Melvin George Schacher (born April 8, 1951) is an American musician who is the bassist of the hard rock band

Grand Funk Railroad Grand Funk Railroad (often shortened to Grand Funk) is an American rock band formed in 1968 in Flint, Michigan, by Mark Farner (vocals, guitar), Don Brewer (drums, vocals), and Mel Schacher (bass). The band achieved peak popularity and succes ...

Early career

Schacher was born in

Owosso, Michigan Owosso is the largest city in Shiawassee County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,194 at the 2010 census. The city is mostly surrounded by Owosso Township on its west, but the two are administered autonomously. The city wa ...

, and was raised in

Flint, Michigan Flint is the largest city and seat of Genesee County, Michigan, United States. Located along the Flint River, northwest of Detroit, it is a principal city within the region known as Mid Michigan. At the 2020 census, Flint had a population of 8 ...

. He became interested in music at the age of seven playing with his father's

banjo The banjo is a stringed instrument with a thin membrane stretched over a frame or cavity to form a resonator. The membrane is typically circular, and usually made of plastic, or occasionally animal skin. Early forms of the instrument were fashi ...

. By age twelve he had moved to playing guitar and then bass. By age fourteen, Schacher was part of a trio playing mostly wedding receptions and talent competitions while playing with other local bands.

Professional career

At sixteen, Schacher caught his first professional break when he was invited to replace bassist Frank Lugo in

Question Mark and the Mysterians ? and the Mysterians (or Question Mark and the Mysterians) are an American garage rock band from Bay City and Saginaw in Michigan, initially active between 1962 and 1969. Much of the band's music consisted of electric organ-driven garage rock a ...

, and he supported their hit "96 Tears" (1966) on their 1967 tour. During this stint, he was approached to join former

Terry Knight and the Pack Terry Knight and the Pack (also known as The Pack and The Fabulous Pack) was an American garage rock band formed in Flint, Michigan in 1965. The band was signed to the Lucky Eleven label through most of its brief recording career. They produced ...

drummer

Don Brewer Donald George Brewer (born September 3, 1948) is an American drummer and singer. He is the longest serving and only remaining original member of rock band Grand Funk Railroad. Early life Brewer was born in Flint, Michigan, on September 3, 19 ...

and singer/guitarist

Mark Farner Mark Fredrick Farner (born September 29, 1948) is an American singer, guitarist and songwriter, best known as the lead singer and lead guitarist for the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad, and later as a contemporary Christian musician. Early ...

– who had been working as the Fabulous Pack but sought to change musical direction – to form a new

power trio A power trio is a rock and roll band format having a lineup of electric guitar, bass guitar and drum kit (drums and cymbals), leaving out a second rhythm guitar or keyboard instrument that are often used in other rock music bands that are quartet ...

. Intrigued by the power trio concept, Schacher joined the new lineup, and almost from the moment they played the 1969 Atlanta International Pop Festival, inspiring a rousing reception and fast-spreading word of mouth, they achieved international fame as

. From 1969 through 1975, Grand Funk was one of the U.S.'s top rock groups, managing to hold on despite an acrimonious parting with manager/producer

Terry Knight Terry Knight (born Richard Terrance Knapp; April 9, 1943 – November 1, 2004) was an American rock and roll music producer, promoter, singer, songwriter and radio personality, who enjoyed some success in radio, modest success as a singer, but ...

and a musical shift toward a more commercial hard rock. They achieved ten platinum-selling albums and two number 1 hit singles as well as several more top forty hits. In 1976 Grand Funk broke up over musical differences. Farner, Brewer, and Schacher decided to give Grand Funk another try in 1980. However, Schacher had developed a distaste for flying and elected to stay behind. Schacher spent the intervening years making his way as an investor and occasional musician until, almost by chance, he reteamed with Farner and Brewer in a reunited Grand Funk Railroad in 1996. They recorded a live concert set, ''Bosnia'', and a few new selections for a major anthology project. The original lineup toured until 1998, when Farner left to pursue his solo music career. Schacher and Brewer enlisted veteran musicians

Max Carl Max Carl Gronenthal (born January 29, 1950) is an American rock singer, keyboardist, guitarist and songwriter. He is the co-lead singer of the classic rock band Grand Funk Railroad. In addition, he spent several years as the keyboardist and le ...

(38 Special), Bruce Kulick (Kiss) and Tim Cashion (Bob Seger, Robert Palmer) and have continued touring as Grand Funk Railroad from 2000 to 2012 performing 40 shows a year to large audiences all across North America.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Schacher, Mel 1951 births Living people American rock bass guitarists American male bass guitarists Grand Funk Railroad members Guitarists from Michigan 20th-century American bass guitarists 20th-century American male musicians