The Grand Funk legend on the rock icons’ legacy, his thoughts on Bruce Kulick taking the band’s lead guitar spot and why he doesn’t regret giving away his songwriting credit to We’re an American Band
Mark Farner was a primal voice of early-’70s rock. Hailing from Flint, Michigan, Farner blended ’60s R&B and British blues rock alongside Mel Schacher (bass) and Don Brewer (drums), touring up a musical cocktail via power trio Grand Funk Railroad. Albums like On Time (1969) and Grand Funk (1969) showed promise, but it wasn’t until Closer to Home (1971) and We’re an American Band (1973) dropped that Grand Funk shook the world.
When asked if those classic staples are Grand Funk’s definitive statements, Farner tells Guitar World, “I think so. But as far as getting a following and radio play, We’re an American Band was big. I wrote a lot of that album, but I gave Don Brewer a fair amount of credit for it.”
