Brewer said it was not unusual for him to read concert reviews "where it was obvious the critics were not even really there." "He also had a past history with Rolling Stone." Then he'd do things like buy a full page ad in Cashbox Magazine, and run a photo of us giving everybody the finger. "The magazines and newspapers would request interviews with us, and Terry would not let anyone in the band talk to them. No, he enjoyed (blanking) off the critics, making them furious. "Terry was our manager and he enjoyed ignoring the critics. "Look, we got off on a bad foot," he answered. It enjoyed radio success, especially in the days when FM Radio thought nothing of playing three and one-half minute songs.Įarly '70s record sales were through the roof, and there were no other hard rock bands filling baseball stadiums.īut as much as rock fans appeared to like the band, Grand Funk appeared at war with the music press.īrewer tosses all of the blame at early manager Terry Knight. Looking back, Grand Funk was very much a people's band. That prompted another obvious question - because Brewer's right, the band did not grace the cover of Rolling Stone, or a lot of other music magazines in their day. Everyone in the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame is a Rolling Stone darling. "In my opinion," states Brewer, "its a political thing, controlled by Rolling Stone magazine. Joking aside, Brewer states flatly, "If we have not made it in by now, it is pretty obvious we will never get in. "No, but we're in the Michigan Music Hall of Fame," counters Brewer. GFR enjoyed its own chart success with "Some Kind of Wonderful" and Little Eva's "The Loco-Motion."Īnd with all that, the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame still has not found room for Grand Funk Railroad. Hits ranged from "I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" to "We're an American Band," but Grand Funk also had no fear when it came to recording covers. Still, it was Grand Funk Railroad that sold more records than any other bands in the 1970s, and Grand Funk who sold out Shea Stadium faster than the Beatles. Drummer Don Brewer - who formed Grand Funk Railroad in 1969 with guitarist Mark Farner and bassist Mel Schacher - can't help but laugh upon being reminded that Homer Simpson called them the best rock band of all time.Īfter all, that episode of "The Simpsons" had a little fun with his musicianship.
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