April Wine

Did You Know?

• April Wine was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the Juno Awards of 2010.
• Myles Goodwyn received the Dr. Helen Creighton Lifetime Achievement Award from the East Coast Music Awards in 2003.
• The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame and given its Lifetime Achievement Award on March 13, 2009.

History

The band's origins go back to St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, in 1967/68, where brothers David and Ritchie Henman played music together before relocating to Nova Scotia. Three founding members—David Henman, Ritchie Henman, and their cousin Jim Henman—had previously performed in a band called Prism (distinct from the Vancouver-based Prism). After a break for university, the trio reformed with Myles Goodwyn on lead vocals and guitar; Goodwyn had earlier played with Jim Henman in the Termites.

David Henman gave the new group the name April Wine. Finding few opportunities in Halifax, they sent a demo to Aquarius Records in Montreal. The label's managers, Terry Flood and Donald K. Tarlton, sent a rejection letter, but the band misinterpreted it as an invitation. On April 1, 1970, they arrived in Montreal with instruments and $100; Flood and Tarlton were persuaded to sign them.

The band was housed in a chalet and booked at Café André, a comedy club. For the next five months they toured eastern Canada with Mashmakhan. Their self-titled debut album appeared in September 1971, yielding the single "Fast Train," which peaked at number 38 on the RPM Singles Chart. The album sold modestly, but the single's success prompted the label to request a second album.

Jim Henman left in September 1971, deciding the touring lifestyle was not for him, and was replaced by Jim Clench. The group spent 1971 touring colleges, except for July 30, when they opened for The Guess Who at Montreal's Place des Nations. In 1972 they continued touring, now playing larger venues and opening for acts such as Ike & Tina Turner, Jethro Tull, Badfinger, and Stevie Wonder.