The quintessential '70s arena rock band is uncovered in this authorized biography of Grand Funk Railroad.
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
The founding member and lead guitarist of 1970s rock band Grand Funk Railroad is immortalized in From Grand Funk to Grace: The Authorized Biography of Mark Farner. Author Kristofer Engelhardt (Beatles Undercover) recounts the major and minor incidents of Farner's life, from his salvation at age nine (inspired by Billy Graham's televangelism) to the controversial 1973 haircut that robbed him of his trademark butt-length locks. Punctuated by Farner's musings on the Constitution ("our founding fathers would puke if they saw what is happening to this country!"), good and evil, today's music moguls ("bottom-line oriented bean counters") and more.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
About the Author
Kristofer Englehardt is a diehard Beatles fan and the creator of one of the largest Beatles records collections in the world. His expert commentary on the band has been featured on TV networks including CNN, Fox News, and PAX. He is also a regular speaker at Beatlefest conventions and the author of Beatles Undercover.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Incredibly honest!,
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This review is from: From Grand Funk to Grace: Authorized Biography of Mark Farner (Paperback)
Having read this book, which I really enjoyed, I must say that I am impressed with Mark Farner's honesty. Seeing the word "authorized" on the cover of this book, my first thought was "Great...here's another one of those books where everything is someone else's fault, etc." However, I have to say that I am totally blown away by how much of his soul Mark Farner bared in this book. He shares so much detail about his life, his admitted mistakes, etc. (both public and private) that there will never be any need for an "unauthorized" biography. Amazing! Definitely worth reading.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Why Funk was grand!!,
By jerry johnson (rockford,ill) - See all my reviews
This review is from: From Grand Funk to Grace: Authorized Biography of Mark Farner (Paperback)
Anyone who has even the slightest brain cells remaining after 1969 and the festivals of the summer of love, know who mark farner is! This savage samite singer of the Shea stadium legendary performance and the lighting bolt that charged Grand Funks shows and albums( yeah , vinyl)was and is stratospheric in his approach to audience participation.You knew from the start of the song , until the last tune , that you were on a laser bound for the heart of rock and roll.This biography does exactly what i would expect from a Mark Farner project, piss you off while chuckling at his brashness.The book is a personal look at the formative relationships of family and the tragedy of losses that took their toll on the young athlete turned musician.A fond recall of the days of yore and how they impacted him. The unheroic flight from armed services via any means possible, even so far as to appear gay or drug addicted. Reckless youthful pranks of every variety and mayhem.A all too normal background in Michigans industial envirement and it's root beliefs, rowdy being the norm , not the exception.The salvation by the music of the era that sparked the drive that possessed the man and the boy to follow an uncertain and unmapped future to rock's shaking shoes , where the glass slipper is always a foot away from royalty, and gold and silver come a in vinyl gem.The drug culture is alive and well in this storied testament to youthful endurance and luck, not to mention miraculous recoveries.The famous co-horts in pranks and mischief are no less than Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix, unforunate examples of the excess of stardom that leads to a free fall without a net.The success of the power trio phase of grand funk is enlightening , but too limited for my taste, more telling of the concerts would have thrilled me since i was at many of them and they were wild and untamed events that were by any ones account, intense!! The differences that lead to the demise of Terry Knight as leader of the pack( no pun )and the ill advised premature dismissal of the master of mean.The book covers a lot of the basic root questions about the historical Funk and the sequences of events that followed that are pretty common knowledge to any one in their 40's or 50 's, the exception being mark's stress related illness.The Don Brewer betrayal is somewhat of a controvery that like the Terry Knight fiasco is relative to your view of the situation and the sentiments for each side , they both lose as i see it.The Christian phase of Marks life is interesting in many aspects, the least of which is his view on the world order and gun control, draw your own conclusion.Mark is blessed with a bountiful resource of friends and a very loving and devoted wife. The children are very dear to him and his relationship with his child by an affair with a touring female is touching and sad, evidence of his need to right a wrong.The book comes with a CD that has 5 songs on it of previously unreleased material and some good new stuff.I think Mark Farner has done something that is beyond his stint in the rank and file of Grand Funk, he has found the reward of spirit and virtue that so many rock stars so dearly and desparetly failed to find.Mark Farner " the rock patriot" is truly akin to our great country ,Red ,White and Blue,our hopes and freedom depend on you,amen.
10 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A must for any Farner/Grand Funk Fan,
By Cindy (N.C.) - See all my reviews
This review is from: From Grand Funk to Grace: Authorized Biography of Mark Farner (Paperback)
I loved this book! I thought it was very well written and told Mark's life story perfectly. I was fascinated to read stories about his family life and past history (very interesting!) When I heard that a 'biography' was being written about Mark, I thought....excellent! I want to know about his childhood, likes and dislikes, etc. and this book covers every aspect of his life. A page turner, with each paged filled with funny facts and breath taking details based on Mark Farner's life. Now and then! It was all that I had hoped it would be. Very insightful, lots of great information for Farner Fan's! Things are written in the book, that fans would never know.... like Mark's love of aviation and he gets up each morning at 3:AM! Great old photos, rare and many never seen before. Very Entertaining reading..... I highly recommend this book and CD. A must for any Mark Farner fan!
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