Grand Funk Railroad Heads to the Wilson Center with Special Guest Dave Mason

The Wilson Center at Cape Fear Community College is pleased to announce that 1970s rock legends Grand Funk Railroad are “comin’ to your town to help you party it down.” Grand Funk will be joined by special guest Dave Mason, formerly of the band Traffic, at the Wilson Center on April 2, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. 

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 Bruce Kulick is best known for his 12 years with KISS and also has credits with Michael Bolton, Meatloaf, and Billy Squier. (KISS members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were influenced early on by Grand Funk.) 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 fifty 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, Locomotion, and Some Kind of Wonderful still receive continuous airplay on Classic Rock radio.

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 13 gold and 10 platinum records with record sales in excess of 25 million copies sold worldwide.

About Dave Mason

Dave Mason left Traffic in 1969 to pursue a solo career in the U.S. Dave has penned over 100 songs, has 3 gold albums: Alone Together, Dave Mason, Mariposa De Oro, and platinum album Let It Flow, which contained the top-ten single “We Just Disagree.”

In addition to cranking out hits, Dave has performed on or contributed to, a number of famous albums, including: The Rolling Stones’ Beggars Banquet, George Harrison’s All Things Must Pass, Paul McCartney, and Wings’ Venus and Mars, and Jimi Hendrix’s Electric Ladyland. Mason is featured playing acoustic guitar in “All Along the Watchtower” on Electric Ladyland, a favorite in Dave’s live shows!

Tickets will be available online to Wilson Center Members beginning 10 a.m. on Wednesday, December 15, 2021, with tickets going on sale online to the general public on Friday, December 17, 2021, at 10 a.m. Please note that this is anticipated to be a full-capacity event, and will adhere to all local and state guidelines at the time of the show. Tickets may be purchased online, or by contacting the Ticket Central box office. Ticket Central is open for telephone and in-person sales from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday only. Ticket Central may be reached by telephone at 910.362.7999; questions may also be directed to tickets@wilsoncentertickets.com.