April Wine

April Wine
April Wine in concert in 2008
Background information
Origin	Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
Genres	Hard rock
Years active	1969–1986, 1992–present
Labels	Aquarius, MCA, Capitol
Website	www.aprilwine.ca
Members	Myles Goodwyn Brian Greenway Richard Lanthier Roy Nichol
Past members	Jim Henman David Henman Ritchie Henman Gary Moffet Steve Lang Steve Segal Carl Dixon Jim Clench Jerry Mercer Breen LeBoeuf Blair Mackay

April Wine is a Canadian rock band formed in 1969. Originally based in Halifax, Nova Scotia, the band enjoyed international success in the 1970s and 1980s, releasing more than 20 albums since 1971.

April Wine began in late 1969 in Waverley, Nova Scotia (a suburb of Halifax). The band's name was chosen simply because members thought the two words sounded good together. The original members were brothers David Henman on guitar and Ritchie Henman on drums. Their cousin Jim Henman joined in on bass and Myles Goodwyn completed the sound on lead vocals and guitar. In early 1970 the band relocated to Montreal. Shortly after arriving in their new home the band was signed by Aquarius Records. They recorded and released their debut album April Wine in September 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. The single's success led the band's label to ask for a second album amid the first of many lineup changes: Jim Henman left the band in the fall of 1971 and was replaced by Jim Clench.

Under the guidance of producer Ralph Murphy, April Wine recorded their second album, titled On Record. The first single from the album was a cover version of the song "You Could Have Been a Lady", originally by the band Hot Chocolate. The record was a commercial success, hitting number 5 on the Canadian charts, as well as cracking the Billboard Hot 100 chart in the United States where it stayed for 11 weeks, peaking at No. 32. Immediately following that triumph, April Wine released a second single from On Record, titled "Bad Side of the Moon." This song, written by Elton John and Bernie Taupin, also got much airplay on Canadian radio stations and was a minor hit in the U.S. as well. Both tracks remain staples on classic rock radio stations in Canada. On Record was certified Gold in Canada and the band, along with Murphy, returned to the studio to exploit the popularity generated by their second release.