Mel Schacher

Melvin George Schacher (born April 8, 1951) is an American musician who is the bassist and a founding member of the hard rock band Grand Funk Railroad.

Schacher was born in Owosso, Michigan, and was raised in Flint, Michigan. He became interested in music at the age of seven playing with his father's banjo. 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.

At sixteen, Schacher caught his first professional break when he was invited to replace bassist Frank Lugo in Question Mark and the Mysterians, and he supported their hit "96 Tears" (1966) on their 1967 tour.

During the Mysterians stint, he was approached to join former Terry Knight and the Pack drummer Don Brewer and singer/guitarist Mark Farner – who had been working as the Fabulous Pack but sought to change musical direction – to form a new power trio. 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 Grand Funk Railroad.

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

Biography summary from English Wikipedia, photograph via Wikimedia Commons.