MARK FARNER’S AMERICAN BAND // JEFF “SKUNK” BAXTER
November 22 @ 8:00 pm
Mark Farner is the reason. As one of the founding members, lead singer, lead guitarist, and wrote more than 90% of the Grand Funk music catalog, Farner has always been known as the energetic driving force on stage, the engine that pulled the original Grand Funk Railroad to the top of the charts. From his soulful voice and power rock riffs, to fueling the Funk with his atomic stage presence. His story and his imprint on music starts with Flint and since 1969 from his humble beginnings and a blue-collar outlook, Farner has captained a global crusade for love, peace and freedom and became a rock ‘n’ roll icon. More than 60 years later – he commands the stage with the same intensity performing epic hits that defined a generation – “I’m Your Captain (Closer to Home)”, “Bad Time”, “Some Kind of Wonderful”, “Foot Stompin’ Music”, “Heartbreaker”, “Locomotion”, “Mean Mistreater” and “We’re An American Band”.
In 1972, Jeff “Skunk” Baxter became a founding member of Steely Dan on their first three albums, “Can’t Buy A Thrill”, “Countdown To Ecstacy” and “Pretzel Logic”, on guitar on the classic “Rikki Don’t Lose That Number”. In 1974, Baxter was asked to join The Doobie Brothers on “Takin’ It To The Streets”, “Living’ On The Fault Line” and “Minute By Minute” which brought the Doobies a Grammy for Best Vocal Performance and received a nomination for Album of the Year. “What A Fool Believes” earned three Grammys including Song and Record of the Year. Jeff was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame as a member of The Doobie Brothers in 2020. Skunk released his first solo album “Speed of Heat” in 2020 and formed his own band. That band plays all the hits laced with great stories from his career and working with Donna Summer, Barbra Streisand, Joni Mitchell, Elton John, Linda Ronstadt to name a few.
