Don Brewer | |
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 Brewer performing in 2008 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | September 3, 1948 Flint, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Rock, hard rock |
| Occupation(s) | Musician |
| Instrument(s) | Drums, vocals |
| Years active | 1964–present |
| Labels | Capitol, Lucky Eleven |
| Website | grandfunkrailroad |
Donald George Brewer (born September 3, 1948) is an American drummer and singer. He is one of the originators of the band Grand Funk Railroad.
Brewer was born in Flint, Michigan, on September 3, 1948, the son of Clara Eileen (née Waterman) and Donald A. Brewer, and is a graduate of Swartz Creek High School. [1] [2]
Brewer started his first band, called The Red Devils, at the age of 12. After leaving The Red Devils, Brewer formed another band named the Jazzmasters for whom he played drums and sang. In 1964, Brewer joined former DJ Terry Knight as well as bassist Herm Jackson, guitarist Curt Johnson, and keyboardist Bobby Caldwell and formed the band Terry Knight and the Pack. In 1966, he experienced his first top 40 hit with "I (Who Have Nothing)". [3]
In 1968, Brewer left Terry Knight and the Pack along with bandmate Mark Farner and recruited Mel Schacher, the bassist for the hit band ? and the Mysterians, and formed Grand Funk Railroad. They hired Terry Knight as their manager. Grand Funk Railroad released their first album On Time in 1969 which sold over a million copies. In 1973, Grand Funk released the album We're an American Band , featuring the hit song "We're an American Band". [4] This track, written and sung by Brewer, was the band's first #1 single. Still popular, the song has since been recorded by other artists. In addition to playing drums for Grand Funk, Brewer also provided lead vocals for a number of songs, including the first and third verses of "Some Kind of Wonderful" (1974). Brewer was the baritone lead singer for the group, in contrast to the tenor vocals of Mark Farner. In 1974, the label Qualico released the album Monumental Funk, recorded by Mark Farner and Brewer.
In 1977, following the initial breakup of Grand Funk, Brewer and former Grand Funk bandmates Mel Schacher and Craig Frost formed a new band named Flint, which released one self-titled album in 1978 before disbanding. He also continued in other musical endeavors, including producing for the band The Godz (from Columbus, Ohio) their self-titled debut album The Godz in 1978.
In 1981, Brewer and Farner resurrected Grand Funk for the album Grand Funk Lives that cracked the Billboard albums chart. Two years later, they split again and Brewer joined Bob Seger's Silver Bullet Band. In 1996 Brewer, Schacher, and Farner reunited as Grand Funk. Farner decided to leave the band at the end of 1998 to resume his solo career. In 2000, Brewer and Schacher added vocalist Max Carl, former Kiss guitarist Bruce Kulick and keyboardist Tim Cashion to the line-up. This band has been touring the U.S. and Canada playing about 40 shows per year.
Brewer played the bongo on Frank Zappa's song "Let Me Take You to the Beach" from the album Studio Tan , released in 1978. [5] Brewer was featured in Classic Rock Drum Solos DVD (2007), [6] performing a solo from when he and Grand Funk Railroad sold out Shea Stadium in 1971. In 2000, Brewer performed as a guest clinician at Modern Drummer Magazine's annual Drum Festival event. In 2006, Brewer rejoined Bob Seger & The Silver Bullet Band for their 2006–07 tour; it was his first appearance with the band since he played for them on their 1983 tour. [7] He also played with them on their 2011 tour and during Seger's 2014–2015 Ride Out U.S. concert tour.
Brewer lives in Jupiter, Florida, with his wife Sunny Quinn. Together since 1985, Don and Sunny have two daughters and five grandchildren. [3]
Grand Funk Railroad is an American rock band formed in Flint, Michigan, in 1969 by Mark Farner, Don Brewer, and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and success during the 1970s with hit songs such as "We're an American Band", "I'm Your Captain ", "Some Kind of Wonderful", "Walk Like a Man", "The Loco-Motion", "Bad Time" and "Inside Looking Out". Grand Funk released six platinum and seven gold-certified albums between their recording debut in 1969 and their first disbandment in 1976.
Mark Fredrick Farner is an American musician. He was the original singer and guitarist of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he co-founded in 1969, and later as a contemporary Christian musician.
Good Singin' Good Playin' is the eleventh studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on August 2, 1976, by MCA Records.
Terry Knight was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but considerable success as the original manager-producer for Grand Funk Railroad and the producer for Bloodrock.
On Time is the debut studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released on August 25, 1969, by Capitol Records. It was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. "Time Machine", the band's debut single release, made it into the top 50 in the singles charts, reaching #48.
Grand Funk is the second studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. It was released on December 29, 1969, by Capitol Records, just four months after their debut album On Time. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight and engineered by Ken Hamann. The album was certified gold by the RIAA, the first for the group. It includes a cover of the Animals' 1966 song "Inside Looking Out", which is still a staple of the band's live concerts.
Closer to Home is the third studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on June 15, 1970, by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. This album reached RIAA gold record status in 1970, making it the group's third gold record in one year. The album's inside artwork shows a live photo of the band performing at Madison Square Garden in February 1970.
Survival is the fourth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released in April 1971 by Capitol Records. Recorded at Cleveland Recording Company, the album was produced by Terry Knight. Drummer Don Brewer was not happy with the drum sound on the album, due to Knight's insistence of having Brewer cover his drum heads with tea-towels, after seeing Ringo Starr use the technique in the Beatles' film Let It Be (1970).
E Pluribus Funk is the fifth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released on November 15, 1971, by Capitol Records. Like previous Grand Funk Railroad albums, it was recorded at Cleveland Recording Company and is the final album produced by Terry Knight. The title is a play on the latin motto of the United States of America, E pluribus unum and translates as "Out of many, Funk". The original release cover was completely round and covered with a silver-like film to resemble a large coin. The back side of the cover of this album included a die cast picture of Shea Stadium to celebrate Grand Funk beating The Beatles' Shea Stadium attendance record by selling out in just 72 hours.
Phoenix is the sixth studio album by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad, released on September 15, 1972, by Capitol Records. The album was produced by the band and marks their first album without producer by Terry Knight. "Rock & Roll Soul" was released as a single and peaked at #29 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in 1972.
Caught in the Act is Grand Funk Railroad's second live album and was released in August 1975 by Capitol Records as a double album. It was recorded live on tour in 1975 and features "The Funkettes" – Lorraine Feather and Jana Giglio.
Terry Knight and the Pack was an American garage rock band formed in Flint, Michigan in 1965. The band was signed to the Lucky Eleven label through most of its brief recording career. They produced one national hit with their cover version of the song, "I ". Despite their inability to replicate their success, the band was a frequent attraction in the Michigan rock scene. The Pack was fronted by singer Terry Knight. In 1969 the group disbanded but two members, drummer/vocalist Don Brewer and guitarist Mark Farner, would go on to form another band, Grand Funk Railroad.
Craig Frost is an American musician who rose to prominence as a member of the rock band Grand Funk Railroad, which he joined in 1973 after working with them the previous year. He plays organ, synthesizers and piano.
Grand Funk Lives is the 12th studio album by Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released in 1981 by Full Moon Records. It was their first album since disbanding in 1976. Although known as a reunion album, it did not feature bassist Mel Schacher or keyboard player Craig Frost. The album was the first to feature bassist Dennis Bellinger and the first and only to feature keyboardist Lance Duncan Ong.
All the Girls in the World Beware!!! is the ninth studio album by American hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The album was released by Capitol Records in December 1974 and was the group's second album released that year. The first single from the album, "Some Kind of Wonderful", was released on December 16, 1974, and its follow-up, "Bad Time", was released on March 24, 1975. A Quadraphonic mix of the album was available on the Quadraphonic 8-Track cartridge format.
Thirty Years of Funk: 1969–1999 is a 1999 box set by Grand Funk Railroad, containing three new songs and several previously unreleased songs.
"We're an American Band" is a No. 1 single by American rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Released on July 2, 1973, from the band's album of the same name, it became the band's first single to top the Billboard charts. Written by Don Brewer and produced by Todd Rundgren, its huge chart success broadened Grand Funk's appeal. In a 2023 interview, Brewer said the song, which stiches together snippets of events from the band's touring life, was written in an effort to garner the band more hits as FM radio stations were transitioning into singles-oriented formats.
Melvin George Schacher is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad.
Grand Funk Hits is a greatest hits compilation by Grand Funk Railroad originally released in 1976 on Capitol Records (LP-ST-11579). It peaked at number 126 on the Billboard 200.
"I'm Your Captain (Closer to Home)" is a 1970 song written by American musician Mark Farner and recorded by Grand Funk Railroad as the closing track to their 1970 album Closer to Home. Ten minutes in duration, it is the band's longest studio recording. One of the group's best-known songs, it is composed as two distinct but closely related movements. Its title has been rendered in various ways across many different Grand Funk albums, including "I'm Your Captain", "I'm Your Captain/Closer to Home", "Closer to Home/I'm Your Captain", "Closer to Home (I'm Your Captain)", and "Closer to Home".
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