Grand Funk Railroad

Grand Funk Railroad blended the raw energy of rock with infectious melodies and high-energy live performances to become one of the biggest-selling American bands of the 1970s.

The founding members of Grand Funk Railroad - Mark Farner on vocals and guitar, Don Brewer on drums and vocals and Mel Schacher on bass - first joined forces in Flint, Mich. in 1968; manager Terry Knight named the group in honor of the Grand Trunk Western Railroad line running through their hometown. Grand Funk Railroad embarked on a relentless touring schedule, following a breakthrough performance at the 1969 Atlanta International Pop Festival with the release of its Capitol Records debut LP, On Time.

​​By the summer of 1971, Grand Funk Railroad ranked among the biggest acts in the nation despite minimal radio support and critical scorn: the albums Closer to Home, Survival and Live Album all reached the Billboard Top Ten. After parting ways with Knight, the band teamed with producer Todd Rundgren for the chart-topping 1973 hit "We're an American Band," followed a year later by a blockbuster cover of Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion." Grand Funk Railroad split in 1976, but reunited at various times in the decades to follow, both with and without Farner.