Myles Goodwyn (June 23, 1948 – December 3, 2023) was one of Canada’s most influential rock musicians — a gifted songwriter, guitarist, vocalist, and bandleader best known as the creative force behind April Wine.
Born in Woodstock, and raised in Waverley, Goodwyn’s early life was shaped by personal loss. He lost his mother at the age of 11, an experience that pushed him inward and toward music as both refuge and expression. A self-described loner, he spent countless hours alone with his guitar, developing the introspective streak that would later define his songwriting.
In 1969, Myles Goodwyn formed April Wine, and by 1970 the band had relocated to Montreal, signing with Aquarius Records. Over the next five decades, April Wine became one of Canada’s most successful rock acts, selling an estimated 10 million records worldwide and releasing 22 studio and live albums. Their catalogue ranged effortlessly from hard-driving rock to melodic, emotionally rich ballads.
Myles Goodwyn wrote or co-wrote the vast majority of the band’s material, producing a string of enduring hits including “I Like to Rock,” “Rock ’n’ Roll Is a Vicious Game,” “Just Between You and Me,” “Like a Lover, Like a Song,” and “You Won’t Dance With Me.” With permission from songwriter Lorence Hud, he added a verse to “Sign of the Gypsy Queen,” turning it into a major hit for April Wine. In total, the band released more than 50 singles.
April Wine Singles
| Year | Single | Peak chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Album | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [7] |
US [8] |
US Rock [8] |
UK [9] |
||||
| 1971 | “Fast Train“ | 38 | — | x | — | April Wine | |
| 1972 | “You Could Have Been a Lady“ | 2 | 32 | x | — | On Record | |
| “Bad Side Of The Moon“ | 16 | 106 | x | — | |||
| “Drop Your Guns” | 34 | — | x | — | |||
| 1973 | “Lady Run, Lady Hide” | 19 | — | x | — | Electric Jewels | |
| “Weeping Widow” | 40 | — | x | — | |||
| 1974 | “Electric Jewels” | 84 | — | x | — | ||
| “I’m on Fire for You Baby” | 64 | — | x | — | single | ||
| “I Wouldn’t Want to Lose Your Love” | 17 | — | x | — | Stand Back | ||
| 1975 | “Tonite is a Wonderful Time to Fall in Love“ | 5 | — | x | — | ||
| “Cum, Hear the Band” | 29 | — | x | — | |||
| “Oowatanite” | 11 | — | x | — | |||
| 1976 | “The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy” | 5 | — | x | — | The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy | |
| “Gimme Love” | 33 | — | x | — | |||
| “Like a Lover, Like a Song” | 49 | — | x | — | |||
| 1977 | “Forever for Now” | 45 | — | x | — | Forever for Now | |
| “You Won’t Dance With Me” | 6 | — | x | — | |||
| 1978 | “Rock and Roll Is a Vicious Game” | 27 | — | x | — | First Glance | |
| “Comin’ Right Down on Top of Me” | 46 | — | x | — | |||
| 1979 | “Roller“ | 24 | 34 | x | — | ||
| “Get Ready for Love” | 79 | — | x | — | |||
| 1980 | “Say Hello” | 34 | 104 | x | — | Harder … Faster | |
| “I Like to Rock“ | 75 | 86 | x | 41 | |||
| 1981 | “Just Between You and Me“ | 22[10] | 21 | 11 | 52 | The Nature of the Beast | |
| “Sign of the Gypsy Queen“ | 40 | 57 | 19 | — | |||
| 1982 | “Enough Is Enough“ | 12 | 50 | 9 | — | Power Play | |
| “Tell Me Why“ | 46 | — | — | — | |||
| 1984 | “This Could Be the Right One” | — | 58 | 23 | — | Animal Grace | |
| 1985 | “Rock Myself to Sleep” | — | — | — | — | Walking Through Fire | |
| “Love Has Remembered Me” | 89 | — | — | — | |||
| 1993 | “If You Believe in Me” | 19 | — | — | — | Attitude | |
| “Here’s Lookin’ at You Kid” | 80 | — | — | — | |||
| “That’s Love” | 73 | — | 35 | — | |||
| “Voice in My Heart” | 35 | — | — | — | |||
| 1994 | “I’m a Man“ | — | — | — | — | Frigate | |
A perfectionist by nature, Myles Goodwyn placed enormous emphasis on live performance. April Wine tours such as Electric Jewels and The Whole World’s Going Crazy featured elaborate staging and pyrotechnics that were uncommon at the time, helping elevate the band’s reputation as a powerful live act. Their acclaimed album Live at the El Mocambo was engineered and produced by Eddie Kramer, who also recorded the Rolling Stones’ legendary secret performances at the same Toronto venue — shows that April Wine opened.
Offstage, Goodwyn was notably private and introverted, a contrast to his commanding presence on stage. That duality — flamboyant showman and quiet recluse — made him something of an enigma, but his talent as a songwriter and guitarist earned deep respect throughout the music community.
Studio Albums
| Year | Title | Chart positions | Certifications (sales thresholds) |
Record label | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CAN [3] |
US [4] |
||||
| 1971 | April Wine | — | 205 | Aquarius | |
| 1972 | On Record | 35 | — | ||
| 1973 | Electric Jewels | 75 | — | ||
| 1975 | Stand Back | 21 | — | ||
| 1976 | The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy | 1 | — | ||
| 1977 | Forever for Now | 5 | — | ||
| 1978 | First Glance | 62 | 114 | ||
| 1979 | Harder … Faster | 25 | 64 | ||
| 1981 | The Nature of the Beast | 11 | 26 | ||
| 1982 | Power Play | 14 | 37 | ||
| 1984 | Animal Grace | 34 | 62 | ||
| 1985 | Walking Through Fire | — | 174 | ||
| 1993 | Attitude | 19 | — | MCA | |
| 1994 | Frigate | — | — | ||
| 2001 | Back to the Mansion | — | — | ||
| 20 | |||||
Beyond April Wine, Goodwyn pursued a varied solo career. He released a self-titled solo album with Aquarius Records, two mainstream rock albums, and later explored blues music with Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues and Friends of the Blues 2, released through Linus Entertainment. In his later years, his songwriting increasingly addressed social and political themes, including “Some of These Children,” which raised awareness of unmarked residential school graves, and 2022’s “For Ukraine,” written in solidarity with the Ukrainian people. The latter earned him the SIFA Award for Best Social Impact Music/Art in 2022.
Goodwyn’s contributions were widely recognized. His honours included induction into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame, Canada’s Walk of Fame, and the Canadian Music Industry Hall of Fame, as well as a Juno Lifetime Achievement Award, an East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award, a SOCAN National Achievement Award, and two Québec Félix Awards.
He was also an author, publishing the memoir Just Between You and Me and the novel Elvis and Tiger, further demonstrating his gift for storytelling beyond music.
His legacy lives on in a body of work that helped define Canadian rock — music that was honest, melodic, thoughtful, and built to last.
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