Myles Goodwyn, the legendary Canadian musician and songwriter who shot to stardom as the lead singer of April Wine, died this week at age 75. The band, which still tours, has sold 10 million recordings worldwide and was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010. The band was also added to Canada’s Walk of Fame this fall.
No cause of death was announced, though Goodwyn had recently talked on social media about having diabetes.
Goodwyn was one of the great songwriters of the classic rock era, who helped propel April Wine to international success and paved the way in the early ’70 and ‘80s for other Canadian rock acts.
“April Wine was kind of leading all of it because they were breaking through on American rock and roll radio a little bit earlier than everybody else was,” said Goodwyn’s publicist Eric Alper. “And the fact that they had just so many hits and sold-out arenas and places in the US and around the world just showed them that we can kind of compete on our own level.”
The group formed in Halifax in 1969 and consisted of Goodwyn, his friend Jim Henman, and Henman’s cousins David and Ritchie Henman. After moving to Montreal, the band would go on to record a steady stream of hit songs in the 1970s and early 1980s including “You Could Have Been a Lady,” “You Won’t Dance With Me,” “Roller,” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll is a Vicious Game.”
Their 1975 album” Stand Back” was the first by a Canadian band to sell more than 100,000 copies. Their 1978 album “First Glance” would be their first gold album outside Canada, while 1981’s “The Nature of the Beast” would help them attain platinum status on both sides of the border, according to the band’s website.
In later years, Goodwyn released several blues recordings, including the Juno-nominated “Myles Goodwyn And Friends Of The Blues,” as well as an autobiography titled “Just Between You And Me: A Memoir” the title based on the named of one his classic songs (video below).
Canadian Heritage Minister Pascale St-Onge wrote on X – formerly Twitter – to express sadness at Goodwyn’s death and offer condolences to his loved ones. “Myles Goodwyn led April Wine for over 50 years, bringing us hit Canadian rock music and touring relentlessly.” She added,
“Myles, thanks for the songs we’ll keep playing all over town.”
Canadian rocker Randy Bachman, founder of the Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive, described Goodwyn as “a great singer, songwriter, guitar player and creator. His songs will live on forever. Many of his songs are among my favourite of all time.”
‘Listening In’ featured Goodwin earlier this year when he announced he would stop touring due to his health. But you can never have too much April Wine – except, perhaps, because of circumstances like this.
RELATED ARTICLE: MYLES TO GO: