50th Anniversary Tour Celebrating GFR's #1 Hit Single - "The Loco-Motion"!
BRUCE KULICK ANNOUNCES DEPARTURE FROM GRAND FUNK RAILROAD, MARK CHATFIELD TO TAKE HIS PLACE
The Longtime Bob Seger Guitarist Will Join the Band on Tour Effective Immediately
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (January 4, 2024) - With the announcement of Bruce Kulick’s retirement from iconic Grand Funk Railroad earlier this week (as first reported by Ultimate Classic Rock), the multi-platinum selling group announced today his replacement is industry veteran and longtime Bob Seger guitarist Mark Chatfield, effective immediately. Chatfield’s first show with the chart-topping quintet will take place next Friday (1/12) at Ledyard, Connecticut’s Foxwood’s Casino.
“Having been friends and band mates with Bruce Kulick and Mark Chatfield for over 40 years, it is a pleasure and a real kick to know both of these great classic guitar players as contributors to the legacy of Grand Funk Railroad,” said Don Brewer, drummer and founding Grand Funk Railroad member. “After 23 years, we respect Bruce’s decision to turn the page and wish him the best in his next chapter. Mel and I are truly excited to now have Mark Chatfield on tour with us and look forward to many awesome Grand Funk Railroad rock & roll shows!”
“I will forever cherish my time in Grand Funk these past 23 years,” said Kulick. “It was a great opportunity for my career, and performing powerful classic hits with Don and Mel was a thrill for me. The crowds sing, dance and reminisce on memories of GFR’s great catalog of songs. The train was always on the track, creating a rock & roll groove known as the GFR sound. Thank you Grand Funk Railroad for 23 years!”
The Foxwoods Casino show will kick off Grand Funk Railroad’s 2024 tour, which - to-date - includes stops in New York City, Las Vegas, Chicago, Pittsburgh, Jacksonville, Biloxi, and more. After playing to millions of fans on the band’s tours from 1969 to 2022, the band marked last year’s milestone of 50 years since their cult hit “We’re An American Band” with their largely sold out The American Band Tour.
ABOUT GRAND FUNK RAILROAD:
Originating from Flint, Michigan in 1969, this top selling American rock group of the 70’s is “COMIN’ TO YOUR TOWN TO HELP YOU PARTY IT DOWN”. Grand Funk Railroad is extremely excited to be touring in 2024 marking a 55 year milestone. After playing to millions of fans on the band’s tours from 1996 to 2023, Grand Funk’s THE LOCO-MOTION TOUR 2024 will continue to reach both new and long-time fans.
Known as “The American Band”, the high-energy five-piece group will play forty shows all over the USA this year. Grand Funk Railroad includes original founding members Don Brewer (vocals and drums, writer and singer of the multi-million selling hit, We’re an American Band) and bassist Mel Schacher, “The God of Thunder”. Joining Don and Mel are true “All Stars”. Singer Max Carl is a rock veteran from 38 Special. Max penned and sang 38’s biggest hit “Second Chance” and was co-founder of California’s legendary Jack Mack and the Heart Attack. Don refers to Max as “the best blue-eyed soul singer on the planet. Lead guitarist Mark Chatfield is best known as a founding member of Ohio Rock Legends “THE GODZ” as well as a founding member of Ohio Rock Greats “ROSIE”. Mark also played guitar with Bob Seger’s Silver Bullet Band touring with the Silver Bullet Band over three decades. Keyboardist Tim Cashion has a master’s degree in music from the University of Miami. Affectionately called “Dr. Tim”, his credits include stints with Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band and English soul man Robert Palmer.
Grand Funk laid the groundwork for such bands as Foreigner, Journey, Van Halen and Bon Jovi with its signature hard driving sound, soulful vocals, muscular instrumentation and forceful pop melodies. The fact that Grand Funk’s legacy still reigns over the Classic Rock landscape 55 years after its 1969 birth in Flint, Michigan is a testament to the group’s influence and staying power. Mega-hits We’re an American Band, I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home, The Locomotion, and Some Kind of Wonderful still receive continuous airplay on Classic Rock radio. We’re an American Band has received notoriety in recent years being used in movie sound tracks and in television/radio advertising. The huge hit was featured in a General Motors national TV ad campaign and in Disney’s animated feature film The Country Bears. We’re an American Band was featured in the Cuba Gooding Jr. film RADIO, and in the swashbuckler SAHARA starring Matthew McConaughey.
Internationally acclaimed Grand Funk has toured the world, selling out in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and South America. A 1971 performance at New York’s Shea Stadium sold out faster than the Beatles. The group’s widespread appeal is also evident in its prestigious recording achievements. Over their career, Grand Funk has had 19 charted singles, 8 Top 40 hits and two Number One singles (We’re an American Band and Locomotion, both selling more than one million each). The group has now accumulated 7 gold and 10 certifications with record sales in excess of 25 million copies sold worldwide. Most recently, We’re An American Band and Some Kind of Wonderful each went platinum in 2022.
The multi-talented band carries on the tradition of Grand Funk hits and creates a new chapter in the legacy of Grand Funk Railroad. GFR drew 25,000 people to their Molson Canal Series Concert outside Buffalo 20,000 in Albany, New York, and 20,000 fans to downtown Orlando, Florida. EMI/Capitol (Universal Music) released a new Grand Funk Greatest Hits package that includes a bonus DVD of rare concert footage. Grand Funk’s 2023 WE’RE AN AMERICAN BAND TOUR was a huge success and now, with the group’s THE LOCOMOTION TOUR 2024, seasoned Grand Funk lovers and contemporary rock fans discovering the group for the first time will be able to celebrate with GRAND FUNK RAILROAD!
To learn more about Grand Funk Railroad, visit GrandFunkRailroad.com, and follow Grand Funk Railroad on Facebook.
ABOUT MARK CHATFIELD:
Mark Chatfield was destined to be a guitar player the moment he saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. Growing up in Columbus, Ohio, he has been in bands since junior high. Right out of high school, Mark and a few friends formed The Godz and were signed to Casablanca Records within a year. With its two critically acclaimed national releases The Godz (produced by none other than Don Brewer and recorded at GFR’s studio, The Swamp) and Nothing is Sacred, the band went on to tour for two years headlining and opening, sharing the stage with such acts as Angel, Judas Priest, Cheap Trick, Blue Oyster Cult, The Ramones, Triumph, Head East, Mahogany Rush, The Babys and The Outlaws to name a few.
When The Godz disbanded in 1979, Mark formed the band Rosie, playing to sellout crowds in the midwest and southern regions. In 1981, Rosie won a national Battle of the Bands in Florida, beating out 39 bands from around the U.S.
As fate would have it, Mark was invited to audition for Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band in 1982 and, as they say, the rest is musical history. He was Seger’s touring and occasional studio guitarist from 1983 to 2011 and again from 2017-present. He appears on several Seger albums/singles, as well as co-writing Forward Into the Past from the I Knew You When LP.
In between tours, he also toured with Michael Bolton, did studio work, played locally with Rosie and The Godz, relocated to Las Vegas, opened the world famous Cowtown Guitars vintage guitar store 1992-2011.
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MEDIA CONTACT:
Elise Anderson, Elicity Public Relations
(615) 946-6055; elise@elicitypr.com
2023 Tour Merchandise available now on sale at the GFR Store!
Stay tuned here to GRANDFUNKRAILROAD.COM for the latest news and “Out On The Road” pictures and tour reports.
God Bless America!
Tour Updates and Photos at "OUT ON THE ROAD..."!
UPDATE: Due to the coronavirus outbreak, performance dates may be changed. Please check the Tour Page for updates.
The American Band - GRAND FUNK RAILROAD
