The Man Who Saved Grand Funk Railroad

Can a producer turn a crude heavy metal band which was virtually ignored by critics into a pop music phenomenon?   In the case of Todd Rundgren's work with Grand Funk Railroad in the early 70s, the answer was clearly "yes!"

Formed in Flint, Michigan in 1968, GFR was a very loud (some would say crude) heavy metal trio which achieved great commercial success, both in terms of record and concert sales.  Indeed, they broke the Beatles' record for selling out two nights at Shea Stadium.  Despite such success, however, the critics either ignored or loathed Grand Funk, and radio stations were slow to play their material. 

Producing and managing the band during this early period was Terry Knight, who commanded complete artistic control over the group's sound.  This continued until 1972, when Knight's services were abruptly terminated, resulting in his filing $60 million in lawsuits against GFR.  Litigation continued until attorney John Eastman, Linda McCartney's father, brokered a deal in which Grand Funk essentially bought him out.  

Post-Knight, GFR added a fourth member, keyboardist Craig Frost (formerly of Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band), who helped make their sound a bit more melodic. But the band's big break came in 1973, when Todd Rundgren produced their album "We're An American Band," along with the single of the same name, which quickly rose to #1 on the charts.  Critics and radio programmers began to take notice.  A talented performer in his own right, Rundgren had previously engineered and produced albums by acts as diverse as Badfinger, the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and the New York Dolls. With the tighter, bass-driven arrangements Todd developed, Grand Funk suddenly sounded like a real rock group, as opposed to a garage band.  More albums followed, along with singles such as a remake of "The Locomotion," "Some Kind of Wonderful" and "A Bad Time to Be in Love."  

The GFR/Rundgren collaboration continued until 1976, when Frank Zappa produced what would be the final album for the band's original members, "Good Singin,í Good Playin."  Mark Farner, Grand Funk's guitarist, went into the alternative energy business, while the others pursued their own musical interests.  In 1981 Farner reunited with drummer Don Brewer for two albums, before again disbanding.  As for the producer who made them a critical success, Rundgren continued doing albums for performers such as Meatloaf (who can forget "Bat Out of Hell?") and Patti Smith. Later he would branch into the newly emerging field of music videos.