#Grand funk railroad bassist series

#Grand funk railroad bassist series

In 1972 the band fired Knight, resulting in a series of lawsuits involving millions of dollars (they hired John Eastman, father of Linda McCartney, as their new manager). The next year saw the release ofSurvival and E Pluribus Funk, the latter most notable for its round album cover. 1970s Live Album reached number 5 and included another concert and radio favourite in Farners Mean Mistreater. Their recordings sold in greater quantity even though many radio stations ignored their releases. In June 1971, for example, Grand Funk Railroad became only the second band (after the Beatles) to sell out New Yorks Shea Stadium. That promotional campaign backfired with the press, however, which dismissed the bands efforts despite spiralling success with the public. In 1970, for example, Knight reportedly paid $100, 000 for a huge billboard in New York Citys Times Square to promote the bandsCloser To Home, which subsequently became their first Top 10 album, reaching number 6 and spawning the FM radio-staple title track. Grand Funk Railroads huge success is often attributed to the public relations expertise of manager Knight. Of those, 1973sWere An American Band was the biggest seller, reaching number 2. By the summer of that year they had become a major concert attraction, and their albums routinely reached the Top 10 for the next four years. On Time reached number 27 in 1969, followed by the number 11Grand Funk in 1970. Their first singles reached the charts but Grand Funk soon proved its real strength in the album market. The new trio signed with Capitol Records in 1969 and immediately began making its name by performing at several large pop festivals. At this point Knight stopped performing to become the bands manager, renaming it Grand Funk Railroad (the name was taken from the Michigan landmark the Grand Trunk Railroad). Following a single release on the small Lucky Eleven label, I (Who Have Nothin), which reached number 46 in the US chart, the Pack were joined by Schacher, formerly of ? And The Mysterians. Farner and Brewer had both been members of the Pack, while Brewer had also belonged to the Jazz Masters. 3 April 1951, Owosso, Michigan, USA) and drummer Don Brewer (b. The group was a spin-off of Terry Knight And The Pack, a popular soul rock group in the Michigan area in the mid-60s, and originally comprised guitarist Mark Farner (29 September 1948, Flint, Michigan, USA), bass player Mel Schacher (b. Formed in 1968, Grand Funk Railroad was the first American heavy rock power trio to achieve massive fame, while alienating another large segment of the rock audience and critics at the same time.