Myles Goodwyn, who left the group of which he was the founder in March, continued to participate in its management.
Myles Goodwyn, the singer and founder of the Canadian group April Wine, died at the age of 75 on Sunday, his agent Eric Alper announced in a statement to WECB. The cause of death has not been revealed.
“ Myles Goodwyn, singer, guitarist, songwriter, producer and frontman of the multi-platinum-selling rock band April Wine, who shaped and led the band from its beginnings, died today at the age of 75 to noon Atlantic time. No further details on the cause of death, location or funeral details will be released at this time. The family asks that their privacy be respected. ” said Mr. Alper.
The group posted “ So long old friend » with a photo of its former singer.
Goodwyn was the band’s frontman for over five decades. In March, he performed his final concert with the band, although he continued to help manage them and write for their new album, as reported CBC. “ Lifestyle is no longer healthy for me “, Mr. Goodwyn, who suffered from diabetes, told the CBC.
The band was formed in 1969 in Halifax, Nova Scotia. The original members, singer/guitarist Goodwyn, guitarist David Henman, drummer Ritchie Henman and bassist Jimmy Henman, moved to Montreal shortly after. They released their self-titled debut album in 1971, which contained their first single, ” Fast Train “. But this is their second album, On Recordreleased a year later, which spawned the group’s first Canadian single, their cover of ” You Could Have Been a Lady » from Hot Chocolate, and to the single which entered the Top 20, their cover of « Bad Side of the Moon » by Elton John. For their next album, Electric Jewels, the three Henmans left. It is The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy from 1976, their fifth album, which produced the hit “ Like a Lover, Like a Song “, which earned the group a platinum disc. The following album, Forever for Nowwhich contains their biggest single to date, “ You Won’t Dance With Me ”, was also certified platinum.
April Wine achieved international success in the late seventies, following their charity concert with the Rolling Stones in Toronto at the El Mocambo club, which resulted in the live album Live at the El Mocombo in 1977, and touring with the Stones, Styx and Rush. The single “ Roller » from their album First Glance, released in 1978, remained on the Billboard Hot 100 for several weeks and the album was the first to go gold outside of Canada.
As the 1980s arrived, the group achieved international status and the single The Nature of the Beast (1981) allowed them to achieve their greatest success in the United States with ” Just Between You and Me “. They released two other albums at this time (Power Play in 1982 and Animal Grace in 1984) and Goodwyn moved to the Bahamas. The group began a farewell tour in 1984 and Goodwyn pursued a solo career (he released his self-titled debut solo album in 1988) before reforming the group in 1992.
In total, the group has sold more than 10 million records worldwide and received 11 Juno Award nominations.
Myles Goodwyn received the East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the SOCAN National Achievement Award in 2002. In 2016, he published his memoir, Just Between You and Me. In 2018 he published a work of fiction entitled Elvis and Tiger. He released solo albums Myles Goldwyn and Friends of the Blues in 2018 and Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues 2 in 2019.
