Edward and Harding (Donald Edward & William Harding)
Websites:Â
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Origin:
Mississauga, Ontario, 🇨🇦
Biography:
Edward & Harding emerged from the late-1960s music scene at Gordon Graydon High School in Mississauga, where classmates Don Edward Owen and Bill Harding Candy bonded early over guitars, harmonies, and a shared appetite for every style of music they could get their hands on. Before performing as a duo, each had already passed through the local teen-band circuit: Owen had sung with The Fabulous Fables, while Candy was the guitarist in The Soundbenders. When they left their respective groups, they briefly regrouped under the name The Change In Time, playing a sharp mix of Beatles, Who, and Rolling Stones covers that made them staples at school dances and community events around Peel Region.
As the folk revival swept through Ontario, they set aside their electric gear for acoustic guitars and began performing simply as Edward & Harding. Their first set—equal parts nerves and enthusiasm—took place at a high-school assembly, and from there their calendar quickly filled with concerts, frat parties, festivals, and community dates. They opened shows for Lighthouse, played London-area bills with Rush (who performed at their high school), and even flew west to support the Stampeders in Calgary as “Sweet City Woman” was breaking nationally.
Their rising profile brought them management and a two-album contract with Celebration/Quality Records. Their self-titled 1971 debut introduced their warm harmonies, soft acoustic folk, and lightly psychedelic pop. “Mr. Sunlight” became their best-known song, reaching No. 74 on RPM’s Top 100, and the album featured contributions from flutist Jack Zaza, keyboardist Mark Altman, drummer Brian Leonard, bassist Robert Price, and the Ivan Romanoff Strings. A second LP, Half & Half (1972), widened the songwriting and brought bassist George Korenko into the fold. Both albums are now prized artifacts of early-1970s Ontario folk-pop.
In 1973, the addition of fellow Graydon alumnus Bill McLean—formerly of The Freedom Sound—marked a major shift. As Edward, Harding & McLean, the trio embarked on a 20-year professional run that carried them through concert halls, the U.S. college circuit, club residencies, radio appearances, and television tapings. Their intricate three-part vocal blend, drawing inspiration from Crosby, Stills & Nash and America, quickly earned attention. A U.S. campus agent brought them south for extended showcase tours where they shared stages with The Guess Who, Jerry Jeff Walker, comedian David Brenner, a young Billy Crystal, and an early-career Jim Carrey.
The trio soon moved beyond folk, diving into pre-war jazz harmonies and swing-era vocal music. Their repertoire expanded to include the Mills Brothers, the Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, and other classic vocal acts. CBC embraced the shift, inviting them regularly onto Morningside with Harry Brown, Don Harron, and Peter Gzowski, and giving them recurring roles on The Bob McLean Show. They filmed a CBC Superspecial at Disney World with René Simard and Ryan’s Fancy, opened for Jim Bailey at the O’Keefe Centre, and supported Ronnie Hawkins, Chilliwack, and the post–David Clayton-Thomas edition of Blood, Sweat & Tears at the Ontario Place Forum—a show later broadcast by CBC before a crowd of 10,000.
In 1977, CBC issued their full-length transcription LP Now and Then, produced by Michael Snook and featuring an impressive cast including Phil Nimmons, Keith Jollimore, Bob DiSalle, Dave Field, and Terry King. Their independently arranged and produced Sefel Records album followed in 1982, confirming their reputation as one of Canada’s most adaptable harmony groups.
The members also pursued individual creative paths. Bill Candy released two solo albums—Closer to the Music (1995) and Common Ground (2002)—and one of his compositions was later recorded by Susan Aglukark for her album This Child. Don Owen eventually settled in Cobourg, Ontario, where he opened the Oasis Bar and Grill, which developed a strong following for live music.
After decades of touring, broadcasting, and recording, Edward & Harding reunited as a duo in 2008, returning to their beginnings with a full concert program dedicated to the music of Simon & Garfunkel. Performed with a small ensemble, the show was recorded and released the same year, reaffirming their long-standing commitment to tight harmony singing and timeless songwriting.
-Robert Williston
Donald Edward Owen: acoustic guitar, harmonica, vocals
William Harding Candy: acoustic guitar, electric guitar, recorder, vocals
Ken McLean: keyboards
George Korenko: bass, vocals
