Grand Funk Railroad Set to Steam into Crockett

By Greg Ritchie

Messenger Reporter

HOUSTON COUNTY –  The Piney Woods Fine Arts Association (PWFAA) is selling tickets for the classic rock band Grand Funk Railroad. The band will be performing at 7:30 p.m. Friday, Aug. 26 at the Crockett Civic Center.

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 50 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. “We’re An American Band” has received notoriety in recent years being used in movie sound tracks and in television and radio advertising. The huge hit was featured in a General Motors national television 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 also in the swash buckler “SAHARA” starring Matthew McConaughey. 

PWFAA Executive Director Ann Walker says tickets are selling fast.

“It should be a packed crowd,” Walker said. “The tickets are going very fast. We are going to do a beer garden outside at 6 p.m. before the event if people want to come early. There will be a parking issue, so people can come early to the beer garden before the show at 7:30.”

In other PWFAA news, the date is still pending for the postponed Mark Chestnutt show, although Walker tells the Messenger this should be cleared up in the next few days. 

The PWFAA will also announce its new season at the Crockett Area Chamber of Commerce mid-morning coffee event Thursday, Aug. 18. Stay tuned to the Messenger for updates. 

Greg Ritchie can be reached at [email protected]