Edward Bear was a

Toronto Toronto ( ; or ) is the capital city of the Canadian province of Ontario. With a recorded population of 2,794,356 in 2021, it is the most populous city in Canada and the fourth most populous city in North America. The city is the anch ...

-based

Canadian Canadians (french: Canadiens) are people identified with the country of Canada. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Canadians, many (or all) of these connections exist and are collectively the source of ...

pop-

rock Rock most often refers to: * Rock (geology), a naturally occurring solid aggregate of minerals or mineraloids * Rock music, a genre of popular music Rock or Rocks may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * Rock, Caerphilly, a location in Wales ...

group A group is a number of persons or things that are located, gathered, or classed together. Groups of people * Cultural group, a group whose members share the same cultural identity * Ethnic group, a group whose members share the same ethnic ide ...

. The band is best known for its chart-topping singles, "You, Me and Mexico", " Last Song", and " Close Your Eyes", used as the signing-off song for

Delilah Delilah ( ; , meaning "delicate";Gesenius's ''Hebrew-Chaldee Lexicon'' ar, دليلة, Dalīlah; grc, label= Greek, Δαλιδά, Dalidá) is a woman mentioned in the sixteenth chapter of the Book of Judges in the Hebrew Bible. She is loved ...

's radio show.

History

The Edward Bear Revue, later Edward Bear, was formed in 1966 by singer and percussionist Larry Evoy and bassist Craig Hemming. Craig Hemming was only with the band a short time. The effective founders were Larry Evoy and

Paul Weldon Paul Weldon is a Canadian musician architect and graphic artist from Toronto, Ontario. Weldon was a founding member of the Canadian band Edward Bear, which had Top 5 hits in Canada and charted well in the United States. and worldwide. Weldon was ...

. The name is derived from A.A. Milne's

Winnie the Pooh Winnie-the-Pooh, also called Pooh Bear and Pooh, is a fictional Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic teddy bear created by English author A. A. Milne and English illustrator E. H. Shepard. The first collection of stories about the character w ...

, whose "proper" name is ''Edward Bear''.''The Canadian Encyclopedia'': Edward Bear
(accessed 25 June 2006) At first the band had a bluesy, rock sound; at one point they opened for

Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...

. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1969 with a lineup of Evoy, guitarist/vocalist Danny Marks and keyboardist/vocalist Paul Weldon. Their sound moved toward blues and pop. They released an album, ''Bearings'', that year. Their single, "You, Me and Mexico", was a

Top 5 ''Top Five'' is a 2014 American comedy film written and directed by Chris Rock. Produced by Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, the film stars Rock, Rosario Dawson, and Gabrielle Union, and follows New York City comedian and film star Andre Allen (Rock), ...

hit Hit means to strike someone or something. Hit or HIT may also refer to: Arts, entertainment and media Fictional entities * Hit, a fictional character from '' Dragon Ball Super'' * Homicide International Trust, or HIT, a fictional organization ...

in Canada and charted well in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

. Follow-up songs, "You Can't Deny It" and "Spirit Song" did not prove popular. Marks left the band the following year and was succeeded by guitarist/vocalist Roger Ellis. The band recorded several albums; the songs were mainly written by the band members. There were several chart successes in the early 1970s, including "Fly Across the Sea" and "Masquerade". The band had its biggest hit in 1973, when "Last Song" charted at #1 in Canada and peaked at #3 in the

U.S. The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

''Billboard'' Hot 100. It was awarded a

gold disc Music recording certification is a system of certifying that a music recording has shipped, sold, or streamed a certain number of units. The threshold quantity varies by type (such as album, single, music video) and by nation or territory (see ...

in March 1973 for selling over one million copies by the Recording Industry Association of America. "Close Your Eyes" was a

in Canada and also made the charts in the

. Edward Bear won a Juno Award in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

for outstanding group performance. By then, most of the band's original lineup had left. Evoy remained as the primary songwriter and organizer, rebuilding the band twice, until it finally was disbanded in 1974. Evoy, who briefly embraced

Scientology Scientology is a set of beliefs and practices invented by American author L. Ron Hubbard, and an associated movement. It has been variously defined as a cult, a Scientology as a business, business, or a new religious movement. The most recent ...

in 1973 (the band also recorded a jingle in 1973 for a Scientology TV commercial, and also mentioned it on the back cover of their 1973 album, ''Close Your Eyes''), went on to a solo career, achieving a modest hit in Canada with "

Here I Go Again "Here I Go Again" is a song by British rock band Whitesnake. Originally released on their 1982 album, '' Saints & Sinners'', the power ballad was re-recorded for their 1987 self-titled album. The song was re-recorded again the same year in a ...

," after which he retired from live performance and began running a small recording studio. Marks has continued a career as a blues guitarist and radio host. Weldon,a professional architect owned and operated the graphic design firm Stanford Designs for many years he also performs with a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a m ...

combo and teaches at

Seneca College Seneca College of Applied Arts and Technology is a multiple-campus public college in the Greater Toronto Area, and Peterborough, Ontario, Canada regions. It offers full-time and part-time programs at the baccalaureate, diploma, certificate an ...

in Toronto. Bill Loop, bassist in the early 1970s, resides in Southwestern Ontario and plays locally with various session musicians. He also teaches guitar.

Discography

Albums

*''Bearings'', 1969. (Can. #44) :Guitar Intro, "You, Me And Mexico", "Fool", "Cinder Dream", "Woodwind Song", " Hideaway", "Mind Police", "Toe Jam", "Sinking Ship", "

Every Day I Have the Blues "Every Day I Have the Blues" is a blues song that has been performed in a variety of styles. An early version of the song is attributed to Pinetop Sparks and his brother Milton. It was first performed in the taverns of St. Louis by the Spark ...

", "Guitar Coda". Musicians: Danny Marks, Paul Weldon and Larry Evoy. *''Eclipse'', 1970. (Can. #84) :"Four Months Out To Africa", "Chris' Song", "You Can't Deny It", "Pickering Tower", "T-1 Blues", "Pirate King", "Long Forgotten Day, "Monday". Musicians: Danny Marks , Paul Weldon, Larry Evoy. *''Edward Bear'', 1973. (Can. #5; U.S. #63) :"Last Song", "Private School Girls", "Fly Across The Sea", "Edgware Station", "Cachet County", "Masquerade", "Back Home Again", "Best Friend", "Ease Me Down", "Black Pete". Musicians: Roger Ellis, Paul Weldon, Larry Evoy. *''Close Your Eyes'', 1973. (Can. #76; U.S. #183) :"Close Your Eyes" (U.S. #37, Canada #3 for two weeks), "Some Sunny Day", "I Love Her (You Love Me)", "Nowhere Is Karen Around", "Does Your Mother Know", "Fool", "What You Done", "Walking On Back", "Haven't You Touched Him", "All The Lights Were Shining" *''The Best of the Bear'', 1986 (

compilation Compilation may refer to: *In computer programming, the translation of source code into object code by a compiler **Compilation error **Compilation unit *Product bundling, a marketing strategy used to sell multiple products *Compilation thesis M ...

) *''The Edward Bear Collection'', 1991 (compilation). :"You Me & Mexico", "Fly Across The Sea", "Masquerade", "Last Song", "Close Your Eyes", "Fool", "Same Old Feeling", "

Freedom For The Stallion ''Freedom For The Stallion'' is the debut album by The Hues Corporation released in 1973. The album includes the original recording of "Rock the Boat (The Hues Corporation song), Rock The Boat." A later Remix, re-mix version of this recording bec ...

", "On & On", "God Bless Now", "I Had Dreams", "She Loves A Parade", "You & I", "Not Dreaming About You", "You Can't Deny It"

Singles

Band members

* Lead vocals ** Larry Evoy (1966–1974) ** Peter Johnson (1972-1974) *

Bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...

** Craig Hemming (1966–1969) ** Bill Loop (1970–1974) ** Bo Tanas (1974) * Drums ** Dave Brown (1966–?) ** Larry Evoy (?–1974) *

Guitar The guitar is a fretted musical instrument that typically has six strings. It is usually held flat against the player's body and played by strumming or plucking the strings with the dominant hand, while simultaneously pressing selected strin ...

** Danny Marks (1966–1970) ** Roger Ellis (1970–1974) ** James Anthony (1975) Last summer tour.(Morning Glory band) *

Keyboard Keyboard may refer to: Text input * Keyboard, part of a typewriter * Computer keyboard ** Keyboard layout, the software control of computer keyboards and their mapping ** Keyboard technology, computer keyboard hardware and firmware Music * Musi ...

** Paul Weldon (1966–1972) ** Bob Kendall (1972–1974) ** Barry Best (1974)

References

External links

50 Plus: "Whatever Became of ... Edward Bear?"
(February 1999, accessed 25 June 2006) dead link
Canconrox: Edward Bear
*
"Roger Ellis, former Edward Bear guitarist, plays at York-Mills"
Thestar.com

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Edward Bear Musical groups established in 1966 Musical groups disestablished in 1974 Juno Award winners Musical groups from Toronto 1966 establishments in Ontario Canadian pop rock music groups 1974 disestablishments in Ontario