Myles Goodwyn is being remembered as one of the great songwriters of the classic rock era.
The award-winning Canadian singer-songwriter and former lead singer of April Wine died in Halifax yesterday at age 75.
The cause of death was not announced.
Goodwyn’s publicist Eric Alper says April Wine showed the world that Canadian rock bands could be internationally successful.
Alper described Goodwyn as a “straight shooter” and a “breath of fresh air” who retained a keen interest in the music business.
April Wine has sold 10-million recordings worldwide. The band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010 and was added to Canada’s Walk of Fame this fall.
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 “Just Between You and Me.”
Their 1975 album “Stand Back” was the first by a Canadian band to sell more than 100-thousand copies.
Alper said Goodwyn stepped away from the band earlier this year due to health issues and no longer wanting to “live out of a suitcase,” but continued to perform and work with other musicians.
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