April Wine
April Wine | |
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| Background information | |
| Origin | Halifax, Nova Scotia Canada  |
| Years active | 1969–1986 1992–present |
| Members | Myles Goodwyn Brian Greenway Jerry Mercer Jim Clench |
| Past members | Gary Moffat Steve Lang Richie Henman David Henman Jim Henman Steve Segal Carl Dixon |
April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. According to the band they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because it was two words that sounded good together. The band would go on to release over 20 albums and forge a live performance reputation that sees them still drawing devoted crowds across Canada and around the world 37 years after taking their first steps into the Hard Rock spotlight.
The early years
April Wine began in late 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia Original members were brothers David Henman on guitar and Richie Henman on drums. Their cousin Jim Henman joined in on bass. To complete the sound Myles Goodwyn joined in on lead vocals and guitar. In early 1970 the band relocated to Montreal. Shortly after arriving in their new home the band were signed by Aquarius Records. They recorded their first self-titled album April Wine (1971) which included the hit "Fast Train". "Fast Train" received fairly steady airplay on radio stations across Canada and established Myles Goodwyn as the band's main songwriter. The single's success gave the band's label confidence and work began on a second album, but not before a change in the line-up (the first of many over the course of the band's career). Jim Henman quit in the fall of 1971. He was replaced by Jim Clench.
Mainstream success begins
Under the guidance of producer Ralph Murphy, April Wine recorded their second album, titled On Record. The first single off the album was to be a cover version of the song "You Could Have Been a Lady", originally by the band Hot Chocolate. The song would prove to be a tremendous success. It would hit number 1 on radio stations all across Canada as well as cracking the Billboard Top 30 chart in the United States where it would stay for 11 weeks. Following quick on it heels, April Wine released their second single from On Record, titled "Bad Side of the Moon". This song, originally by Elton John would also find success on Canadian radio stations and was a minor hit in the U.S. as well. Both tracks remain staples on Classic Rock radio stations in Canada to this day. On Record was certified Gold in Canada and the band, with Ralph Murphy as producer again, hit the studio to cash in on the momentum generated by their second release.
During recording of the band's third album yet another line-up change would take place. Before the album's completion, brothers David and Ritchie Henman quit April Wine leaving Myles Goodwyn as the only remaining original member. Goodwyn and Jim Clench decided to carry on and began auditions for replacements for the Henmans. Eventually drummer Jerry Mercer (formerly of the Canadian band Mashmakhan) and guitarist Gary Moffatt would be chosen. The addition of the two new members unified April Wine as a tight, powerful touring band. Together they finished recording the band's third album, entitled Electric Jewels. The album was met with instant favour from the band's ever growing fan base. It contained songs such as "Weeping Widow", "Just Like That" and "Lady Run, Lady Hide" which would stay in April Wine's concert set lists for many years. The tour (called the Electric Adventure) to support the new album was a huge success and featured a massive lighting and pyrotechnic show that dazzled fans from coast to coast.
The gold and platinum years
The band hit hard with their fourth release, Stand Back. Riding on the success of the singles "Tonight Is A Wonderful Time To Fall In Love" and "I Wouldn't Want To Lose Your Love" the album went double platinum in Canada. Although not released as a single, the song "Oowatanite" became a concert favorite and stands as one of the most popular songs the band ever recorded. Following the supporting tour for Stand Back the band had yet another change in their line-up. This time long time member Jim Clench departed and was replaced by Steve Lang. Clench would stay active in music, even doing a stint in the legendary rock band Bachman-Turner Overdrive.
The next release by the band would be titled The Whole World's Goin' Crazy. The album would be the first April Wine release to hit platinum status based on advanced sales orders alone. The album contained the popular title track as well as a successful smash single, the ballad "Like A Lover, Like A Song". Following the supporting tour for Crazy the band returned to the studio to record their sixth album, Forever For Now. The album would be another platinum seller and contained the bands biggest single to date, "You Won't Dance With Me".
In the summer of 1977, April Wine was booked to play a charity concert at the famed El Mocambo Club in Toronto, Ontario. Co-headliner on the bill was a band called "The Cockroaches," who turned out to be The Rolling Stones. The pseudonym was a poorly kept secret and huge crowds turned out for the event. April Wine's performance was captured and released as the album Live at the El Mocambo. The band got its first chance at touring the U.S. following the El Mocambo gig, first opening for The Rolling Stones, then for various popular headliners, including Styx, and fellow Canadians Rush.
Another line-up change occurred in 1977, though rather than someone leaving, the band added a fifth member. Brian Greenway was brought in as a third guitarist. Not only could Brian contribute on guitar, he was also an accomplished singer and harmonica player. His addition gave April Wine a powerful three guitar attack that would become synonymous with their hard rock sound. Also, with Brian on board to cover guitar duties it allowed Myles Goodwyn to switch off onto keyboards for the band's long list of popular ballads. Incidentally, Brian Greenway's former band, The Dudes also contained April Wine alumni David and Ritchie Henman.
1979 saw continued Canadian success, and the beginning of international success. The band's seventh album, First Glance, had an immediate impact and the first two singles were both successful on Canadian radio. It was the third single, a raucous rocker called "Roller", that brought the band mass appeal across North America. "Roller" started its momentum in Michigan and soon was a popular hit across the U.S., finding its way into the Billboard Top 30 where it stayed for 11 weeks. First Glance also found an audience in the U.S., staying on the Billboard album chart for many weeks--April Wine's first gold record outside of Canada. Constant touring helped propel the band to greater success, as American audiences from coast-to-coast embraced the hard rock of this "new" band from Canada.
Following on the popularity of First Glance a very confident April Wine unleashed its hardest rocking album on Canadian and American audiences. The album was titled Harder ... Faster and lived up to its name with classic tracks like "Say Hello" and "I Like To Rock". Both were popular hits on both side of the border and Harder ... Faster proved to be yet another multi-platinum release for the band. It would stay on the Billboard top album chart for an amazing 40 weeks. The supporting tour for the album began as an opening slot for Nazareth on the national tour across the United States. Most promoters across the U.S. were blown away by the pairing of the two veteran bands and most felt that April Wine could easily have carried the tour as headliners. In their first decade April Wine had gone from massive national success to international stardom. Their peak was yet to come. And their subsequent fall was to loom soon after. But for now April Wine was about to enter the 80s with their hands firmly on the brass ring. And a "beast" was about to be released.
The 80s peaks and valleys
April Wine's first decade had seen the band go from Canadian success to international recognition and a hard rock force to be reckoned with. Expectations were high following the success of 1979's Harder ... Faster. Fans waited for April Wine to deliver another hit. What they got was a grand slam. The Nature of the Beast leaped from record stores in January of 1981. Fan reaction was phenomenal and sales soared. Riding on the massive popularity of the smash hit singles "Just Between You And Me" and "Sign Of The Gypsy Queen", the album hit multi-platinum success back home in Canada, and was the first April Wine album to reach platinum status internationally as well. The album was an instant classic. Songs like "All Over Town", "Bad Boys", "Future Tense" and "Crash And Burn" were all crowd favorites. April Wine embarked on an exhausting support tour that saw them playing to their largest crowds ever and filling arenas everywhere they went.
Rather than continue riding this wave of popularity that had been building, following the tour to support The Nature of the Beast, April Wine came to an abrupt but temporary halt. Myles Goodwyn, the band's songwriter, producer and promoter was starting to feel the exhaustion of constant touring and recording. The band took a much needed rest.
After a hiatus of 18 months April Wine returned. Refreshed and ready to roll again, the band released their 10th album, titled Power Play. The album contained hard hitting songs like "Enough Is Enough" and "Anything You Want, You Got It". The latter would become the band's opening number on the supporting tour. The Power Play tour of 1982 was to be the largest tour in April Wine's history, complete with a huge stage and lighting show that fans had come to expect from the band. Two years off the road had not hurt their standing as a top concert draw. Fans, hungry to see them after being off the road for two years, flocked to see them in huge numbers. However, even though it had decent sales, Power Play was not met with the same critical acclaim their earlier albums had generated. Both album and singles charted well on Billboard's lists but did not have the same staying power earlier albums and singles had achieved. Despite still being a popular concert draw, the failure (as the band saw it) to top their previous albums was a letdown.
Things would go from bad to worse within the band during the recording of the follow-up to Power Play. The album writing and recording took much longer than any of their earlier albums. During the process a rift started between certain members of the band. At this time, Myles Goodwyn moved himself and his family from his native Canada to the Bahamas further distancing himself from the rest of the band. April Wine's 11th album, Animal Grace, started out with a quick rise on the charts. But it fell of just as quickly as it entered. The single "This Could Be The Right One" also suffered the same fate. The band got together for a Canadian tour which let the fans in on the inevitable as the tour was announced as the band's "Farewell Tour".
In 1986, the album Walking Through Fire surfaced under the April Wine moniker. Fans weren't convinced by the name though, as only Myles Goodwyn and Brian Greenway had returned from the band fans had known in the past. The other members had long since taken their leave and gone their separate ways.
Myles Goodwyn and Brian Greenway both released solo albums following the band's break-up. But for the most part things were quiet in the April Wine camp for the remainder of the 80s and early 90s.
Rebirth
In 1988 Myles Goodwyn moved back to Canada from his home in the Bahamas. Almost immediately he began to be hounded as to whether there would be an April Wine reunion. Talks started slowly with other members. Some were interested but other commitments were getting in the way. An April Wine reunion was almost written off. But by 1992 fans got what they wished for. Starting with a sold out concert in Manitoba, April Wine returned to the stage and wowed audiences once again. The band consisted of founder Myles Goodwyn and returning guitarist Brian Greenway. Also returning was powerhouse drummer Jerry Mercer and, to the surprise and delight of fans, the reunion included bassist Jim Clench, who hadn't played with the band since 1975. Filling out the act was third guitarist Steve Segal. Not only selling out shows in their native Canada, the band did well on the concert circuit south of the border as well.
In 1993 the band released the first "true" April Wine album in a decade, titled Attitude. It was certified gold in Canada soon after its release. Segal remained with the band through one more studio release, 1994's Frigate. The band would release another album in 2001, entitled Back to the Mansion. Then in 2003 they release the live album called Greatest Hits Live 2003. In 2004 they released thier first DVD / CD called From the Front Row ... Live!. 2006, saw April Wine entering into its 37th year as a group with a new album entitled Roughly Speaking slated to be released in the fall.
April Wine continues to tour across Canada annually also playing festivals in Europe and in the United States with the same core group of Goodwyn, Greenway, Mercer and Clench. For several years their live show were filled out with the multi-talented Carl Dixon (formerly of the band Coney Hatch, and currently in The Guess Who) on guitars, keyboards and backing vocals.
On Oct. 31, 2006, Aquarius Records is releasing April Wine Rocks!, a brand new compilation with some of the best tracks April Wine ever recorded, including a bonus live tune.
Interesting to note
Though April Wine's accomplishments have been many, they have yet to be "officially" recognized by the Canadian Music/Entertainment Industry's governing bodies. They have never been awarded a Juno (The Canadian equivalent of a Grammy), they have yet to be inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame or the Canadian Walk of Fame. Myles Goodwyn, however, was awarded the ECMA (East Coast Music Awards) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.
Discography
Albums
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April Wine (1971)
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On Record (1972)
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Electric Jewels (1973)
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Live! (1974)
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Stand Back (1975)
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Forever For Now (1976)
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Live at the El Mocambo (1977) -
First Glance (1978)
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Greatest Hits (1979)
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Harder ... Faster (1979)
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The Nature of the Beast (1981)
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Power Play (1982)
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Animal Grace (1984)
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One For The Road (1984)
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Walking Through Fire (1986)
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All the Rockers (1987)
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The Hits (1987)
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Oowatanite (1990)
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The First Decade (1992)
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The April Wine Collection (1992)
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Attitude (1993)
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Frigate (1997)
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Greatest Hits Live 1997 (1997)
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Rock Champions (2000)
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Back to the Mansion (2001)
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Classic Masters (2002)
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Greatest Hits Live 2003 (2003)
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Best of April Wine (2003) -
From the Front Row ... Live! CD/DVD (2004)
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Roughly Speaking (2006)
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April Wine Singles
| 1969 |
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| 1970-1972 |
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| 1973-1974 |
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| 1975-1976 |
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| 1977-1984 |
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| 1985-1986 |
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| 1992 |
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| Present |
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- 1971 - Fast Train [CAN #40]
- 1972 - You Could Have Been A Lady [CAN #5] [US #32]
- 1972 - Bad Side of the Moon [CAN #16]
- 1972 - Drop Your Guns [CAN #34]
- 1973 - Lady Run, Lady Hide [CAN #19]
- 1973 - Weeping Widow [CAN #40]
- 1974 - Electric Jewels [CAN #84]
- 1974 - I'm on Fire For You Baby [CAN #64]
- 1974 - I Wouldn't Want to Lose Your Love [CAN #17]
- 1975 - Tonight is A Wonderful Time to Fall in Love [CAN ??]
- 1975 - Come Hear the Band [CAN #29]
- 1975 - Oowatanite [CAN #11]
- 1976 - The Whole World's Goin' Crazy [CAN #5]
- 1976 - Gimme Love [CAN #33]
- 1976 - Like A Lover, Like A Song [CAN #49]
- 1977 - Forever For Now [CAN #45]
- 1977 - You Won't Dance With Me [CAN #6]
- 1978 - Rock and Roll is A Vicious Game [CAN #41]
- 1978 - Comin' Right Down on Top of Me [CAN #46]
- 1979 - Roller [CAN #24] [US #34]
- 1979 - Get Ready For Love [CAN #79]
- 1980 - Say Hello [CAN #45]
- 1980 - I Like to Rock [CAN #75] [US #86] [UK #41]
- 1981 - Just Between You and Me [CAN #22] [US #21] [UK #52]
- 1981 - Sign of the Gypsy Queen [CAN #40] [US #57]
- 1982 - Enough is Enough [CAN #12] [US #50]
- 1982 - Tell Me Why [CAN #46]
- 1984 - This Could Be the Right One [US #58]
- 1985 - Love Has Remembered Me [CAN #89]
- 1993 - If You Believe in Me [CAN #19]
- 1993 - Here's Looking at You Kid [CAN #80]
- 1993 - That's Love [CAN #73]
- 1993 - Voice in My Heart [CAN #35]
Myles Goodwyn Solo Singles
- 1988 - Do You Know What I Mean <w/ Lee Aaron> [CAN #47]
- 1988 - My Girl [CAN ??]