April Wine

About April Wine

April Wine started in Halifax in 1969, which makes them one of those Canadian rock bands that existed long before most people outside Canada knew they existed. Myles Goodwyn, David Henman, Ritchie Henman, and Jim Henman got together and somehow turned into one of the country's most commercially successful rock acts. The Henman brothers eventually left, as band members do, but Goodwyn remained the constant through basically everything that followed.

Their early albums were more psychedelic and blues-based, but they found their stride in the mid-70s when they leaned into straightforward rock. The album that really shifted things was "The Whole World's Goin' Crazy" in 1976, which went platinum in Canada and introduced them to American audiences who were starting to pay attention. "You Could Have Been a Lady" became their first significant hit a few years earlier, though it was actually a cover of a song by Hot Chocolate, which is the kind of detail that doesn't matter until it does.

By the late 70s and early 80s, April Wine hit their commercial peak. "First Glance" in 1978 gave them "Roller," which became a rock radio staple. Then "Harder... Faster" in 1979 had both the title track and "I Like to Rock," which is probably the song most people know even if they don't know they know April Wine. It's aggressively literal as song titles go. "The Nature of the Beast" in 1981 pushed them further into arena rock territory with songs like "Just Between You and Me" and a cover of King Crimson's "21st Century Schizoid Man," because Canadian rock bands in the early 80s could get away with that.

They were doing the thing where a band gets bigger in the US market while remaining genuinely huge in Canada, which is a specific kind of success that Americans tend to underestimate. Chart positions were solid, tours were extensive, and they were filling rooms. But like most bands who peaked in the early 80s, things got complicated when musical trends shifted. The later 80s weren't particularly kind to their sound.

April Wine kept making albums through the decades, though with various lineup changes and the usual interruptions that come with a career spanning this long. They'd break up, reunite, tour on nostalgia circuits, record new material that didn't chart like the old stuff. Myles Goodwyn passed away in 2023, which effectively ended the band's story in any meaningful sense. He'd been April Wine's primary songwriter and voice for over five decades.

Their legacy is mostly Canadian, which isn't a diminishment. They sold millions of albums, influenced other bands, and created a catalog of rock songs that still show up on classic rock radio. They were professionals who knew how to write hooks and fill venues.

Straightforward rock shows. Meathead crowds, lots of cigarette smoke in whatever venue they're playing. They plug in and go. No surprises. People there because they genuinely want to hear these songs, not for the spectacle.

Known for Sign of the Gypsy Queen, Just Between You and Me, I Like to Play with Fire, Tonight Is a Wonderful Time to Love, You Won't Dance with Me

See April Wine Live