over and over again. I'm a huge GFR fan, and I hope you will take some friendly advise from me, and some others commenting about the same thing. 😀
Agreed - worst narration I’ve ever heard about anything. Stilted, wooden, repetitive (a massive understatement, that), monotone. Sounds like a not very good computer did it.
I agree. Every sentence began with the band's name. Actually sounded like he recorded it in pieces, and then edited it together. Needs to be edited, and re-voiced.
I really appreciate that almost every sentence of the narration starts with the words Grand Funk Railroad. Its a steady reminder of the fact that yes! you are watching a video about GRAND FUNK RAILROAD
I'm thinking the biggest thing that happened to Grand Funk would be the problems that led to the band's songwriter/guitarist/singer/etc to no longer be a part of the band. I was actually hoping for an overall explanation of that, but it didn't even come up. To clarify, for me and a lot of other original Grand Funk fans, without Mark Farner, there *is no* Grand Funk. Him, I'd love to see in concert now. The act currently known as Grand Funk, I'm not sure I'd walk down the street for a free concert.
Terry Knight screwed the guys royally.. but they soldiered on. I prefer their earlier music up to E Pluribus Funk..Phoenix was a departure into a more pop direction..also, those earlier albums were led by Mark, who wrote 90% of the material..from We're An American Band on, Don took a more prominent role. After the Bosnia album/tour, Mark was basically kicked out of GFR by Don & Mel after signing away any rights he had to the band, which was done on the downlow. ( This is in his own words, if you want to look up the RUclips videos.) GFR without Mark is nothing more than a tribute band, in my opinion.
What happened? They made three insanely great albums and then ran out of gas. They gained huge success and continued to try and keep it with increasingly commercial (and less inspired) music. They managed a big hit written by Don and a moderate hit cover song sung by Don. In later years Don saw himself as the main man, screwed Mark out of ownership and went out with pick up musicians under the Grand Funk name so he could make a few extra bucks. That was lame, wrong and disappointing and that's where it stands today.
As crazy as it sounds, I get Grand Funk, and The James Gang, confused. They were similar in a number of ways, both American, straightforward rock bands that began as power trios.
I think it was the critic from the Chicago Sun Times wrote " Any band that sings about making up nickel bags can't be trusted with our children" I knew right then they were my favorite.I was 15. Good times. High times.
I wrote a letter to them when I was 11yr old telling them how good they was n the survival album was my favorite album. They sent me back a 8by12 glossy photo picture of the picture on the front of the survival album. I thought that was awesome of them to do that I loved them even more!!❤
Grand Funk Railroad was the best rock band and the greatest live rock act between the years 1969-1975, it's no wonder that already in 1971 they outsold the Beatles with sales on Shea Stadium, while it took the Beatles 78 days to sell one show, 55,000 tickets, it took only 72 hours for Grand Funk Railroad to sell 110,000 tickets, two full shows, and we have to remember that the Beatles were at their height of the beatlemania while GFR was a new band, GFR had two songs that got to number one on the billboard charts while Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and Deep Purple didn't have any song that got to number one, while Black Sabbath is my favorite heavy metal band, GFR is my favorite rock band, thanks for sharing.
@@nelsonacosta961 As you said, it's Paul Mccartney, he was and still is the most successful member in his solo career after the Beatles disbanded and he had a great success and great albums with the band Wings in the seventies, the fact that he was a member of the Beatles is just a bonus, his live tour with Wings in 1976 was one of the most successful tours in the seventies, i believe that at that tour alone he had more shows than the Beatles had in all their career, the Beatles stopped with live shows in 1965 so they didn't have too many live shows, i saw Paul Mccartney live in 2008, the show was very enjoyable, most of the songs were from his solo albums or from Wings albums, only a few songs were of the Beatles, as i said, Paul Mccartney is great because of himself, the fact that he was in the Beatles is just a bonus, and finally i have a good lesson for life, money is not everything in life!!!
Played the live album non stop in the early ‘70’s while in high school. I still have and play that same album, along with their others. Saw them live in ‘73 at the university of Cincinnati. It’s a farce that they are not in the rock and roll HOF. If they ever make it, image when they hit the stage to play after their induction.
My brother bought me Grand Funk's _Survival_ album for my 15th birthday in 1973. I thought it was a joke, these dirty kind of degenerate looking guys hanging out in a cave with a bunch of bones. Even though it wasn't really the kind of music I listened to back then, I was peasantly surprised. I enjoyed that album all through the 1970s.
New wife and I in May 75, picked "Bad Time" to be our unofficial wedding song...was in the Army overseas then, got a 2 week leave came home got married had to go back without her--"Sure picked -a Bad Time To be In Love".....saw them play Live in 74 in Germany...oh my can they play loud, long and with passion. Thanks for the Memories and the Marriage.,
Thanks for another great video. Saw them at the Montreal Forum around 1970. I did not know about the Zappa connection. I have a suggestion for a future subject: Three Dog Night, unless you've already done it.
Mark has lived just down the road from me for 30yrs or so. He is as kind and down to earth family as he is talented. I do not give my admiration or comments lightly and I admire Mark greatly.
We used to follow Mark & Rick around to different venues in the 90s. State fair grounds, Pine Knob, Freedom Hill. Always awesome.
Never met him but always loved him. Always came across as a real guy. Nothing fake or plastic about him Followed GFR from the first time I heard Time Machine. Mark's voice was the best of late 60's and 70's rock. The band was great, despite what the moron critics said. It's not really GFR without Mark. Living in Michigan, Mark was always a guy I would have loved to have just had a burger and a beer with and a conversation.
I believe the 3 most screwed over bands in the world were Badfinger, Grand Funk, & Creedence Clearwater Revival, in that order. Deceptive management & malicious record company execs…. I guess I should include The Animals; their manager robbed them blind & he went on to do the same to Jimi Hendrix….
I have heard stories like yours for years about Mr. Farner. Wish I could meet him. Your lucky.
caught in the act not conyak lol
Grand Funk is one of the greatest bands to come out of America. I grew up with their music and still listen to it now, it takes me back to better days.
But not in the R&R Hall of Fame!
What a crime.
R&R HALL OF FAME IS A JOKE
@@mahoganyrush300 Yeah, No MAZE Featuring Frankie Beverly, Too.
One of my all time favorites however, with out Mark, it ain't Grand Funk anymore.
Exactly not mark not gran funk anymore plain and simple
People keep saying that even though is true, but when all three original members reunited, Mark wanted to continue as a solo artist more than twice, so the other two needed to continue touring and couldn’t afford to keep him to whenever Mark decided to join again in the band, yes is wrong what Don and Mel did but Mark was being selfish as well even though he wrote 92% of the songs.
@@metallion0738 That's not true Mark wanted to and Don and Mel didn't as they had their mark wanna be clone of Mark and did not want to unite and upset their clone and whatever so go look up the interview with Mark he tells it straight out the truth of what went down.
@@CutthroatMcRage . Thank you for your information bro, I’ll look into it.
Grand Funk without Mark Farner isn't Grand Funk.
It’s now Brewer & The Twits !!!😂🤣😂🤣😂 This should be their new name
I wish they would come back for one more tour that would be awesome. I’d pay 250 a ticket.
Absolutely. Those guys screwed him.
I interviewed Mark Farner a couple of weeks ago, he's a man of strong convictions and really an all around nice guy who just happens to be talented on a genius level! What a combo!
Grand Funk Railroad Mark Farmer's Old Bald DADDY was Drummer when I seen them in Houston Texas,
What I admired about Mark Farner was that he was one of the very few guitar players worldwide that never had to have his eyes on his fingers and guitar while playing. Mark the extraordinaire guitarist doing his this thing. Millions of guitar player's past, present and future have to ALWAYS keep their eyes on the guitar and their fingers while they play. Mark Farner Was Grand Funk Railroad With A Style All His Own.
he was great but he wasn't exactly george lynch or vivian campbell on guitar, farner did it all he played, sang, wrote etc. he's super talented but he's not known for melodic leads and his guitar playing.
I like SRV's no-look playing. RIP, SRV.
@@westoftherockiesMark was not known or wanted to be known as a guitar hero or guitar virtuoso or guitar god, he made music and made hits, yes he is a talented guitar player that can sing, he never claim to be an Eddie Van Halen either.
Grand Funk without Farner is like Creedence without Fogerty or the Gin Blossoms without Doug Hopkins . It's like a steak dinner without the meat .
Or a refrigerator without magnets...
saw them a couple years after they had that giant billboard for 'Closer to Home'. I thought, "this Grand Funk RR is going places". but their manager went places.
@@thegreenbird795 Lmao!!!
I was with u till the Gin Blossoms. 😆
So you're saying it was a Mis-Steak?
An incredible band. My favorite during that time.
So underrated.
One of the greatest American Bands of their time, and the music they produced is legendary.
Money = greed = flim flam.
The story was repeated so many times in the 70's.
Grand Funk was an amazing combo.
I never saw them live but I did see Farner with Ringo's All Starr Band and he was terrific.
Mark got flim flam from his compadres. Don and I heard Mel scammed Mark on signing his own music away, to them and a record label.
When I was in high school back in the late '60s, it seemed everyone owned a Grand Funk Railroad album. GFR was an awesome rock band that faded away too fast.
I have been listening to all things rock and roll, you know, bootlegs, live concerts, everything. From Zeppelin to Deep Purple. I started listening to grand funk I believe 2 years ago when I was 16. The theme I noticed, is whenever I dug super deep into a band, say zeppelin, there’s SO many stories and tales about them. Easy as they are one of the biggest bands during the 70s. Same with deep purple. That’s so much information about them. But with grand funk, I noticed so quickly they are not known at all by anyone nowadays. Sure, maybe “We’re an American Band,” but aside from that, I have yet to encounter a kid around my age to even know of their existence. And that’s devastating to me. I loved the red album as well as E pluribus funk.
Remember when they were just GRAND FUNK??
It's all the ridiculous SHITE NOWDAYS...uh well METALLICA is still here.
They were America's premier garage band with nationwide appeal. Mark Farner today is a strong Christian God bless him. Love the guy.
Had them all.
This band was the soundtrack of my high school years. I remember my friends and I jamming to I'm Your Captain when we were beginner guitarists. Great band with some great music.
My first rock concert. March 1971 Boston Garden. Blood Rock was the opener.
Such raw talent!
Every once in a while, Mark Says Alright.
I heard something different about Mark Farner's departure from Grand Funk. That involved Don Brewer and Mel, they took advantage of Mark and had him sign the rights to the music to Don and Mel. They scammed him of all rights to his own music. Who needs enemies when you have friends like these two back stabbers.
No Mark Farner, no Grand Funk. I heard Don Brewer wanted to be in control so they tricked Mark into signing some legal papers giving up all his rights to the band. Maybe someone can clarify this.
That's what Mark said..and I believe him
This is true. Mark is open to a reunion, Don is not. Mel is Don's pawn in this. Don't waste your time & money on Don's tribute act
@@gorfpatrol2073 me too brother!
@@steverherb I agree ,Don is a control freak!
Yeah, something like that. 2 sides to every story and Don and Mel will never talk about what happened. Which is kind of telling.
Grew up in a little town just west of Fenton, Michigan. Whenever we heard the train horn, we would jump on our Sting Rays and watch another Grand Trunk go by. Sometimes the crew on the caboose would throw us big sticks of yellow chalk, that we decorated our driveways with. When Grand Funk Railroad came along some years later, we knew exactly where the inspiration came from. And yes, "We're an American Band" was a monster hit, and still a favorite!
Say Alright.
Did the same thing in LaPorte ,Indiana in the 1960s..and put coins on the tracks to flatten them like paper
Seen them in 1973 and Mark in 1986 ,Mark is the driving force and noone out rocked or grooved better than this band, especially Live , should a been in RRHIF years ago, pretty sad, for noone was better! Don't know why they never got in, for they deserve to be in more than anyone!
My favorite band...they need to be in the rock and roll hall of fame !!!!!
I saw them live back in 1996 on what would turn out to be Mark Farner's last tour with them. They were still a great live band that could get people up and dancing in the aisles. I find it disturbing to hear how Farner was forced out of the band by Don and Mel even though he was the driving force behind much of their music. Without Mark it is just not the same band. A locomotive failing to produce steam any more. My apologies to Don and Mel, but you guys could still be a great live band today had you not decided to jettison Mark out of the picture.
Mark Farner was Grand Grand Funk
@@summergivens242 Agreed. :)
I think the original lineup toured until 1998. I last saw them in 1997. Don is squashing any chance of a reunion for ridiculously stupid and selfish reasons 🙄
Same here. Pine Knob in Clarkston MI. Great show, but after following them from day one, you could tell something wasn't right.
@@steverherb I saw them on that tour here in NYC/Long Island in 98 as well. The Westbury Music Fair was the venue. I had seen them originally at Madison Square Garden in NYC in 72. One could make the argument the 98 show was actually better than the 72 show and that show was great. It is a pity that Brewer and Schacher took advantage of Farner and legally pushed him out of the band. What they call Grand Funk now is nothing more than a poor tribute band. I've heard them here on RUclips and they should be embarrassed. The funny thing is I have seen Farner interviewed in the last couple years and when asked if there would be a reunion of the three he said he was open to it but it was up to the other two!!! A testament to his Christian Faith to forgive the egregious wrong done to him. Farner still tours with his own band who have been with him for years, playing his own solo music as well as plenty of Grand Funk hits. He has income from touring what I imagine to be a modest income. He still gets royalties from every Grand Funk Album sale but there too probably not a lot seeing as they can't be selling many these days. He's got a total net worth of 16 million so he's set for life and with his modestt lifestyle he has no financial worries. Amazing how God has provided for him even when the others looked to do him in!!!! Grand Funk isn;t Grand Funk w/o Mark Farner!
Hearing closer to home while standing on the shores of Vietnam was heartbreaking
Wow. Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for serving!
I heard that a lot of soldiers in Vietnam used to play Closer to Home before lights out.
Welcome home, brother!
Greatings from Chile ( Sud América ) , Fil . 30/8/22 .
The most energy and passion, arguably, of any rock n roll band in history!
That is a bit of a stretch, although this band deserves a LOT more recognition. I would be OK with Grand Funk in the RRHOF.
@@Arturo-sm1tb small stretch Arturo.. Check out Black Liquorice, live! You'll get it..
@@Arturo-sm1tb not a stretch, I lived in LA during the 60s-70s saw every band that toured. I'm a musician and so are my friends who saw them. For a trio they were the very best live band, they got every one out of there seats and rocking.
And they wrote a song[ We're An American Band] to " SWEET SWEET CONNIE" from my hometown of Little Rock, Arkansas.Connie Hamzy passed away 💔 August 21, 2021 at age 66 in Little Rock, Arkansas.
The very sad part Connie being a rock n roll GROUPIE, and one of the most famous; she died in a very run down home barely 580 square feet and in hospice.
Wasn't aware that Connie was an actual person.
Pretty sad to be remembered as the babe whose claim to fame was that she was the Blow Job Queen to the rock stars of the 70's. Grand Funk should have cut her a royalty check
Connie would have been all of 18 in 1973...
I met her in St Louis county one night at a bar where they (short lived play famous RnR bands) she was nice. I liked her. Didn't they have her on some show like Sally Jesse Rafael back in the late 80's ,early 90's. Sad really, but it's always a sad day when someone is taken who's a decent person.
Her story was profiled in the December 1991 issue of "Penthouse". Worth looking for.
I saw them in 73 and 74 doing medical duty at the Hampton Coliseum. Was able to talk with them backstage. Memories I will never forget.
Born to die Survival and We're an american band are MASTERPIECES!!! The incredible high pitched soulful voice of Mark Farner is one of the best EVER!!!!
One of the great power trios of all time, Mark Farner is a world musical treasure, the work horse, the fabric that wove the band together, cant say enough about "grand funk railroad, love them, still listen to them on, special get togethers, reunions, or just kicking back on the deck with a cold one, listening to Mark & grand Funk while watching the grand kids play, awesome, feelin allright,,WOW!!!
Well, I made until 3:10 before hearing “Grand Funk Railroad” every ten seconds wore me out.
Brutal, just brutal
Is he getting a royalty each time he says Grand Funk Railroad?
New game; Shot of tequila each time the narrator says "Grand Funk Railroad."
You'd need a second bottle for that game.
If you really want to get drunk, take a shot every time mark sings I'm getting closer to my home in the im your captain song. Talk about padding.
@@kevhead1525
Hey, I didn't think of that!
Hey, I didn't think of that!
Hey, I didn't think of that!
Hey, I didn't think of that!
Hey, I didn't think of that!
Hey, I didn't think of that!
One tequila, two tequila, three tequila floor...
Met Mark's son joey at a bar near by. I knew his nephew through a friend we gave him a ride home in flint Michigan. Great band 👍
Oh wow!
Grand Funk was never Grand Funk without Farner!
Mark, Don & Mel.
They are easily one of the greatest power trios ever.
Why is this band not in the Rock and Roll hall of fame?
Good point. They should be.
The RRHOF is a private endeavor by a group of individuals. Basically, it’s a cash cow for these very shrewd folks, and they maintain control over the whole event. They choose who is nominated, when they’re nominated, and what they do at the ceremony, including how many family members they are allowed to invite free of admission charge. Furthermore, they also choose who will be excluded, as in barred, from their hallowed halls. It’s not an objective chronicle of the important contributors to the rock and roll genre, as I’m sure everyone already can surmise. I believe that there should be a legitimate institution dedicated to the cause. I’m not aware of any such undertaking, so I apologize if I’m wrong about that.
Grand Funk Railroad was the reason I started to play guitar. Luv this band to this day I'm67 and still dig this music !!!!
My future wife and I saw them at Pirates World in Dania Beach Florida in March of 1971. Great concert. Always loved um. Thanks for this interesting and educational post. P.S. We saw Frank Zappa at the Miami Pop Festival 1968. Frank was great also.
Very cool!
i was a clerk (in the rear with the gear) for all of 1970.....cannot remember exactly how now but i wound up with a portable record player and one record along with a pet spider monkey.....that record was grand funk.....i played it thousands of times and turned many g.i.s on to this new type of music....followed their sounds for years and still pull them out to rock with....
Grand Funk belongs in the Rock n Roll hall of fame 👍
Cool video. When I was coming up Grand Funk was huge. E-Pluribus-Funk was one of the first albums I bought with my own money. I will take exception with the idea that Elton John and Grand Funk stepped in to fill the vacuum left by the Beatles in 1970. Grand Funk was there for sure but Elton didn't start making an impact until a few years later. Back in the early 70s, Grand Funk, Creedence Clearwater Revival, and The Guess Who were jockeying for the top spot. At least in my circles. That was a great time to come of age as far as music went and when I hear anything from those bands it always triggers some memory of that time.
Good old Michigan rock and roll. Grand Funk is right up there with Bob Seger, the MC Five, and all the Motown artists who played venues like the Grande Ballroom and the Michigan Palace, back when two bucks got you a decent seat. Kick out the jams and let that foot-stompin music take you down that long and lonesome highway.
Saw Mark perform before Grand Funk was formed,knew he had a lot of talent then, Fenton community center 1968.
No Mark Farner and opening for Kid Rock, should call themselves Grand Funk Derailed.
I was in a band we called, "Tyne Kyte" out of north Indiana and when we played Ohio I got to sing lead on "Inside Looking Out". LOve that song and the college editor interviewed me for the paper. Cool chick too!. 1970..yepper I am an old rocker 73 today.
I'm going to watch this again and drink every time the narrator says "grand funk railroad".
What band is this about again ?
FYI that Mark Farner tours separately as Mark Farner and his American Band and his concerts are easiily the better shows.
Yes, this is the truth
I saw Farner play, with one of the other grand funk members, in his Christian rock band (in about 1994 i think). They did some of the grand funk classics.
I dare anyone to take a shot every time he mentioned Grand Funk, or Grand Funk Railroad. 🤣🤣
stumblin` around knockin shit over by the time its done
First heard GFR in Nacogdoches Texas about 1972?. I was 11. They played in old Shelton Gym on the campus of SFA, along with Three Dog Night or Doobie Brothers (I can't remember which one). I still remember how loud they were, how much pot smoke there was, and how incredible these three men were. Even an 11 year old can recognize stone cold ROCK&ROLL when it is this good, and wow were they good!
My Three Dog Night live at Colyseum in mint condition was stealed from my home some 20 years ago, The Byrds, Queen, Pink Floyd - almost complete collection, who knows what more...
Pat wow ever lucky to have
known Mark Farner.I feel like
I do , too,because
looking back; he
was one of the
biggest influences
in my life , if not
the biggest.I’m 63,GRAND FUNK
is #1 to me since
1971 when I first
heard them.
Richard Flint+
Lincoln
Winnipeg, Manitoba Can.
Great band live, one of the all time best from the U. S. A. !! Seen them live when i was in the Army stationed at Fort Bragg, N. C. i am not sure if it was 1971 or 1972. Because we were smoking, drinking and eating some pills that made you see some things that were not real, if you know what i mean. i have one CD of GFR , greatest hit, love every thing they ever played !! City of Winston - Salem north east of Bragg. smaller arena sounded fantastic !!
Mark Farner’s Christian rock albums were very solid, imho.
So were his regular albums after leaving the band. Great stuff. Never got promoted.
He also won a Christian Music award for song of the year for "Isn't It Amazing"
The name came from a train bridge over a street in Flint Michigan that had the words 'Grand Trunk Railroad " on it.
That is not correct. Terry Knight named the band after the Grand Trunk Railroad. The bridge logo was painted after they became popular.
On one side of the bridge, the logo said Grand Trunk Western R.R. originally then was changed to Grand Funk R.R. later. The other side of the bridge still shows a very faded Grand Trunk Western R.R. logo (at 2302 Fenton Rd Flint Michigan). So perhaps the name came from the railroad but the logo was there prior to the formation of the band.
@@BFSilenceDogood You are correct and it can be seen on Google maps
They open for Kid Rock? thats a joke, great talent should not open for, well, that.
I war out many a Grand Funk albums over the years..won a school contest in when I was in the 8th grade. My prize was 2 tickets to see them..so cool
What happened to Grand Funk Railroad is they went "strictly commercial" when they released "E Pluribus Funk." I often use that album as a milestone marking the end of the Classic Rock Era.
Then when they covered "Loco-motion", they'd truly lost their way.
I still pull out the old stuff though now and then. The Live album was great, "Paranoid;:, "inside Lookin' Out." et al,
Great stuff.
The Live Album version of Mark Says Alright is phenomenal. Even though I didn't have a stereo player, the old Motorola player had great sound, especially when I used the album cover for a reflector. You could feel the crowd winding up as Mark finally said Alright!
I was too young to see grand funk live , but I heard hit after hit on the radio, later I saw the band in 2019 and they were fantastic, they played all their big hits as I remember hearing as a boy , very impressive
My all time favorite Rock & Roll band .
I got to see them live Mobile Alabama early 70s ,I was 17 🎉
Gotta work on the narration. We know who this video is about. Don't begin so many sentences with "Grand Funk Railroad". It's redundant. Maybe something like "From there, the band.." or "next, the trio went on to.."
If the narrator says "Grand Funk Railroad" one more time it will qualify as a drinking game.
@@notferris lol
@@notferris Someone should develop a Grand Funk Railroad cocktail to go with the drinking game.
I've met Mark a few times, just a great guy and his wife Lisa is a sweetheart. I'm a huge GFR fan since I saw them in 1970 in San Antonio, Texas with Bloodrock opening up.
AHhhh Bloodrock..."DOA" is one of my top 1970s songs Dude!!! Thanks for mentioning Bloodrock!!
Mean Mistreater..
It just amazes me the amount of out put artists produced back then. And remember artists were writing their own songs. Now artists can't put out anything worth a nickel and that takes years between any new output
Solamente juntos todos los miembros de la banda, son la mejor banda Americana de los 70s.
En México los recordaremos siempre
El buen y auténtico Rock and Roll Americano!
Saludos desde México.
COOL !!!✌️👍🫵🏼👺😎
Very interesting! I had the red album „Grand Funk“ once. I loved it, and I remember „Paranoid“ with the crying baby …
The wild shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner
The bong rattling bass of Mel Schacher
The competent drumming of Don Brewer!
The live version of "Mean Mistreater" still gives me goosebumps.😋
In the 70s I saw GFR 29 times so to be honest I know damn well that they were the best hard rock band in concert ever !
FACTS
That is truly GFR love.
They were a huge hit and a 3 man band at first . It was raw heavy and good . As teenagers we listened to all albums on 8 track stereo Awesome times . Music of our youth . Still listen to them .
Foot Stomping Music is my favorite Grand Funk Railroad song. I loved the album cover that was shaped like a silver dollar. It was a unique design for an album cover. I still remember when the album was released. I was a senior in high school when it was released in 1971. They were great singers and musicians !! If anyone knows what became of the band members, especially Mark Farner, please leave your answer in the comments section. 😊
I have a vinyl lp record from ' 70s but in not well good shape and without the silver coin ... Sorry.
Excellent job on this, a lot of great info on a great band.
They got so screwed over on their royalties they had no choice but to split up.
Their contract paid them 9 cents on the dollar for every album sold. That's 3 cents each.
If a record sold for $3.00 in 1974, they only earned less than 10 cents per album for each member.
And don't even get started on touring, most bands got ripped off from just about every tour they engaged in.
Sabbath got paid 100k for one show in California in 1974 but were told they were only paid 10k. Their managers got the remaining 90k.
The music biz was one big con game from the mid 1960s until the early 1980s.
What happened to Grand Funk was Mark Farner is a good dude and a Christian who tries to see the best in people,and he trusted Don and Mel just like he trusted Terry Knight
The Survival Album ... Shaped my life ... By far the best album of all their offerings.... During the Vietnam war they were a long with black Sabbath my connection with sanity ...
Their "Survival" and Steppenwolf's "Monster" had a lot to do with shaping my political views, on life in general.
Yup, they took me to Canada rather than 'Nam - I don't want to kill anyone. My life motto for years has been love everyone, serve everyone. But you know it don't come easy!
Their version of "Gimme Shelter" is so much better than the Stones version.
@@LoneLee2022 I agree!
@@acehandler1530 Just agree with everything I say and we'll get along fine, OK?😗
The shirtless lyrics of Mark Farner, the bong rattling bass of Mel Shocker, the competent drumming of Don Brewer? That's Grand Funk Railroad!!!
Did anyone watching this ,catch the name of the band?
The first rock concert that I ever saw was GFR at Madison Square Garden with Suzie Quatro as the opener. I think it was in 1971. I was in eighth grade.
OK, I'll add my experience. I used to go watch "Terry Knight And the Pack" at Mt. Holly. Never missed a time when they were there. I was 15. So many times I would go see them in venues with less than 100. I feel blessed to have those memories.
Love grand funk , first five albums all bangers . The red album is a classic heavy must have . ROCK N ROLL SOUL!!
Sometime in the very early '70s my older brother had the GFR Live album on 8-track. I fell in love with that sound and have been a fan ever since. Seen them in concert in 1975 and 2-3 times since 1996 without Mark (just not the same). Caught Mark live around 2006 and again in 2019. He's still got it! One of the best bands ever from the USA! R'nR Hall of Fame, what the hell is wrong with you people??
Please, please redo the narration of this video! It's painful to listen to "Grand Funk Railroad" being repeated over and over again. I'm a huge GFR fan, and I hope you will take some friendly advise from me, and some others commenting about the same thing. 😀
I agree. He did a nice job giving us a history of the band, but never using the pronoun "they" or "the band" made listening to it nerve wracking.
Robot voice. Much better RUclips videos. This one pretty much sucked.
This definitely needs an update with some badly needed editing.
Agreed - worst narration I’ve ever heard about anything. Stilted, wooden, repetitive (a massive understatement, that), monotone. Sounds like a not very good computer did it.
I agree. Every sentence began with the band's name. Actually sounded like he recorded it in pieces, and then edited it together. Needs to be edited, and re-voiced.
I really appreciate that almost every sentence of the narration starts with the words Grand Funk Railroad. Its a steady reminder of the fact that yes! you are watching a video about GRAND FUNK RAILROAD
The two. Members stuck it to mark farner, the real talent
I'm thinking the biggest thing that happened to Grand Funk would be the problems that led to the band's songwriter/guitarist/singer/etc to no longer be a part of the band. I was actually hoping for an overall explanation of that, but it didn't even come up.
To clarify, for me and a lot of other original Grand Funk fans, without Mark Farner, there *is no* Grand Funk. Him, I'd love to see in concert now. The act currently known as Grand Funk, I'm not sure I'd walk down the street for a free concert.
Terry Knight screwed the guys royally.. but they soldiered on. I prefer their earlier music up to E Pluribus Funk..Phoenix was a departure into a more pop direction..also, those earlier albums were led by Mark, who wrote 90% of the material..from We're An American Band on, Don took a more prominent role.
After the Bosnia album/tour, Mark was basically kicked out of GFR by Don & Mel after signing away any rights he had to the band, which was done on the downlow.
( This is in his own words, if you want to look up the RUclips videos.) GFR without Mark is nothing more than a tribute band, in my opinion.
"...closer to the home..."
What happened? They made three insanely great albums and then ran out of gas. They gained huge success and continued to try and keep it with increasingly commercial (and less inspired) music. They managed a big hit written by Don and a moderate hit cover song sung by Don. In later years Don saw himself as the main man, screwed Mark out of ownership and went out with pick up musicians under the Grand Funk name so he could make a few extra bucks. That was lame, wrong and disappointing and that's where it stands today.
What happened was,the drummer thought he was better than the other guy. He was wrong.
As crazy as it sounds, I get Grand Funk, and The James Gang, confused. They were similar in a number of ways, both American, straightforward rock bands that began as power trios.
Take a shot every time he says “Grand Funk Railroad”
Wish I had a nickel for every time he said GFR
In 2 words: Don Brewer. He stabbed Mark Farner in the back and tricked him into signing papers that allowed Don & Mel to vote Mark out.
I think it was the critic from the Chicago Sun Times wrote " Any band that sings about making up nickel bags can't be trusted with our children" I knew right then they were my favorite.I was 15. Good times. High times.
I saw Grand Funk Railroad at Dallas Memorial Auditorium in 1971. They blew the doors off the place....
I wrote a letter to them when I was 11yr old telling them how good they was n the survival album was my favorite album. They sent me back a 8by12 glossy photo picture of the picture on the front of the survival album. I thought that was awesome of them to do that I loved them even more!!❤
Grand Funk Railroad was the best rock band and the greatest live rock act between the years 1969-1975, it's no wonder that already in 1971 they outsold the Beatles with sales on Shea Stadium, while it took the Beatles 78 days to sell one show, 55,000 tickets, it took only 72 hours for Grand Funk Railroad to sell 110,000 tickets, two full shows, and we have to remember that the Beatles were at their height of the beatlemania while GFR was a new band, GFR had two songs that got to number one on the billboard charts while Black Sabbath, Led Zeppelin, Uriah Heep and Deep Purple didn't have any song that got to number one, while Black Sabbath is my favorite heavy metal band, GFR is my favorite rock band, thanks for sharing.
And yet paul mccartney is still selling out stadium and grand funk is playing small theaters.
@@nelsonacosta961 As you said, it's Paul Mccartney, he was and still is the most successful member in his solo career after the Beatles disbanded and he had a great success and great albums with the band Wings in the seventies, the fact that he was a member of the Beatles is just a bonus, his live tour with Wings in 1976 was one of the most successful tours in the seventies, i believe that at that tour alone he had more shows than the Beatles had in all their career, the Beatles stopped with live shows in 1965 so they didn't have too many live shows, i saw Paul Mccartney live in 2008, the show was very enjoyable, most of the songs were from his solo albums or from Wings albums, only a few songs were of the Beatles, as i said, Paul Mccartney is great because of himself, the fact that he was in the Beatles is just a bonus, and finally i have a good lesson for life, money is not everything in life!!!
Interesting stuff! I've always adored their cover of The Locomotion, and that insane guitar solo.
Same here!
Nice informative video, but you don’t actually need to say “Grand Funk Railroad” in just about every sentence.
Played the live album non stop in the early ‘70’s while in high school. I still have and play that same album, along with their others. Saw them live in ‘73 at the university of Cincinnati. It’s a farce that they are not in the rock and roll HOF. If they ever make it, image when they hit the stage to play after their induction.
My brother bought me Grand Funk's _Survival_ album for my 15th birthday in 1973. I thought it was a joke, these dirty kind of degenerate looking guys hanging out in a cave with a bunch of bones. Even though it wasn't really the kind of music I listened to back then, I was peasantly surprised. I enjoyed that album all through the 1970s.
New wife and I in May 75, picked "Bad Time" to be our unofficial wedding song...was in the Army overseas then, got a 2 week leave came home got married had to go back without her--"Sure picked -a Bad Time To be In Love".....saw them play Live in 74 in Germany...oh my can they play loud, long and with passion. Thanks for the Memories and the Marriage.,
Thanks for another great video. Saw them at the Montreal Forum around 1970. I did not know about the Zappa connection. I have a suggestion for a future subject: Three Dog Night, unless you've already done it.
Three Dog Night video: ruclips.net/video/10hdEAGOEz0/видео.html
Like YES without Jon Anderson GFR isn't the same without Mark.
I saw Bob Segar several years ago, and Don Brewer and Frost the keyboard player (in later years) were playing with Bob.
Great band ! Great music ! Almost forgotten now ! Underated !