Grand Funk Railroad

Creating the sort of sound you'd hear blaring out of a truck driver's stereo as he roars down a long, hazy highway, Grand Funk Railroad's storming blues jams, anthemic, upbeat refrains and searing solos made them giants of American rock and roll in the 1970s. Named after Michigan's Grand Trunk Railroad, the power trio of Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums) and Mel Schacher (bass) styled themselves on the likes of Cream, the Jimi Hendrix Experience and Led Zeppelin and, after being discovered at the Atlanta Pop Festival by Capitol Records, their debut album On Time (1969) went on to make to sell over a million copies. A relentless touring schedule saw them play at iconic venues such as Shea Stadium, Madison Square Garden and the Royal Albert Hall and albums Closer To Home (1970), Survival (1971), E Pluribus Funk (1971), Phoenix (1971), We're An American Band (1973) and Shinin' On (1974) all made the US Top 10. They topped the charts with singles We're An American Band and The Loco-Motion and scored other major hits with Closer To Home, Some Kind Of Wonderful and Bad Time, but found themselves out-of-style by 1976. Known as Homer Simpson's favourite band, they reformed in 1996 and continue to perform without Farner (who became a solo artist playing Christian music), celebrating their 45th anniversary in 2014.