They’re an American band and they’re coming to our town — to the Winterville Watermelon Festival on Aug. 24. Grand Funk Railroad formed in 1969 and made a name for themselves filling arenas and dominating radio. Their hits are instantly recognizable to anyone who hasn’t lived under a rock. Original band member, drummer and vocalist Don Brewer opened up with The Daily Reflector about the band, in the early years and now.
Q: You’ve been with Grand Funk Railroad since the band’s inception in 1969 and you’ve seen the band fill arenas and achieve the level of success that musicians dream about. Are you able to put in words what you believe was instrumental to your success?
A: It was a lot simpler then, you know. The recordings were simpler. Writing songs was simpler. Getting gigs was simpler. Everything was pretty easy. And we were just doing what we loved and followed our hearts, and it led to Grand Funk Railroad. People really picked up on that. It’s true today too. Our fans are very appreciative of the music we created and the shows we still do.
Q: I understand you wrote the band’s hit, “We’re an American band.” Studying the lyrics, I have to ask: is it autobiographical?
A: Well you know, it was little snippets. Let me say — hyperbole? (laughs) We were on the road and being sued by our former manager. And he was suing every city we were playing in. And at the same time, we were big on FM radio underground from 1969 to 1972, and FM underground would play seven-minute songs like “I’m Your Captain” and “Close at Home,” “Inside Looking Out.” It didn’t have to be a commercial kind of a hit. And then all of the sudden in ‘72 all of the FM stations started hiring consultants and they were telling the radio stations, ‘You’ve got to play nothing but three-minute hits because we can sell more advertising — and we’re going to tell you what to play. You can’t just play whatever you want to play.’ And we had to make a change. So I decided I would start throwing my hat in the ring and try to write a hit song. And that was it. That was my first impression of what a hit song would sound like, and that’s the way it came out. Pretty amazing.
Q: “We’re an American Band” and “Some Kind of Wonderful” are a couple of my favorite songs of yours. When I asked a friend his favorites, he said “I’m Your Captain” and “Locomotion.” Will you be performing these songs at the Winterville Watermelon Festival?
A: We’ve performed those songs every night for 50 plus years. Yes, we know what the audience wants when they come to see Grand Funk, and they want to hear the Grand Funk hits. That’s what we give them, for sure.
Q: And what song of yours is one of your favorites to perform, and why?
A: You know, I think “Some Kind of Wonderful” is one of my favorites because I come out from behind the drums and go out to the microphone at the front and Mel is playing the baseline — Da Doo, Da Doo, Da Doo, and I start singing, “I don’t need a whole lots of money, I don’t need a big fine car….” and the audience starts singing as loud as I am. (Don Brewer doesn’t speak the lyrics — he sings them in a clear voice that is instantly recognizable and hasn’t aged a day, full of the same rock and roll angst that fans remember.)
That’s such a thrill to stand there and sometimes watch four generations of people: grandparents, to parents, and kids, and grandkids and they’re all singing “Some Kind of Wonderful.” There’s no feeling like that.
Q: Many of your fans have grown up and matured right along with you, even as some young fans are just discovering you. Do you feel like you relate to the fans any differently now than in the early years of the band?
A: No, I think we pretty much relate to them the way we did before. I mean, a lot of them, they’re seeing us for the second time or third time. They saw us when they were young and now they’re seeing us and it’s bringing back all kinds of memories for them. So that’s a difference I think. Back then we were one of the new, hot bands on the block, and now we’re a classic rock act and everybody’s got gray hair. They’re bringing their kids to see us. ‘You don’t know Grand Funk Railroad? You got to come see Grand Funk Railroad!” Kind of like Homer Simpson. That’s pretty cool.
Q: I read an August 19, 1971 Rolling Stone article by Timothy Ferris called “Grand Funk Railroad: Is This Band Terrible?” Contrary to the title’s implications, it focuses mostly on collective jealousy of the band’s success, selling out venues. Do you remember hearing about that article back in the day and how it made you feel?
A: It made me feel terrible. I remember not only that article, but there were a lot of articles, especially in the big cities. New York and LA. Critics back then were very snobbish. And they had their very opinionated views of rock and roll. And for some reason we didn’t fit in their little cubicle. We were kind of outside their box. And they resented that. And so they took it out on us.
The good thing was they’d write these articles and the fans would get furious. Which just made them love us more. So yes, I remember. It made me feel like crap. I remember in particular playing a show at Madison Square Garden in New York, where a guy from Rolling Stone came to watch the show and he wrote this terrible review. And I looked at it, and I read it and went, “There’s no way the guy could have been at that show. He must have stayed home. Because that’s just not what happened.”
Q: With the benefit of experience you now have, what advice would you give to your 1969 self or to other musicians starting out?
A: Do as much as you can by yourself, and don’t trust anybody (laughing). Which is kind of a terrible thing to say but I’ve learned a lot of hard lessons over the years. Don’t look at things through rose-colored glasses. You’ve got to take it seriously and watch yourself.
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to say?
A: I’m looking forward to coming to North Carolina and playing. We love playing in North Carolina, and I’d like to invite everybody out to have a great time — to smile and sweat and have a great evening of Grand Funk rock and roll.
Tickets to the Grand Funk Railroad show at the Winterville Watermelon Festival are available here: https://watermelonjam24.eventbrite.com or locally at Full Service Flooring (cash only), 156 Tilco Dr. Winterville. Tickets are $25 for general admission and $30 for a Pit Pass, plus online fees and tax. Visit watermelonfest.com for more information.
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