 Grand Funk Railroad formed in Flint, Mich. in 1969 with guitarist Mark Farner, bassist Mel Schacher and drummer Don Brewer, who adapted their unique band name from the Detroit-based Grand Trunk Railroad. Their bluesy, funky rock sound quickly found them a home at Capitol Records, who released their debut album, On Time, later that year; the record soon went gold. Before the year was out Capitol released Grand Funk, followed six months later by Closer to Home, whose title track remains classic rock staple. During most of 1972 Grand Funk remained inactive as the group engaged in legal battles with their management, but late in the year the group returned with the upbeat Phoenix, which marked the debut of keyboardist Craig Frost. 1973's We're an American Band, produced by Todd Rundgren, was originally released on gold vinyl, foreshadowing the album's massive commercial success thanks to the No. 1 title track. With 1974's All the Girls in the World Grand Funk shifted in a pop direction; after releasing a second live album (Caught in the Act) and 1976's Born to Die, the band split with Capitol and signed to MCA. After only one release on their new label, 1976's Good Singin', Good Playin' (produced by Frank Zappa), the group called it quits. Mark Farner, the band's principle songwriter, went on to form the Mark Farner Band, while the remaining members of Grand Funk formed the short-lived project Flint. In 1981 Farner and Don Brewer reformed Grand Funk with a new bassist, Dennis Bellinger. After releasing two albums on Warner Brothers the band once again split up. Farner became a Christian musician, while Brewer and keyboardist Craig Frost joined Bob Seger's backup band. Surprisingly, the group reunited once again in 1996 with the original three-piece lineup, embarking on a U.S. tour to support the CD-release of out-of-print Grand Funk albums. In 1997 the group was reported to be in the studio working on a new album.
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