Grand Funk Railroad Co-Founder Mark Farner On Life During COVID-19, Future Goals, New Music & Michigan Flood Relief

In the often-quoted words of Rolling Stone Magazine writer and editor David Fricke: “You cannot talk about rock in the 1970s without talking about Grand Funk Railroad!”

Formed in 1969 in Flint, Michigan, Grand Funk Railroad’s 1971 performance at New York’s Shea Stadium sold out faster than that of The Beatles. To date, Grand Funk Railroad has scored 19 charting singles and 16 gold records and/or platinum records, with over 30 million units sold worldwide. And as one of the founding members of Grand Funk Railroad, singer and guitarist Mark Farner is of course widely-viewed as the engine that pulled the original Grand Funk to the top of the charts.

As embedded below, I had the pleasure of speaking with Farner via Zoom on July 27, 2020 about plenty more than his past, present and future in music. The Michigan native — who still lives in Michigan — recently launched a GoFundMe campaign in May for his Michigan neighbors called the Mid-Michigan Flood Relief, which carries the goal of raising $25,000 to donate to the American Red Cross’ efforts to the residents and areas affected by the Midland County flooding.

More on all things Mark Farner can be found online at www.markfarner.com, www.instagram.com/farner_nine and/or www.twitter.com/realmarkfarner.

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Tags: covid-19, Detroit, Flood Relief, Grand Funk, Grand Funk Railroad, Mark Farner, Michigan, Mid-Michigan Flood Relief, Shea Stadium

About the Author

Darren Paltrowitz Darren Paltrowitz is a New York resident with over 20 years of entertainment industry experience. He began working around the music business as a teenager, interning for the manager of his then-favorite band Superdrag. Since then, he has worked with a wide array of artists including OK Go, They Might Be Giants, Mike Viola, Tracy Bonham, Loudness, Rachael Yamagata, and Amanda Palmer. Darren's writing has appeared in dozens of outlets including the New York Daily News, Inquisitr, The Daily Meal, The Hype Magazine, All Music Guide, Guitar World, TheStreet.com, Businessweek, Chicago Tribune, L.A. Times, and the Jewish Journal. Beyond being "Editor At Large" for The Hype Magazine, Darren is also the host of weekly "Paltrocast With Darren Paltrowitz" series, which airs on dozens on television and digital networks. He has also co-authored 2 published books, 2018's "Pocket Change: Your Happy Money" (Book Web Publishing) and 2019's "Good Advice From Professional Wrestling" (6623 Press), and co-hosts the world's only known podcast about David Lee Roth, "The DLR Cast."