On stage, Mark Farner rarely seems like a man who just sings songs. With a guitar in his hands and a voice built from blues, rhythm and blues and hard rock, he becomes the face of Grand Funk Railroad - a band born in Flint, Michigan, but loud enough to reach the biggest American stages. Farner turns 78 today.
He was born on September 29, 1948, in Flint. Music came naturally to his family - his mother sang and his father played guitar and saxophone. As a young man, Farner played in several local bands, including The Pack, where he played with drummer Don Brewer. It was from this partnership that the story of Grand Funk Railroad began.
The trio that took over the stadiums
In 1969, Farner and Brewer were joined by bassist Mel Shaher. This formed the trio, which combined a blues foundation, a powerful stage sound and straightforward songs about war, love and the life of the common man. The first album, On Time, was released that same year.
The beginning was so rapid that just two years later, Grand Funk Railroad sold out 55,000 tickets for a concert at Shea Stadium in New York in 72 hours - faster than the Beatles at their show at the same venue. This success comes before the band's biggest hits and shows how strong its connection with the audience is.
Farner is the writer and vocalist behind I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home) – a song with an unusual drama for hard rock, which begins as an intimate confession and gradually unfolds into an epic performance. This was followed by We're an American Band, The Loco-Motion, Some Kind of Wonderful and Bad Time. Two of them reached number one in the US chart, and two others entered the Top 5 of the Billboard Hot 100.
The story behind one of the most popular songs
Farner has a special role in the creation of We're an American Band. In an interview, he said that he suggested using a cowbell - a small metal percussion instrument that can be heard at the beginning. According to him, he wrote the music, harmonies and changes in the song, although Brewer officially wrote the lyrics.
One of the most chaotic evenings in the band's history is also memorable. After the success of We're an American Band, the musicians organized a celebration with a huge cake at a Beverly Hills hotel. A food fight broke out, the cake reached the ceiling, and the bill for cleaning and damages was $50,000. The band was then banned from returning to the hotel.
From solo albums to light guitar
After Grand Funk Railroad's first breakup in 1976, Farner began a solo career. He later recorded Christian music, and in 1994 and 1995 he was part of the Ringo Starr & His All-Starr Band tour, where he played alongside musicians such as Randy Bachman, John Entwistle and Felix Cavalieri.
Health problems did not keep him away from the stage, but they did change the way he played. After neck surgery, doctors advised him not to use heavy guitars. “I had surgery and the doctor said, “No heavy guitars”, Farner tells Guitar World. That's why he chose the Parker Fly – an instrument that weighs about five pounds and allows him to continue his concerts.
In 2012, Farner was fitted with a pacemaker. Despite this, he continues to record and perform with Mark Farner's American Band. Among his more recent projects is the album Closer To My Home, in which he revisits the song that marked his career - a new version of I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home).
Mark Farner remains associated with Grand Funk Railroad not only for his hits, but also for the way they sound: loud, open and with no distance between stage and audience. His songs continue to evoke a time when a Flint trio could sell out a stadium in three days and turn their personal stories into a rock and roll chorus.
Sources: Guitar World, Best Classic Bands, Michigan Rock and Roll Legends