Edward and Harding (Donald Edward & William Harding) - Half & Half

Tracks

Side 1

		Track Name	Length
	1	If I Were the Sunshine	04:16
	2	Two Bridges in Norland	03:59
	3	Talk it Over in the Morning	02:34
	4	Leavin'	03:17
	5	Like You, Like Me	04:32

Side 2

		Track Name	Length
	1	Since She Said I Love You	02:52
	2	Inglewood Place	03:20
	3	Suite: Judy Blue Eyes	08:49
	4	Another Day, Another Time	03:29
	5	Susan Frost	02:39

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Information/Write-up

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 quickly bonded over guitars, harmonies, and a shared curiosity about every style of music they encountered. 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, the pair put down their electrics, shifted toward acoustic arrangements, and began working under the name Edward & Harding. Their first set—as much a test of nerve as it was a performance—took place at a high-school assembly, after which they became in demand for concerts, frat parties, and local festivals. They opened bills for Lighthouse, played London-area dates 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 growing reputation led to a management deal and ultimately a two-album contract with Celebration/Quality Records. The duo’s self-titled 1971 debut introduced their blend of warm harmonies, soft acoustic folk, and lightly psychedelic pop. “Mr. Sunlight” became their best-known track, reaching No. 74 on RPM’s Top 100, and the album included 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), followed soon after, expanding the songwriting and adding bassist George Korenko as a full collaborator. Both albums have since become sought-after artifacts of early-’70s Ontario folk-pop.

In 1973, a pivotal shift occurred when fellow Graydon alumnus Bill McLean—keyboardist for The Freedom Sound—joined the group. As Edward, Harding & McLean, the trio launched a professional career that would last more than twenty years, moving fluidly between concert halls, college circuits, club dates, radio stages, and television tapings. Their intricate three-part vocal blend, inspired by Crosby, Stills & Nash and America, quickly attracted 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 even an early-career Jim Carrey.

They soon pushed far beyond folk, developing a deep interest in pre-war jazz harmonies and swing-era vocal groups. Their repertoire grew to include songs associated with the Mills Brothers, the Andrews Sisters, Glenn Miller, and other classic vocal acts. This stylistic transformation was embraced by CBC Radio, where the trio began appearing regularly on Morningside with Harry Brown, Don Harron, and later Peter Gzowski. Television followed, including recurring roles on The Bob McLean Show and a CBC Superspecial filmed at Disney World with René Simard and Ryan’s Fancy. They also opened for Jim Bailey at the O’Keefe Centre and supported Ronnie Hawkins, Chilliwack, and post–David Clayton-Thomas Blood, Sweat & Tears at the Ontario Place Forum during a concert taped before a crowd of 10,000.

In 1977, CBC issued a full-length transcription LP, Now and Then, produced by Michael Snook, which captured the trio’s swing, jazz, and contemporary folk sensibilities with an impressive roster of musicians including Phil Nimmons, Keith Jollimore, Bob DiSalle, Dave Field, and Terry King. Their independently arranged and produced self-titled Sefel Records album followed in 1982, cementing their reputation as one of Canada’s most versatile and musically literate harmony groups.

Alongside their group work, the members pursued individual creative paths. Harding released two solo albums under his full name Bill Candy—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. Owen eventually relocated to Cobourg, Ontario, where he opened the Oasis Bar and Grill, which became a local hub for live music.

After decades of touring, broadcasting, and recording, Edward & Harding reunited as a duo in 2008, returning to their earliest roots with an ambitious concert program dedicated entirely to the music of Simon & Garfunkel. Performed with a small ensemble, the show was recorded and released that 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
George Korenko: bass, vocals

Written by Don Edward Owen (A4, B2, B4, B5)
Written by William Harding Candy (A1, A2, A5–B2, B4)
Arranged and produced by Edward, Harding & George
Recorded at Sound Canada Recording Centre, Toronto, Ontario

Published by Doubleplay Music Co. Ltd.
Published by Almo Music Corp.
Published by Gold Hill Music

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