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April Wine |
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Info: Biography, Pictures, Discography of all CDs & DVDs |
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| It all began in Nova Scotia late in 1969.The Henman brothers, David and Ritchie, got together with their cousin Jim Henman and fellow musician Myles Goodwyn to form a band called April Wine, a name chosen simply because they were two words that sounded good together.Fifteen studio albums, three live releases, numerous compilations, a boxed set and thousands of concerts later April Wine has become enormously popular in Canada, the United States and throughout the world.This first album established Myles Goodwyn as a composer with Fast Train receiving much airplay throughout Canada and becoming the main reason April Wine was able to record a second album.Murphy's mission was to give April Wine a major international hit and he came very close to doing just that.You Could Have Been a Lady, originally recorded in England by Hot Chocolate, was a phenomenal hit for April Wine.Canada and allowed them to crack Billboard's Top 30 in the USA where it remained for 11 weeks.Following the Gold success of the second album it was clear that April Wine had the chance to become one of Canada's most significant rock bands.Ralph Murphy would be back to produce the follow up album but there would be changes in the band.By the completion of Electric Jewels a new April Wine would emerge.Early in 1973 the two remaining members, Myles Goodwyn and Jim Clench, faced the dilemma of taking the band to the next level.After a few auditions Jerry Mercer and Gary Moffet joined the band and April Wine became a tighter, flashier band.This tour was the first to use dramatic lighting and pyrotechnic displays as an integral part of their show, a feature that would prove to be extremely popular during their international stardom and would lend influence to various emerging artists, Garth Brooks for one.Many people consider Stand Back to be one of the band's greatest accomplishments.With the release of The Whole World's Goin' Crazy, Steve Lang had replaced Jim Clench on bass guitar.This album made April Wine the first Canadian band to achieve Platinum advance sales orders and included another April Wine classic in the ballad Like A Lover, Like A Song.Forever For Now, the band's sixth album, included a Canadian music milestone for the band; the best selling Canadian single the band ever released.Both the single, You Won't Dance With Me, as well as the album reached critical acclaim with the single reaching Gold and the album reaching Gold then Platinum in Canada.April Wine was selected to pose as the headliner for a charity event with a group called The Cockroaches as the opening act.Of course the Cockroaches, to everyone's delight, turned out to be The Rolling Stones.April Wine's album Live At The El Mocambo was a compilation of April Wine's most popular concert songs with two additional covers and the studio track She's No Angel, which went onto become a Canadian hit.Following the release of Live At The El Mocambo a fifth member was added to the band.Brian Greenway joined the lineup for the summer 1977 tour and gave the group some added flexibility.Brian could sing, write and play harmonica but his greatest contribution to April Wine was on guitar.Since Myles was a surprisingly skilled keyboard player it was invaluable to have a third guitar player and April Wine could now create arrangements for three guitars which would develop into the group's trademark power rock image during the following years.It was the third single from First Glance that made April Wine an international success.Radio listeners in Flint Michigan made Roller a top request number.First Glance became the band's first Gold record outside of Canada.Roller remained on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart for 11 weeks while First Glance stayed on Billboard's 200 Album chart for 11 weeks as well.Major artists such as Rush, Journey and Styx requested that April Wine open their shows in the United States.It was a confident group that recorded Harder...The album featured the hardest rock that April Wine had ever recorded.This album included such powerful songs as I Like To Rock, which American radio embraced, and Say Hello which went to the top of the charts in Canada.The popularity of these songs helped keep the album on Billboard's 200 Album charts for a whopping 40 weeks!Faster helped the group collect more Gold and Platinum awards on both sides of the border.The first months of 1980 saw April Wine touring as Nazareth's opening act throughout the United States.Most felt that the show would be a better draw if April Wine headlined.The time had finally come for April Wine to take top billing outside of Canada.The group's ninth studio album, The Nature Of The Beast, became April Wine's greatest success.Released in January of 1981, the first single Just Between You and Me broke Billboard's Top 20 and remained on the their Hot 100 Singles chart for 16 weeks.The album remained on Billboard's 200 Album chart for 34 weeks peaking at the 26th position.During the 1980's April Wine had the strongest concert repertoire ever and the demand for appearances had never been greater.In fact it seemed their popularity was traveling more than they were.The 1982 Power Play tour was the largest tour April Wine had ever attempted.Both Enough Is Enough and If You See Kay charted on Billboard's Album Rock Tracks and remained there for a number of weeks but Enough Is Enough only remained on Billboard's Hot 100 Singles chart for 8 weeks.However the album itself peaked Billboard's 200 Album chart at 37 and remained on the chart for a strong 20 weeks, still a phenomenal accomplishment, but perhaps not enough for this perfectionist band from Canada.The album had taken an extremely long time to record and a rift had begun to form in the band.In a move that seemed to symbolize the distance between Myles and the band, he and his family moved to the Bahamas.The group would get together once more for a farewell tour of Canada.In late 1988 Myles moved back to Montreal and started to receive phone calls from the United States about the possibility of a new April Wine album.In July of 1992 April Wine played its first concert in 8 years to a sold out audience in the Canadian province of Manitoba.The demand south of the border was strong as well.The band was selling out shows across the States with 20,000 people coming out to see them in San Antonio, Texas.It was their first studio release in 10 years.Segal remained with the band for the 1994 release of studio album number fourteen; Frigate.Jim Clench left the band in January of 2007 to pursue other interests.He was replaced by Breen LeBoeuf, a talented Bassist and Singer, and a longtime friend of Jerry and Brian.They continue to satisfy fans with a live mix of straight ahead rock n' roll and power ballads, an April Wine mainstay.In 2007, April Wine enters into their 37th year as a band ...April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969.According to the band, they chose the name 'April Wine' simply because members thought the two words 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 39 years after taking their first steps into the hard rock spotlight.The early years
2 Mainstream success begins
3 The gold and platinum years
4 The 80s peaks and valleys
5 Rebirth
6 Interesting to note
7 Discography
7.The early years
April Wine began in late 1969 in Waverley, Nova Scotia (a suburb of Halifax).Their cousin Jim Henman joined in on bass, and Myles Goodwyn completed the sound on lead vocals and guitar.Shortly after arriving in their new home the band were signed by Aquarius Records.April Wine in 1971.The album spawned their first single, "Fast Train", which received fairly steady airplay on radio stations across Canada and established Myles Goodwyn as the band's main songwriter.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.Billboard Top 30 chart in the United States where it would stay for 11 weeks.Following quick on its 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.On Record was certified Gold in Canada and the band and Murphy hit the studio to cash in on the momentum generated by their second release.Before the album's completion, brothers David and Ritchie Henman quit April Wine leaving Myles Goodwyn as the only remaining original member.Goodwyn and Clench decided to carry on and began auditions for replacements for the Henmans.The addition of the two new members unified April Wine as a tight, powerful touring band.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.The song "Oowatanite" became a concert favourite and stands as one of the most popular songs the band ever recorded.This time long time member Jim Clench departed and was replaced by Steve Lang.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".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."The Cockroaches," who turned out to be The Rolling Stones.April Wine's performance was captured and released as the album Live at the El Mocambo.El Mocambo gig, first opening for The Rolling Stones, then for various popular headliners, including Styx, and Canadian band Rush.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.Incidentally, Brian Greenway's former band, The Dudes also contained April Wine alumni David and Ritchie Henman.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.Billboard Top 30 where it stayed for 11 weeks.First Glance also found an audience in the U.Billboard album chart for many weeks, making it April Wine's first gold record outside of Canada.Following on the popularity of First Glance, a very confident April Wine unleashed its hardest rocking album on Canadian and American audiences.Faster and lived up to its name with classic tracks like "Say Hello" and "I Like To Rock".It would stay on the Billboard top album chart for 40 weeks.The supporting tour for the album began as an opening slot for Nazareth on the national tour across the United States.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.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 ...The Nature of the Beast leaped from record stores in January of 1981.Fan reaction was phenomenal and sales soared.Canada, and was the first April Wine album to reach platinum status internationally as well.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 continuing their ride of popularity and success, April Wine came to an abrupt but temporary halt following the tour to support The Nature of the Beast.Myles Goodwyn, the band's songwriter, producer and promoter was starting to feel the exhaustion of constant touring and recording.After a hiatus of 18 months April Wine returned.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.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.Despite still being a popular concert draw, the failure (as the band saw it) to top their previous albums was a letdown.The album writing and recording took much longer than any of their earlier albums.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 off just as quickly as it entered.The single "This Could Be The Right One" also suffered the same fate.The band got together for its announced "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.The other members had long since taken their leave and gone their separate ways.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.An April Wine reunion was almost written off.But by 1992, April Wine returned to the stage, starting with a sold out concert in Manitoba.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 released the live album called Greatest Hits Live 2003.CD called From the Front Row ...April Wine entered into its 37th year as a band in 2006.Aquarius Records released April Wine Rocks!April Wine favourites, including a bonus live tune.April Wine continues to tour across Canada annually, and also plays festivals in Europe and in the United States, with the group now consisting of Goodwyn, Greenway, Mercer, and Breen LeBoeuf (on bass), who replaced Clench in January of 2007.Myles Goodwyn, however, was awarded the ECMA (East Coast Music Awards) Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003.Another interesting tidbit is that popular NFL quarterback Doug Flutie once performed a version of April Wine's "Roller" on the Howard Stern radio show, in a 'battle of the bands' segment."Roller" was also featured on the Tricks and Treats episode of the cult classic TV show Freaks and Geeks in 1999.Compilation albums
Greatest Hits (1979)
The Best of April Wine: Rock Ballads (1981)
Review And Preview (1981)
The Hits (1987)
All the Rockers (1987)
We Like To Rock (1988)
Oowatanite (1990)
The First Decade (1992)
The April Wine Collection (1992)
Rock Champions (2000)
Classic Masters (2002)
Best of April Wine (2003)
April Wine Rocks!External links
April Wine: The Official Web Site
VH1.April Wine's official web site.Platinum certification of albums at RIAA.All text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.See Copyrights for details.You have no recently viewed items or searches.After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.Look to the right column to find helpful suggestions for your shopping session.About
Canadian dinosaurs April Wine epitomize the decadent arena rock spirit so prevalent in the '70s.Canadian dinosaurs April Wine epitomize the decadent arena rock spirit so prevalent in the '70s.Though now a footnote to many people, they released albums with tidal consistency through the mid 1980s, showcasing...April Wine Feeds
Save to del.Hear April Wine and similar artists on this channel.MemberAttribute( "cpath" ) )?MemberAttribute( "hasRhapX" ) )?""P: " + RhapsodyTracking.MemberAttribute( "isLoggedIn" ) )?"Hello, you either have JavaScript turned off or an old version of Adobe's Flash Player.The video has been added to your playlist.Content of this nature is not necessarily prohibited on YouTube, however we will review this video and take action as appropriate.Per our Community Guidelines, hate speech is specifically defined in reference to "protected groups."There may be significant legal penalties for false notices.Thank you for sharing your concerns.Thank you for sharing this video!Change this to see only comments above a certain value.Oh, you mean "No Range" Geddy Lee?Where's the low range in his songs?The Bus Stop) and the other "first time" (The MSU Auditorium) they came to East Lansing, Michigan in the beginning.They were good both times.After making your selection, copy and paste the embed code above.My wife won't let me hang it
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