Flint native Mark Farner, originally of Grand Funk Railroad fame, will return to the Capitol Theatre with his own American Band on March 20. This legendary guitarist and frontman helped write the majority of Grand Funk Railroad’s hits and, at 77 years old, is a 30-time platinum recording artist.

“Celebrating artists who got their start in Flint and went on to build national careers is core to our mission,” said Sawyer Auger, program manager at the Capitol Theatre. “These homecomings spotlight the city’s creative DNA, inspire the next generation and remind our community that world-class artistry is born right here.”

Farner started playing guitar at age 15 (although his first instrument was tuba in the school band). When he couldn’t play football due to a knee injury, his mother got him six lessons and an acoustic guitar for him to learn on. He explained that Grand Funk Railroad was a garage band in the early days, with their primary audience being neighboring houses and their residents.

The band eventually moved their rehearsals from the garage to the Flint Union Hall, where their volume was a little too loud for the staff working in the building.

“Frank Dyer, who was the head of the union at the time, would come out and say, ‘You boys need to turn them damn things down! We can’t even hear the phone ringing in here!’” Farner recalls. “I have fond memories of those days.”

But it didn’t take long for Grand Funk to move on to bigger venues than the garage and the union hall.
“By the time I was 20, we had our first million-selling album. Five years later, I’m this kid from Flint who went from a garage band to touring the world,” Farner said.

Audiences can expect lots of Grand Funk Railroad hits — “I’m Your Captain,” “We’re an American Band,” and “Heartbreaker,” to name a few — interspersed with some of Farner’s solo work. One of Farner’s top priorities is to spread his message of love and forgiveness to audiences, wherever he performs.

“I’m led by love to play what I play, and I’m digging into my heart for whatever is coming out onto those guitar strings,” said Farner. “It makes my life to hear people react to that — they get it and they’re feeling it.”

Despite having toured the world, Farner’s commitment to his Flint roots is paramount. He said that he reminds himself of his humble beginnings so he can always channel that person, no matter where he is in the world.

“Every time I play ‘American Band’ or ‘I’m Your Captain,’ I think of my hometown. When we’ve finished the song, and the audience is really up and cheering and clapping, I say ‘We’re an American band from Flint, Michigan.’”
Don’t miss the homecoming!