Ed Toler

Ed was a figure in Kansas City's music scene for more than 30 years. Widely known as "Big Ed" (other nicknames included the Mighty Tor-el, the Ayatollah of Funk and the Evil Scoutmaster), the towering guitarist and bass player was a lifelong K.C. resident. After being bounced from both Pembroke Country Day School and an eastern military school (Ed was a master of the inappropriate practical joke), he finally received a diploma from Southwest High School and launched a career as a professional musician, playing guitar in a number of local bands (the Reamin' Demons, the Sensations, the Secretions and the Emeralds) and touring the country with the Whitney Singers, an African American gospel group. His longest gig was with the Bon Ton Soul Accordion Band. Ed made a half-dozen albums with the band. Though he was a familiar figure on the city's bandstands and behind the scenes (he was the founder and manager of the Rubber Maids, an all-woman band, and SDI: Strategic Dance Initiative), Ed was also an educator. For more than 20 years, he gave guitar lessons in his home, training numerous local players.