Mars Bonfire

Last updated

Mars Bonfire
Birth nameDennis Eugene McCrohan
Also known asDennis Edmonton
Born (1943-04-21) 21 April 1943 (age 80)
Oshawa, Ontario, Canada
Genres Rock
Occupation(s)Musician, songwriter
Instrument(s) guitar

Dennis Edmonton (born Dennis Eugene McCrohan; 21 April 1943), also known by the stage name Mars Bonfire, is a Canadian rock musician and songwriter, best known for writing the hit song "Born to Be Wild" for Steppenwolf. [1] [2]

Contents

Career

Born Dennis Eugene McCrohan, he and his brother Jerry changed their surnames to Edmonton in the early 1960s. The brothers were part of the band the Sparrows, which later evolved into Steppenwolf. Another member of the Sparrows was Bruce Palmer, who later became a member of Buffalo Springfield.

Bonfire embarked on a solo career, while his brother Jerry became the drummer for Steppenwolf. After leaving the band, he often collaborated with Kim Fowley, co-writing and recording on the recordings of Fowley and artists associated with Fowley.[ citation needed ]

On 22 June 2015, Bonfire was awarded the Cultural Impact Award by SOCAN at the 2015 SOCAN Awards in Toronto for the song "Born to be Wild". [3]

Personal life

Bonfire was a prolific hiker in Southern California for many years. He has completed the Hundred Peaks Section list 25 times. [4] He was noted by the Los Angeles Times for his "affability and flexibility" as a hike leader. [5]

Discography

Songs by Mars Bonfire that were recorded by Steppenwolf include:

Albums:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steppenwolf (band)</span> American rock group

Steppenwolf was a Canadian-American rock band that was prominent from 1968 to 1972. The group was formed in late 1967 in Los Angeles by lead singer John Kay, keyboardist Goldy McJohn, and drummer Jerry Edmonton, all formerly of the Canadian band the Sparrows. Guitarist Michael Monarch and bass guitarist Rushton Moreve were recruited via notices placed in Los Angeles-area record and musical instrument stores.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Born to Be Wild</span> 1968 song by Steppenwolf

"Born to Be Wild" is a song written by Mars Bonfire and first performed by the band Steppenwolf. It is often invoked in both popular and counter culture to denote a biker appearance or attitude. It is most notably featured in the 1969 film Easy Rider. Sometimes, "Born to Be Wild" is described as the first heavy metal song, and the second-verse lyric "heavy metal thunder" marks the first use of this term in rock music.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Magic Carpet Ride (Steppenwolf song)</span> 1968 single by Steppenwolf

"Magic Carpet Ride" is a rock song written by John Kay and Rushton Moreve from the Canadian-American hard rock band Steppenwolf. The song was initially released in 1968 on the album The Second. It was the lead single from that album, peaking at number three in the US, and staying in the charts for 16 weeks, longer than any other Steppenwolf song.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jerry Edmonton</span> Canadian drummer (1946–1993)

Gerald Michael Edmonton was a Canadian musician who was the drummer and secondary lead vocalist for the rock band Steppenwolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nick St. Nicholas</span> German-Canadian rock musician

Nick St. Nicholas is a German bandleader, bass guitarist, singer and songwriter; best known for his partnership in Steppenwolf.

Venus and the Razorblades were a short-lived punk rock band from Los Angeles, California, formed and managed by Kim Fowley after he severed professional relations with The Runaways. They are believed to be one of the first mixed-gender American punk band. The band included guitarist/singer Roni Lee, who had co-written the song "I Wanna Be Where the Boys Are" for the Runaways; guitarist/singer Steven T. (Tetsch); bassist Danielle Faye ; drummer Nickey Beat ; and singers Dyan Diamond and Vicki Razorblade. When the band formed, Diamond and Razorblade were only 14 and 17 years old respectively. Session musicians were used in some of the band's recordings.

<i>The Second</i> 1968 studio album by Steppenwolf

The Second is the second studio album by Canadian-American rock band Steppenwolf, released in October 1968 on ABC Dunhill Records. The album contains one of Steppenwolf's most famous songs, "Magic Carpet Ride". The background of the original ABC LP cover was a shiny "foil", in contrast to later LP issues and the modern CD sleeve.

<i>Early Steppenwolf</i> 1969 live album by Steppenwolf

Early Steppenwolf is a collection of live recordings by Steppenwolf when they were still known as "The Sparrow" [nee: "The Sparrows"]. It was released in July 1969 on the ABC Dunhill Records label.

<i>Steppenwolf Live</i> 1970 live album by Steppenwolf

Steppenwolf Live is primarily a collection of recordings from a single concert early in 1970 at the Santa Monica Civic Auditorium by Steppenwolf staged in support of their 1969 album Monster. Released in April 1970 by Dunhill Records, it contains Steppenwolf's well-known hits: "Born to Be Wild", "Magic Carpet Ride" and "The Pusher", as well as most of the songs from Monster, including three previous top 40 hits, as well as the top 40 hit "Hey Lawdy Mama" from this album.

<i>Easy Rider</i> (soundtrack) 1969 soundtrack album by Various artists

Easy Rider is the soundtrack to the cult classic 1969 film Easy Rider. The songs that make up the soundtrack were carefully selected to form a "musical commentary" within the film. The album of the soundtrack was released by ABC-Dunhill Records in August 1969. It peaked at #6 on the Billboard album charts in September of that year, and was certified gold in January 1970.

The Sparrows was a Canadian blues rock band of the 1960s. Notable for being the first group to bring musician John Kay into the mainstream, the Sparrows later morphed into the popular heavy rock group Steppenwolf.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Pusher</span> 1968 song performed by Steppenwolf

"The Pusher" is a rock song written by Hoyt Axton, made popular by the 1969 movie Easy Rider which used Steppenwolf's version to accompany the opening scenes showing drug trafficking.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">George Biondo</span> Musical artist

George Michael Biondo is a musician who served as bass guitarist of the Canadian rock band Steppenwolf from April 1970 to October 1976. Born in New York, Biondo has been based in Southern California throughout a career as a session musician and songwriter.

<i>Gold: Their Great Hits</i> 1971 greatest hits album by Steppenwolf

Gold: Their Great Hits is a greatest hits album released by the Canadian-American hard rock band Steppenwolf. The album, released in 1971, charted at #24 on the Billboard Pop Albums charts and was certified "gold" by the RIAA on April 12, 1971. Initial pressings of the album came in a gatefold sleeve, with a detachable poster of the band.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kent Henry</span> Musical artist

Kent Henry Plischke, known as Kent Henry, was an American guitarist and songwriter best known for his contributions to Steppenwolf and Blues Image.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Steppenwolf discography</span>

The discography of Steppenwolf, an American Hard rock band, consists of 13 studio albums, 14 compilation albums, 5 41 singles, and three music videos. The band was formed in 1967 after some members of The Sparrows split. Group members included John Kay, Michael Monarch, Goldy McJohn, Rushton Moreve and Jerry Edmonton. Their first album, Steppenwolf, was released in 1968, which sold well and reached 6 on Billboard. That same year, Steppenwolf covered "The Pusher". The song was later used in Easy Rider. The album's most successful single was "Born to Be Wild", which reached No. 2 on the Billboard. At the time of the release of second album, The Second, the band's bassist Rushton Moreve had a dispute with band leader John Kay, and was eventually replaced with Nick St. Nicholas. The album's single was "Magic Carpet Ride" which reached number 3 on Billboard.

Gabriel Mekler was an American songwriter, musician, and record producer who attained fame in the 1960s, helming albums for Steppenwolf, Three Dog Night, and Janis Joplin. He also collaborated with R&B singer Etta James for two critically acclaimed albums in the early 1970s, mixing blues, soul, and then topped it off with Genya Ravan production jazz and rock.

Edmonton is the capital city of the Canadian province Alberta.

The Fire Escape was an American psychedelic rock band formed in San Francisco, California, in 1967. Existing mainly as a studio group composed of unknown session musicians, the band was masterminded by record producer Kim Fowley and Michael Lloyd. The project produced one album called Psychotic Reaction, which contained mainly cover versions of popular songs from the era. It is reported that Sky Saxon of the garage rock band, the Seeds and Mars Bonfire of Steppenwolf, played on some of the tracks.

References

  1. "Mars Bonfire Biography". Allmusic . Retrieved 22 January 2011.
  2. Dave Simpson (31 July 2018). "How we made Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild: Interview". The Guardian. Retrieved 20 September 2023.
  3. "2015 SOCAN Awards". Archived from the original on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2016.
  4. Twenty-Fifth List Completion - Hundred Peaks Section
  5. Reynolds, Christopher Been There. Done That. Once Again. Los Angeles Times 2004-09-28
  6. Bonfire, Mars (1968). "Mars Bonfire". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  7. Bonfire, Mars (1969). "Faster Than the Speed of Life". AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2013.