The Messenger was what gave Mark Farner his signature sound back in the old Grand Funk days.

I rocked to Grand Funk Railroad from the time they hit the stage until their break-up. For anyone to think that Grand Funk Railroad can play anything other then a cow farm fair without Mark are sadly mistaken. Mark is Grand Funk Railroad. The voice, well, it is the voice of Grand Funk Railroad. Rock on Mark, you brought us many beautiful moments with your music, your voice and that mean ass guitar. Hey Brewer, dream on thief....

Mark Farner was, is and always will be the true soul of Grand Funk Railroad.

Mark IS Grand funk. Any gig without him is like, the stones without mick.

Mark has got to be the most humble dude after all the shit done with him.

Wasn't too into them back in the day, but EVERYBODY knew about them. Their songs were everywhere, on the radio, in the dorms, everywhere. Not too ironically, Mark seemed to be the whole band. Without him, those other guys would've been pumping gas for a living.

Grand Funk Railroad "Red Album" is one of my all-time favorites. Mark was and is GFR. True American r&r.

I am 56 years old and "Grand Funk Live" is STILL my favorite album of all time.

being a drummer all my almost 60 years.....I can say that brewer can have the stuff, what people think of you after your gone will usually fall on the ears of your family.....Mark, there's nothing wrong with trusting people, it justs let everyone know you are a MAN with a true heart for his fellow Creation of God.....carry on....your rewards not here on earth....

No matter what happen's in your life Mark, God is in Control! In the end You know that you Will get your reward! God Bless You Mark Farner!

Mark, you need to know....... you got so many of us through Vietnam, Bro you really helped us along. "I can feel him" Gime Shelter and more.

This was a very informative Thank You. To bad Don and Mel aren't in the same class as Mark.

It is pretty obvious Don Brewer (a.k.a. Terry Knight Jr.) will go down as the most hated musician from the 1960's-70's.

Aside from being a multi talented Musician ( Guitar , Keys , Harp ), Mark is One of the BEST Vocalist's of any period with incredible range .. If you listen to 70's Vocalists like Lou Gramm and Mickey Thomas , You can hear the influence He had on them ...

Mark and I met in Austin, Texas in 1987 and again in Austin in 1994 on the lake. He is a great guy and fantastic musician and songwriter and when Ringo put him in his All- Starr band in the late 90's I knew he was accepted. Long live GFR and Mark and Lisa.

I started playing lead guitar after I bought their first album 40+ years ago. Just finished listening to the Red Album. Fantastic even now. So sad about the band but Mark is still top notch!

That Messenger gave Mark a unique tone on those early albums, I mean, it was so raw and Mark's scratching across the strings, especially on the live Into the Sun was amazing. The fuzz too was very unique ... I loved that whole vibe of the early 3 piece band. Thanks Mark, you've been an inspiration for sure!

Man, I loved the tone of that Messenger on Closer to Home and the Black Live album .... such a raw and gritty on the edge tone that nobody else has ever had. Mark, I'd love to hear stories about your effects especially that wild fuzz tone you had. Glad you survived all this crazy rock and roll stuff and have embraced Jesus! Amen brother.

I brought Mark to play my hometown after meeting him in NYC what a Great person I even got to sing Bad Time with him I can call him a friend. Much love Brother Mark

I was in Nam in '69. So much happened that year that I missed. Grand Funk was one of them. Thankfully, videos exist of much of it - like "Inside Looking Out" live by GFR. What a performance. God bless ya, Mark.

Look in the dictionary under the word "class" and you'll find a picture of Mark Farner. Out of all the players I cite who have influenced me I have to say that Mark Farner is at the top of that list ultimately. His soloing was articulate and his rhythm playing was chunky. And man did he write some great tunes. Mark Farner made learning guitar fun for me. Thank you Mark.

Wow. I loved these 9 vids. learned so much about Mark Farner. Cool Dude, and class act. Don Brewer Should be ashamed of himself for stealing the Grand Funk name. Especially since Mark wrote most if not all the songs

Mark is such a nice guy!

Mark Garner made Grand Funk who they who they were. Keep on playing Mark

Hey Mark, my name is Joe Cronan and i grew up in the Panama U.S. Canal Zone. I remember very vividlyl when Grand Funk Railroad hit the scene in 1969. You guys were one of my favorites. Here i still 54 yrs later out of High school reading about you and the band. Man , what a interesting person you are! You have handle your trials and tribulations with dignity and righteousness. I very impressed . The episode that really got to me (resonated with me) was when you had your vision praying . I too went thru a similar " God Moment" with my daughter during my divorce when i was in the service in 1978. I had the power drain out of me one Sunday morning when i was driving around with my daughter . I came to a stop sign in Panama City Fla, where is was stationed, when experienced my power drain out of my body and all anxiety left my body and mind. These words were spoken to me Clearly ; " Go to Church" it was said twice. I hadn't been to a Catholic church in 5 yrs, i turned the corner and there was a Catholic church which i stopped and went into. The priest was preaching about the Scantity of marriage. It was like truth serum being shot into my mind. It sounds like you had a similar experience . Just wanted to share that with you. I listened to all 9 episodes , Just an amazing story. I think you are a great guy, musician and man! God Bless Mark! Regards Joe Cronan Santa Maria Ca.

Mark Farner is directly responsible for me playing guitar. No bull

It wasnt the prettiest of guitars or the most expensive,but when you see it that guitar was Grand funk.It was Mark Farner,s early signiture guitar.He played his heart out on it,which is why i would like to have one just like that. KEEP ROCKIN AND ROLLING MARK,WE LOVE YOU

It so sad that as much of a GFR freak as I was to hear how Don and Mel screwed Mark over so bad and how humble and forgiving Mark remains about it all.

Mark Farner is a class act that is hard to top! Grand Funk was the best band of its time and Mark was the heart and soul of the band. Too bad he was taken advantage of by his former manager and band mate. Great man!

He’s definitely gotta he my favorite musician. Such a badass and hugeee inspiration. You music is killer. 🙌🙌

Absolutely loved the sound of that Messenger.

You are the best Mark. I love the Grand Funk Music. I always find time listen to it. Never get tired of them , since 1976 up to now 2019.

i saw grand funk in 1973 in dallas tx i was 13 my first concert you guys are the reason i became a bass player. at that show i caught a paper stars and stripes top hat that you thru into the crowd . i had every one of your records thank you i was listening to the partridge family when i found GFR live i never looked back

I felt his change when they released Survival! Got to meet him in like 92 or 93! Thank you Mark for being so humble. 9 yrs. later!

I can't believe it! They did the same thing to Mark Farner that Cory and Danny did to Chuck Negron! What is up with the hostile trios? Cutting off their own nose to spite their face! D-U-M-B! Mark must be the genius behind them because I never hear of them anymore! And Mark is still very prolific with the music! He looks good, and sounds as good as he ever did, and he's still coming up with stuff! He holds nothing against them from the past. How cool is he!!

My First concert Grand Funk, and Billy Preston Chicago International Amphitheater, I think that was in 1973-74....Long Time Ago! There is no Grand Funk without Mark Farner, He is Grand Funk Railroad! Thanks for the memories, and the great music.....

My teen years were surrounded by GFR music and I still listen to their music. Great intervieuw with a great musician.

Great Interview man! Mark is a class act! Thank you for this!!!!!!

Great guy, really enjoyed these, never knew what happend to Grand Funk Railroad......

If you happen to read this Mark,.. I just wanted to say thanks for the music, the insight thru these 9 vids.. and I sincerly hope that you get inducted to the R and R Hall Of Fame. J.

Hes such a real guy you know down to earth the 70,s kool vibe goin on

There is no Grand Funk Railroad without Mark Farner.

As a teenage guitar player, I looked up to Mark Farner, in particular, and GFR in general. Glad to see he turned out to be a real gentleman and a decent human being. The rest of the band? Not so much.

GENIUS AND SAVED,WE WILL ROCK IN HEAVEN,BELIEVE IT,GOD WILL GIVE US THE DESIRES OF OUR HEARTS,AND I WANT TO SEE HIM,JAM,FORGIVE MY CAPS I'M BLIND

It was a wonderful time for music; to be a guitar player.

Anyone who hasnt seen this guy with his band N'R G doesnt know what they are missing! Saw him in Vegas this past weekend, these guys are AWESOME!! Mark sounds as good as he did 40 years ago. Got his autograph after the show too. Don and Mel who???????????

Wow Don Brewer..... what a disappointment: Hero to zero.

Have a friend that owned a Micro Frets like the one mark used but he ended up selling it & now regrets that decision. We live in the Frederick MD area & Miro Frets were made here back in the 70s. Lucky for me i did a chance to play it before he sold it. What a shame the story of how Don & Mel screwed Mark over & look where it got them, despised by most all musicians & fans while Mark continues to make great music. He is a class act..

Brewer and mel are nothing without mark and they know it

A true guitar legend. You see it the way he plays. The guitar looks like part of his body. His hands play with same kind of finesse you see in all the masters of guitar. And that slashing tone from the Messenger. No one had, or has yet ever reproduced, that unique tone.

What a life, wow. Proof that GOD loves rock n' roll, gifted souls to Mark, Don, & Mel. They will be headliners in heaven as they were on earth. The music that touched so many souls with lyrics and the sound that sets them in a select group of bands that had things that we all could relate to. I can't count the times I can credit GFR with a good memory of mine. A live concert, a kegger or block party, some alone time with a girlfriend, the music resonated and provided a good vibe that made a life experience into a good life memory. I hope GOD can get them to get together for a performance at the R&R Hall of Fame. If we don't get our shit together rather quickly regarding Global Warming, it will be a life-changing failure to act that could end us all. At an ever-increasing rate of the greenhouse scenario we are approaching the point of no return, Open Your Eyes Because Your Sleeping, You best Wake Up Before Tomorrow Comes Creepin' In (GFR - We're An American Band). Thanks for being there for so many of us all these years, so important on so many levels, a true GOD-send that brought goodwill through good music. Thank you for sharing your gifts from GOD and know that it is true if you are good you will live forever. Imagine the music with an Angel on the soundboard and the acoustics at the ultimate venue, then times that by ten, then ten again. Now we're getting closer to the home of the future, GOD is so cool it will blow your mind. No earthly word for that level of cool, really so much more than imaginable. Keep the Faith...

Mark was my hero. In '87 the wife and I saw him in concert, where I got some real close-up pictures. After the concert we hung around his bus and a guy sticks his head out and says, "you guys want to talk to Mark?'' Uh...sure! We spent 20 minutes on the bus, just the 3 of us, talking about music and family. I had one picture left on the film camera, and did I think to have the wife take a photo of me and Mark? STUPID!!!! O well, I will never forget it.

Neat interview. Mark seems like a regular Midwest guy. I know many like him. But they don't play guitar!

Mark was/is the best. Great vocals, stage presence and the author of all of the songs. If one fellow is instant recognizable as the leader of GFR it is Mark. GFR via Mark was with me throughout high school. Mark - just market yourself at Mark Farmer formerly of GFR. That is legal most likely. Although I would love to read your documents. I am a lawyer.

Is Don Brewer related to Terry Knight, he sure acts like him. Karma is a Biiiiiatch !!!! Thanks SIR MARK, I still listen to and play GFR on Bass because of you.

Totally awesome interview. Loved every minute.

I like Don Brewer. Cut my teeth on his playing in the early 70's. BUT. Unlike Brewer, I've realized that drummers and bass players are a dime a dozen, even great ones like him and bass players like Mel. Farner IS the genius behind GFR. They deserve to be in the R&R Hall of Fame. Period. I've played with Chris Cross and Brian Wooten of Trace Adkins in band called Rattlesnake from south Texas. Brewer needs to know his place. I do.

Aside from Mark nearly losing (!?!) his Messenger, this was great. GFR fan since '71 and the photos for Live Album made me think the guitar was broken. Didn't know about feed back then :) I actually saw a Messenger at a Cali shop (Starving Musician) in the late '90s. I was so awestruck i didn't plug it in, just played a chord progression and put it back. Sort of a long time ago but i believe they were only asking $600 for it, which of course i didn't have. Pretty clean example. About 10 years ago i read a nice review for a 'messenger' offered by Eastwood. Pete Prown gave it a great review. It was even green :). I don't know if they're still available.

I was jus 13 yrs. Old when I heard: I come tumblin for the 1st. Time. I was totally amazed with the drums. Brewer was my drummer Idol man, I wanted to play like him. Not any more my drummer idol, actually it is disappointed listen the kind of person hi is.

mark is the man

Nice man glad he's doing good in life

Yay for Mark he is awesome

Very humbling interview. Thanks Greg.

As far as I am concerned he is One Kool dude!

WOW...... let's not just trick him into signing away his rights to everything he's created and kick him out of the band maybe....... "just for fun" .......we can go steal his guitar too! The thing that impresses me is, despite everything that's been done to Mark by people he loved, trusted and created something special with he'd put it all behind him tomorrow and play with them again for the sake of the fans if they were willing. I'm not sure if I could be so forgiving?! Mark Farner is not only a great singer, song writer, musician and performer but a "a great human being" much love, much respect ☮️

Closer to Home....one of the top 5 lps of ALL TIME, next to LZ 4, White Lp, UH demons, Captain Beyond, Sabbath Paranoid. And guess who wrote every freekin song - Farner. Grand Funk Railroad is MArk Farner, without Farner there would be no GFR - period !

Friends are the enemies we don't yet know of. ~ Mtog

Great interviews.

Don Brewer sure was a dirty player! No kind of friend I would ever want.

@badcomicbook Me too. I have one. The exact same model as Farner. 1974, Cherry Sunburst. They go for crazy amounts of money now.

Shocking to hear about Don Brewers behavior.... Bastid.

Thank's!!!!!! My Guitar Hero!!

Thank you for posting. Sorry I don't comment on the other clips, but I had to watch the whole interview non-stop. I love your interview series. Thank you again

Far as I'm concerned, GFR died when Mark left. Randy and Ray sum it up pretty accurately.

When I was a kid, first into GFR, I was amazed at how much Don Brewer resembled an actor by the name of Robert Walker. Walker usually played psycho parts in TV show. It's interesting to me how Brewer is actually so much like the characters Walker portrayed. He played a psycho in the episode "My Son , My Son" on The Big Valley, and he played a part in Star Trek where he would kill people by giving them some type of evil look. He never made it big, but I do remember these two performances. Don Brewer, as a drummer myself, you lost all respect I might have had for you. I always thought you were a weird guy after I heard you making little screams during Mark Farner's guitar solo during "In Need" studio recording. Then, I saw you live, and I was convinced that you were a strange guy. I'm not the least bit surprised at how low you stooped to hurt Mark Farner. My goodness. What a pathetic human being you are.

Surprised Brewer didn't try to sell Mark his own guitar back smh! Fake friend $ grubbing backstabber smh.

gorgeous man!!

Hi Mark, i never got into rock in roll until your band came into the main stream. i went to every concert you had in California. I have every album your group ever made. all vinyl album to be exact.. My favorite song was sin a good man brother and of course my all time favorite is i can feel him in the morning wow a great song you wrote.. I am heart broken that you got shafted in your ownership by evil back stabbing members of your band who you created a life time of income for..I wish you could make a go and create a new bang and call it steam rolling back bang i know your talents will prevail even greater as you are a great writer and guitar player!!!! Good luck as you make a come back Thanks or the memories Mark. Richard

My favourite Michigander!!

As a life long fan of GFR, I see many people on social media complaining that Grand Funk is not in the R&R HOF. I'm here to tell you all that being snubbed is a badge of honor. The R&R HOF is only about putting on a huge cable TV show. It's all just BS. It's not sour grapes. There are many people/acts/bands that should be in the Hall who aren't. It's a good long list. Any organization that is stupid enough to leave out: The Guess Who. Devo. Pat Benatar. Joe Cocker. And induct Joan Fucking Jet. Bon Fucking Jovi. Def Fucking Leopard. Etc. They only put Yes in after Chris Squire died. SMH.

I can't believe Brewer was really such an ass..To me if there's no Mark Farner, there's no GFR...Mark is a real man. As for Mel I hope he watch his back....Mel should team up with Mark and start a new GRF...the hell with Brewer...

My first amplifier was a Sun! Luck more than a great mind for me. It was what I could afford at the time. Garsh I can relate to this.

fantastic interview,thanks for posting!

Ready lets go !!! ❤✌😉

What a great series. Just one question, what the hell happened to Don Brewer? Needs Mark to pay more attention to him?

thanks for posting ! great interview !

LivingLegendsMuisc + great interview ♪♪♪

great interview...you can see the love of music which is inspiring! gfr was a great band its sad how it all broke down...you are better without them...i see you are playing near me aug 24...i hope to make the show especially after watching this interview!

Mark you cannot understand what happened because you are lucky. Saw you on tour in the eighties. Keep happy screw the unhappy.

Don Brewer sounds like a real piece of work.

I wish I had spent my $90 to see Mark Farner, the REAL heart and soul of Grand Funk, instead of the version of "GFR Starring Don Brewer" that I saw this past Saturday night in CT. I won't do that again! Mark is the consummate, charismatic, handsome, multi-talented front man. I could listen to that voice and never tire of it. I'm just glad I saw GFR at Shea Stadium in 1971 - when Mark was the true shining star. As far as I'm concerned - he always will be. Nice try, Don, but you're not a front man - stick to what you do best - and he definitely IS one of the best drummers alive today.

My Guitar Hero.

Some people may find this is a bold statement; The world today needs GFR as they sounded on their first three albums. (i.e. with Farner on his Messenger, same voice & lyrics)....The world would be a better place to live! This morning I managed to cheer up an African friend with the music of the 'On time' album who had never heard of GFR before

Is it surprising that the money changers' agents - in a band, as in life - get to call the shots over God's agent? Mark, you're blessed, unlike the other three : one down, two to go.

I saw him play that guitar way back (about '71) And I wondered what kind of guitar is that??? Sounded good tho!

Mark played a Strat on the GOOD SINGING GOOD PLAYING album with GFR and stuck with them thru his first solo venture in the 70's.....Then the wood grain modified Strat with the 1981 GFR reunion......

I have one and have found 9 so far

My favorite leads ever are "Inside looking out" and.... Paranoid

I looked up the word shithead in the dictionary and Don Brewer's picture was there.

Rest in Peace Dave West.