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Grand Funk Railroad Pulls In At The Ridgefield Playhouse

RIDGEFIELD, Conn. — It’ll be a night of classic rock hits when “The American Band” Grand Funk Railroad rolls into The Ridgefield Playhouse on Saturday, Aug. 6 at 8 p.m. 

Grand Funk Railroad returns to The Ridgefield Playhouse with a night of their iconic hits on Aug. 6.

Grand Funk Railroad returns to The Ridgefield Playhouse with a night of their iconic hits on Aug. 6.

Photo Credit: Contributed

Fans can hear all of their iconic hits, including “Loco-motion,” “Some Kind of Wonderful,” “We’re An American Band,” and many more performed by 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 (.38 Special), lead guitarist Bruce Kulick (best known for his 12 years with KISS) and keyboardist Tim Cashion aka Dr. Tim, who has done stints with Bob Seger, the Silver Bullet Band and Robert Palmer. 

Kicking off the night is the Doug Wahlberg Band, which brings a modern approach to a retro sound. 

Visit Bailey’s Backyard for dinner on the night of the show and receive a 10 percent discount when you show your ticket. 

In the early 1970s, Grand Funk Railroad rocketed to the top of the rock world. Speak to just about any Vietnam vet and he will tell you that “I’m Your Captain/Closer to Home” was his anthem during his lonely tour of duty. 

From there, a string of hit singles and albums landed them in some rarified company: at one point, the band equaled the Beatles attendance record by selling out New York City’s famed Shea Stadium in just 72 hours. 

Grand Funk laid the groundwork for such bands as Foreigner, Journey, Van Halen and Bon Jovi with their signature hard-driving sound, soulful vocals, muscular instrumentation and forceful pop melodies. 

That Grand Funk's legacy still reigns over the Classic Rock landscape 45 years after its 1969 birth in Flint, Mich., is a testament to the group's influence and staying power. Its mega-hits still receive continuous airplay on Classic Rock radio. 

"We're An American Band" has received notoriety in recent years on movie soundtracks and in television/radio advertising. The huge hit was featured in a recent General Motors national TV ad campaign and in Disney's animated feature film "The Country Bears." 

Internationally acclaimed Grand Funk has toured the world, selling out in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Japan and South America. Over its career, Grand Funk has had 19 charted singles, eight Top 40 hits and two No. 1 singles ("We're An American Band" and "Locomotion," both selling more than 1 million each). The group has now accumulated 13 gold and 10 platinum records with record sales of over 25 million copies sold worldwide. 

The most recent gold CD award was presented to the band May 10, 2002, for their greatest hits package, "Grand Funk Railroad The Collectors Series." 

For tickets ($90), call the box office at 203-438-5795, or visit ridgefieldplayhouse.org. The Ridgefield Playhouse is a nonprofit performing arts center located at 80 East Ridge, parallel to Main Street.

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