Larry Evoy

During their four-album run, Edward Bear hit the top 10 with songs like “You Me & Mexico,” “You Can’t Deny It,” “Masquerade,” “Fly Across The Sea,” and “Last Song” in 1972, which topped the charts in Canada, made it to #3 in the US, and #5 in Australia.

But in 1974, amid the last few years of personnel changes and differing musical directions, the band split up, and Larry Evoy started a solo career. He signed with Attic Records and in ’76 released the single, “Perfect Strangers,” which made it to the top 30 in Canada by that December while finishing touches were being put on his self-titled debut album.

In the stores in March, ’77, “Here I Go Again” b/w “When I Don’t Love You” was the only single. It reached #18 and was a staple on the AM dial for the rest of the summer. Evoy didn’t write any of the material on the album except for “Goodbye.” But produced by Stan Vincent, other tracks like “Can’t Get You Out Of My Mind” (the flip-side to “Perfect Strangers”), “Two In A Million,” “So Easy This Time,” and “Dreams” were indicative of the project as a whole – slickly produced, light AM pop.

But album sales weren’t setting any records, and the label blamed Evoy, while he blamed the executives. When he was told a second single wasn’t forthcoming, he left Attic and wound up on Voyage Records before the end of the decade.

He released the single “I’m Gonna Make You Mine” b/w “You and I” (both songs which were originally on the album). But when it failed to chart, he again left the label, and subsequently the business all together. Evoy then retired from performing or recording, and set up a show horse breeding facility in Ontario.

In 1984, Evoy joined the rest of the original Edward Bear cast for what was presumed to be a full-fledged reunion. Instead what the fans got was a compilation album with a few new tracks, including Evoy’s single, “Here I Go Again.” The new single, “God Bless Us Now” failed to chart.

The rumour mill was a-buzz again at the end of the decade, but history repeated itself, when the members actually simply recorded some new songs for inclusion in another compilation album. This one included his song, “You and I.”

The band did reunite in Toronto in 2009 for a small, one-off performance.