# Mars Bonfire > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mars_Bonfire > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Mars_Bonfire.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Bonfire > Source revision: 1324124081 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) Canadian musician Mars Bonfire c. early 1967 Background information Also known as Dennis Edmonton Born Dennis Eugene McCrohan (1943-04-21) 21 April 1943 (age 83) Oshawa, Ontario, Canada Genres Rock Occupations Musician, songwriter Instrument guitar Musical artist **Dennis Edmonton** (born **Dennis Eugene McCrohan**; 21 April 1943), also known by the stage name **Mars Bonfire**, is a Canadian [rock](/source/Rock_music) musician and songwriter, best known for writing the [hit](/source/Chart-topper) song "[Born to Be Wild](/source/Born_to_Be_Wild)" for [Steppenwolf](/source/Steppenwolf_(band)).[1][2] ## Early career Born Dennis Eugene McCrohan, his brother [Jerry](/source/Jerry_Edmonton) and he changed their surnames to "Edmonton" in the early 1960s. The brothers were part of the band [the Sparrows](/source/The_Sparrows_(band)), which later evolved into Steppenwolf. Another member of the Sparrows was [Bruce Palmer](/source/Bruce_Palmer), who later became a member of [Buffalo Springfield](/source/Buffalo_Springfield). ## Solo career Bonfire embarked on a [solo](/source/Solo_(music)) career, while his brother Jerry became the drummer for Steppenwolf. After leaving the band, he often collaborated with [Kim Fowley](/source/Kim_Fowley), co-writing and contributing to the recordings of Fowley and artists associated with him.[*[citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed)*] On 22 June 2015, Bonfire was awarded the Cultural Impact Award by [SOCAN](/source/SOCAN) at the 2015 SOCAN Awards in Toronto for "Born to be Wild".[3] ## Personal life Bonfire was a prolific hiker in [Southern California](/source/Southern_California) for many years. He has completed the [Hundred Peaks Section](/source/Hundred_Peaks_Section) list 25 times.[4] He was noted by the *[Los Angeles Times](/source/Los_Angeles_Times)* for his "affability and flexibility" as a hike leader.[5] ## Discography Songs by Mars Bonfire that were recorded by Steppenwolf include: - "[Born to Be Wild](/source/Born_to_Be_Wild)" ([*Steppenwolf*](/source/Steppenwolf_(Steppenwolf_album)), 1968) - "Faster than the Speed of Life" (*[The Second](/source/The_Second)*, 1968) - "Ride with Me" (*[For Ladies Only](/source/For_Ladies_Only)*, 1971) - "Tenderness" (*For Ladies Only*, 1971) - "The Night Time's for You" (co-written with Morgan Cavett, *For Ladies Only*, 1971) - "Caroline (Are You Ready for the Outlaw World)" ([*Hour of the Wolf*](/source/Hour_of_the_Wolf_(album)), 1975) Albums: - *Mars Bonfire* (1968)[6] - *Faster than the Speed of Life* (1969)[7] ## References 1. **[^](#cite_ref-allmusic_1-0)** ["Mars Bonfire Biography"](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/p15999/biography). [Allmusic](/source/Allmusic). Retrieved 22 January 2011. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-Grdn_2-0)** Dave Simpson (31 July 2018). ["How we made Steppenwolf's Born to Be Wild: Interview"](https://www.theguardian.com/music/2018/jul/31/how-we-made-steppenwolf-born-to-be-wild). *The Guardian*. Retrieved 20 September 2023. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** ["2015 SOCAN Awards"](https://web.archive.org/web/20170802041429/http://www.socan.ca/about/awards/2015-socan-awards). Archived from [the original](http://www.socan.ca/about/awards/2015-socan-awards) on 2 August 2017. Retrieved 6 June 2016. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** ["Twenty-Fifth List Completion - Hundred Peaks Section"](https://web.archive.org/web/20241013205658/https://hundredpeaks.org/emblems/hpscomp25.htm). Archived from [the original](http://www.hundredpeaks.org/emblems/hpscomp25.htm) on 13 October 2024. Retrieved 15 January 2018. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** [Reynolds, Christopher Been There. Done That. Once Again. *Los Angeles Times* 2004-09-28](https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2004-sep-28-os-wildwest28-story.html) 1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Bonfire, Mars (1968). ["*Mars Bonfire*"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0000856088). AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2013. 1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Bonfire, Mars (1969). ["*Faster than the Speed of Life*"](https://www.allmusic.com/album/MW0000735341). AllMusic. Retrieved 11 January 2013. ## External links - [Mars Bonfire](https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0094428/) at [IMDb](/source/IMDb_(identifier)) - [Mars Bonfire](https://www.discogs.com/artist/Mars+Bonfire) discography at [Discogs](/source/Discogs) v t e Steppenwolf John Kay Michael Wilk Gary Link Ron Hurst Danny Johnson Jerry Edmonton Goldy McJohn Michael Monarch Rushton Moreve Nick St. Nicholas George Biondo Kent Henry Bobby Cochran Andy Chapin Wayne Cook Brett Tuggle Welton Gite Les Dudek Studio albums Steppenwolf The Second At Your Birthday Party Monster Steppenwolf 7 For Ladies Only Slow Flux Hour of the Wolf Skullduggery Wolftracks Paradox Rock & Roll Rebels Rise & Shine Live albums Early Steppenwolf Steppenwolf Live Live at 25 Live in Louisville Compilations Gold: Their Great Hits 16 Greatest Hits The ABC Collection Born to Be Wild – A Retrospective The Millennium Collection The Collection Singles "Born to Be Wild" "Magic Carpet Ride" "The Pusher" "Rock Me" "Ride with Me" Related articles Discography Members Gabriel Mekler Mars Bonfire Authority control databases International ISNI VIAF 2 GND WorldCat National United States Italy Czech Republic 2 Finland Artists MusicBrainz 2 People Deutsche Biographie DDB --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Mars Bonfire](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Bonfire) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Bonfire?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.