The history of the hard-rock group APRIL WINE cannot so easily be summed up into a few paragraphs and words. These words could never really describe all of the time and dedication--all of the heartfelt emotions and the truckloads of memories for all people involved. This includes all of the members of APRIL WINE, past to the present---and also including all of the fans.
APRIL WINE's career has been "one hell of a hard-rockin' ride" that started back in 1969--- and that's right, folks---"It ain't over yet." There's still plenty of wine left for everybody. So, why don't you go grab yourself a glass, sit back, relax....and for those of you who maybe aren't familiar with this legendary rock band--- or maybe for those of you who are just in the mood to journey back and hear it all over again---hopefully this will maybe give you an outline of what APRIL WINE is all about...
Enjoy.
It was December of 1969. APRIL WINE forms in Waverly, Nova Scotia, Canada ( outside Halifax ) comprising MYLES GOODWYN, JIM HENMAN and brothers DAVID and RITCHIE HENMAN--Also JIM's cousins.
MYLES an JIM had previously played together in a high school band and were good friends. DAVID and RITCHIE also previously played together in a group called PRISM.
MYLES and JIM had been neighbors, playing and writing songs together in their homes. They were occasionally visited by DAVID and RITCHIE. It was at this time that the idea of APRIL WINE had been born and the band would only make original music. RITCHIE and DAVID decided to give this new project two years and if they weren't superstars by then, it was back to school to build a career...But, it was MYLES GOODWYN who stepped off the train carrying all that he owned--who would be in it for keeps.
In April of 1970 the band leaves Halifax and travels to Montreal, misinterpreting a letter of rejection from the small, independent label AQUARIUS RECORDS--to be a letter of acceptance. Without any gigs or record contract, it would be six-long weeks that APRIL WINE would finally manage to land an opening in a small club called "Laugh In" with the help of an employee. The club was partly owned by TERRY FLOOD (president of the AQUARIUS RECORDS label.) To everyone's astonishment, APRIL WINE's raw, energetic, aggressive performances at "Laugh In" made TERRY FLOOD sign the band to a management/recording package.
February of 1971, APRIL WINE records and completes their first album inside a week. The song "FAST TRAIN"---written and sung by GOODWYN--becomes a hit in the Eastern Provinces of Canada by the end of the summer.
In October of 1971, JIMMY HENMAN--bass player--leaves the group to return to the University of Halifax and is replaced by Montrealer/musician, JIM CLENCH. CLENCH also writes and sings. Later that December of the same year, after a gig on New Year's Eve in Quebec---the band starting to feel discouraged, receives the news that their third single, "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A LADY" had made it's way over to the US and was hit-picked by Billboard. "YOU COULD HAVE BEEN A LADY"--- a cover of the British studio band,HOT CHOCOLATE---becomes APRIL WINE's first National Canadian hit---reading number 27 in Billboard.
May 1972, APRIL WINE releases their second album, "ON RECORD". The record spawns a cover of an ELTON JOHN/BERNIE TAUPIN tune "BAD SIDE OF THE MOON" as well as singles, "DROP YOUR GUNS" and "LADY RUN, LADY HIDE"---all receiving national AM airplay. APRIL WINE begins to tour officially in Canada for the first time---first opening, then headlining concerts and showcase clubs. The tour would last for almost a year.
In May of 1973, Brothers DAVID and RITCHIE HEMAN begin to get the feeling that the band is not really committed to one another, and quit the group---due to musical differences and on-stage tensions that stem from the songwriting partnership that formed between members GOODWYN and CLENCH. The HENMANS departure causes the arrival of musician/guitar player GARY MOFFET to replace DAVID on guitar---and drummer JERRY MERCER (long admired by Goodwyn) to replace RITCHIE....Later that October, the band's third album, titled "ELECTRIC JEWELS" is released--bearing MYLES GOODWYN's stamp of songwriting and control over the band, being the groups only original remaining member. The album launches the "ELECTRIC ADVENTURE TOUR" known for its massive lightshow and pyrotechnics.(An April Wine trademark.) On the strength of the new album's latest singles, "JUST LIKE THAT", "LADY RUN, LADY HIDE" and "ELECTRIC JEWELS" the band begins to play hockey arenas for the first time.
August 1974--- Album four is released--- "LIVE", recorded by DINO DINELLI and GENE CORNISH, (of the RASCALS, ), serves it's purpose to confirm the new APRIL WINE personnel. DINELLI and CORNISH go on to also produce two songs written by GOODWYN, "I WOULDN'T WANT TO LOSE YOUR LOVE", and "TONITE IS A WONDERFUL TIME TO FALL IN LOVE".
In February of 1975, under an experiment, the band produces their own record for the first time. "STAND BACK", APRIL WINE's fifth album, results in massive sales and is the first Canadian album to ever achieve platinum status and is the first English-speaking album to go double platinum. It is also the breakdown of the CLENCH/GOODWYN songwriting arrangement.The two agree to resume individual credit for their own tunes.....The band sets off on tour. It was at this time the band had to make a difficult decision and JIM CLENCH left the band and was replaced by bassist, STEVE LANG.
It was in March of 1976 that "THE WHOLE WORLD'S GOIN' CRAZY" was released. The album shipped platinum and the tour with opening-act, "HEART", was a killer, but they wait for an even bigger album to break them in the States.
At this time, disco music is suffocating the current rock-scene---causing APRIL WINE, (now together for seven years) to hit a dry-spell. New singles such as, "LIKE A LOVER, LIKE A SONG", "FOREVER FOR NOW" and "YOU WON'T DANCE WITH ME" do surprisingly well. They rely heavily on their live performances and hit-material to keep them going....By the summer of 1977, the album, "FOREVER FOR NOW", which began as a solo-project for GOODWYN, turns into a full band effort, due to the concerns of APRIL WINE's management.
In August of 1977, "LIVE AT THE EL MACAMBO" is released. The album and the EL MACAMBO club performances make history when APRIL WINE is asked to open these shows to provide a smokescreen for the legendary "ROLLING STONES", who were to be incognito---billed under the band name, "THE COCKROACHES". The STONES needed to record songs for their upcoming LP, "LOVE YOU LIVE". For APRIL WINE, the opportunity was too good to resist. Among making history, the Macambo performances also introduce the band's fifth member, guitarist BRIAN GREENWAY, chosen for his excellent slide guitar work and accomplished singing and songwriting.
April 1978---Exposure in the US becomes an obsession. APRIL WINE makes a move to corner the American interest and "FIRST GLANCE" is born, (the band's eighth album)They now concentrate all of their energies in one direction---rock'n'roll. It was six-months after the release of "FIRST GLANCE" that WCCK in Flint broke the single "ROLLER" locally and then in all of the US.
In the summer of 1979, APRIL WINE tours the States for the first time in their career---as an opening act for such bands as RUSH, STYX and THE TUBES. By the end of the tour, the group was getting some definite headline offers.
June 1979---The "GREATEST HITS" package is released in Canada only. It goes double-platinum, exceeding everyone's expectations.
Later that same year, in October of 1979, GOODWYN relinquishes the production reigns for APRIL WINE's latest album to be titled, "HARDER, FASTER" and recorded at LE STUDIO in Morin Heights, Quebec. The single "SAY HELLO" stays on the Canadian charts for 27 weeks and "I LIKE TO ROCK" achieves anthem status in the US.
By 1980, APRIL WINE does a solid year of touring, including six-weeks in England and Europe.
In January of 1981, APRIL WINE's latest LP , "THE NATURE OF THE BEAST" is released. The band triumphs in Europe and the US, touring twice before the year is out...This is the year that the band climbs on the "big wheel" with sell-out concerts in Germany and Holland, and appearing on European television. In a few months, the band is headlining in the US.
November 1981, "THE BEST OF APRIL WINE'S ROCK BALLADS" album number thirteen, is released to the Canadian fans who demand for a touch of the past. GOODWYN also publishes a book of APRIL WINE's songs--1970-1980.
It was in February of 1982 that the band begins work on their next project. The new project,"POWER PLAY"is released in June. The album still rocking, but somehow more mature--not so hyper. It featured a cover of the "BEATLES" song, "TELL ME WHY"---creatively re-done as a ballad...After a hatius of eighteen months, the group hits the road once again. With effective rockers like "ANYTHING YOU WANT, YOU GOT IT", "ENOUGH IS ENOUGH" and "AIN'T GOT YOUR LOVE", POWER PLAY sold hundreds of thousands of copies.
It was in 1983 that MYLES GOODWYN packs up and moves with his family to Nassau in the Bahamas. The band&..39;s next album was in the works. "ANIMAL GRACE" would prove to be the last album the five members would make together. Musical differences and songwriting conflicts would cause alot of tension. The group decides to get together for a farewell tour of Canada. APRIL WINE's farewell tour ended on July 31st, 1984....The live album, "ONE FOR THE ROAD"--recorded during the tour is released in March. By the end , MYLES returns home to the Bahamas and the group was officially broken up.
MYLES had been having plans to initiate a solo album. CAPITOL RECORDS called for another APRIL WINE album. MYLES obliged them, having retained the right to use the name APRIL WINE. Inviting member BRIAN GREENWAY to Nassau with some other musicians. On September 6 , 1986 "WALKING THROUGH FIRE" was recorded. The first single "ROCK MYSELF TO SLEEP" was featured on the motion picture soundtrack from the horror movie "FRIGHT NIGHT", and a GOODWYN ballad called "LOVE HAS REMEMBERED ME" received significant airplay....But any thought of putting the new APRIL WINE line-up on the road was dropped. There would be no tour.
In 1988, two years after the last APRIL WINE album---MYLES GOODWYN and BRIAN GREENWAY would get the opportunity to express themselves musically on individual solo-projects...GOODWYN releases, "MYLES GOODWYN". Unlike any APRIL WINE album, it took a turn with dance-beats, alot of keyboards and programming...BRIAN GREENWAY's solo effort, titled "GREENWAY" relied more in the direction of straight ahead rock guitar and keyboards....The two albums show the creativity and originality of talent from both members.
1992, MYLES GOODWYN moves back to Montreal.. Now putting their personal differences behind them, MYLES reunites and jams with old musical friends, JIMMY CLENCH , BRIAN GREENWAY, JERRY MERCER and newcomer/guitarist, STEVE SEGAL ...Hearing that there is a demand for an APRIL WINE comeback, they get back together and set out on a limited tour to test the waters...With the gratifying response from the public, the band makes a renewed commitment to APRIL WINE and by April of 1993, APRIL WINE' s sixteenth album, "ATTITUDE" is released. An explosive comeback of an album, proving to the music industry that the APRIL WINE formula was not outdated and that the band could still "rock'em dead" after all these years. The picture of the kid on the cover of "ATTITUDE" is AARON GOODWYN, MYLES' son. It was singles such as "IF YOU BELIEVE IN ME" and "THAT'S LOVE" that helped to rocket ATTITUDE to success, giving the band their first gold CD ever.
In 1994, APRIL WINE releases their next album, "FRIGATE" produced by MYLES. With eleven well-crafted tracks, "FRIGATE" features the group covering one of their own tunes( which not many bands ever get the chance to do) "TONITE IS A WONDERFUL TIME TO FALL IN LOVE", first released on the STAND BACK album in 1975. "FRIGATE would prove to fans indeed that APRIL WINE was not just another group of the past, reuniting for a comeback album. They are definitely in it for the long haul. 2001.....APRIL WINE was hard at work on a new CD. The title, "BACK TO THE MANSION". With over 30 years in the business making phenomenal music and giving us their powerful live performances, "BACK TO THE MANSION" is the work of truly gifted, honest musicians who gave us yet another chance to take a glimpse inside their rock'n'roll souls----and the result, as proven so many times before,is nothing short of amazing.
And now, in 2006 April Wine has a new album in the works, with an expected classic rock feel that is greatly anticipated by their dedicated fans all around the world.
We all know that "Rock'n'roll is a vicious game"----but, it's not such a bad ride as long as we got APRIL WINE by our sides!
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