Edward Bear

For the song by The Damned, see Edward The Bear.

Edward Bear was a Toronto based Canadian pop-rock group, formed originally in 1966 by Larry Evoy and Craig Hemming. The band signed with Capitol Records in 1969. Most of their chart successes were in the early 1970s before disbanding in 1974. Their band name is derived from A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh, whose "proper" name is Edward Bear. Their top selling singles include "You, Me and Mexico", "Last Song", and "Close Your Eyes", all three of which were Top 5 hits in Canada and charted well in the United States.

The band had its biggest hit in 1972, when "Last Song" charted at No. 1 in Canada and peaked at No. 3 in the U.S. Billboard Hot 100. It was awarded a gold disc in March 1973 for selling over one million copies by the Recording Industry Association of America. By then, the band's original line up had split up. Evoy remained as the primary songwriter and creative force throughout the band's career, rebuilding the band twice, until it finally was disbanded in 1974.

They won a Juno Award in 1973 in an outstanding group performance category.

Evoy, who briefly embraced scientology in 1973, went on to a solo career but is currently retired from live performance and running a small recording studio. Former member Danny Marks has continued a successful career as a blues guitar veteran. Paul Weldon, a six year veteran of the band, performs with a jazz combo and teaches at Seneca College in Toronto. Bill Loop, bassist in the early 1970s, resides in south-western Ontario and plays locally with various session musicians. He also teaches guitar.

The band is a favourite of Quentin Tarantino, who feels the band should be regarded as "The Beatles of Canada".

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Original Wikipedia article: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edward Bear