In the Halifax, Nova Scotia suburb of Waverly, Goodwyn was
playing in a group called Woody's Termites. His next door neighbor, Jimmy
Henman convinced him to join a group composed of himself and his cousins,
Ritchie and David Henman. Jimmy and Goodwyn had already been together
in several bands including East Gate Sanctuary. David and Ritchie played
in the Lower Sackville group, Prism. Their first rehearsal as April Wine was on
Dec. 1, 1969 in the basement of David's parent's house.
The origin of the name, April Wine, can be traced back to an early
rock opera composed by David Henman. In response to a comment I made on
the AW Discussion List, Henman elaborates:(Reprinted with his permission)
"During this time I was fascinated by the romantic ambience of the name and
month "April"...as with "wine" ( you know, a boy and a girl, a bottle of
wine, soft music...)"
"The rock opera was about an imaginary girl named April who overdoses. It
attempted to express the pain her boyfriend experiences when she dies...
the climax of the performance was a bloodcurdling scream, executed offstage
by Ritchie's girlfriend at the time, followed by the sound of a coffin lid
closing...it was quite effective, apparently."
"When we formed the band shortly thereafter with Myles and the Henman clan,
we were looking for a name with two words, a name that had a nice ring to
it, and we also wanted a name that didn't tell you anything about the
music, so that we would never be "locked into" a specific style."
One AW's earliest projects,before moving from Halifax to Montreal in April,
1970, was to compose and record the instrumental music for a play called
"The Lion in Winter". It was recorded at CBC Studios for use at the Neptune
Theatre.
1970
Goodwyn-vocals,guitars,keyboards
Jim Clench-bass
D. Henman-guitars
R. Henman-drums
During the recording of the first album, big changes were
developing as primary lead singer Jimmy Henman suddenly returns to college,
leaving Goodwyn to emerge as the groups lead singer and major driving force.
Jim kept up musical work over the years and has been preforming in the Halifax, NS
area with his own trio. He's switched from bass to guitar, mostly acoustic.
Jimmy Clench, from the Montreal band Coven, became the new bass player and contributed with vocals and
writing.
1973
Goodwyn-vocals, guitars, keyboards
Clench-bass, vocals
Gary Moffet-Guitars, background vocals
Jerry Mercer-drums
The musical lines are drawn with Goodwyn and Clench on one side and the Henmans
on the other side. The brothers went their own way and they later ended up in the
Montreal-based band Silver and then The Dudes. Mercer became the new drummer
after spending time on the road and in the studio with Roy Buchanan. He also was
the original drummer for the Triangle which later became the group Mashmakhan.
Also added was guitarist Gary Moffet of the band Pops Merrily. Often overlooked in AW history was the contributions of Clench.
He co-wrote with Goodwyn many of the songs on LIVE and ELECTRIC JEWELS and
wrote one of AW's most enduring songs-Oowatanite. With it's clanging fire bell and
rotating beacons, this song was a dynamic opening concert song. Although replaced
from time to time as the leadoff song it returned to its rightful place during recent tours. Clench still
belts out the lyrics with the same energy that was present so many years ago.
1975
Goodwyn-vocals, guitars, keyboards
Moffet-guitars, background vocals
Steve Lang-bass, background vocals
Mercer-drums
Once again internal strife caused by artistic differences
sends a member packing. Clench left to work with an early version of Loverboy
and then later joined BTO in the late 70's. Steve Lang joined the band, bringing
softer background vocals, well suited for the upcoming ballads.He belonged to The Cheeque and, later, the band Devotion, then with Mashmakhan.
1977
Goodwyn-vocals, guitars, keyboards
Moffet-guitars, background vocals
Lang-bass, background vocals
Brian Greenway-vocals, guitars
Mercer-drums
In an attempt to get back to a harder edged sound, Brian
Greenway joined the group adding another guitar and alot of versatility.
He began with MIC(Made In Canada), then with a band called The Cheeque.
Formerly of Mashmakhan and The Dudes, Greenway left his forklift driving
job and joined the band during the recording of First Glance. An accomplished
guitar player, his raspy voice added an edge to the background vocals. He
even managed to write and front a song or two along the way. Another interesting instrument
in his repertoire was the harmonica which shows on studio tracks and as extended
solos during concerts.
1985
Goodwyn-vocals, guitars
Greenway-guitars, background vocals
Daniel Barbe-keyboards
Jean Pellerin-bass
Marty Simon-drums
With the band dissolved following a "farewell tour", Goodwyn
found himself, by contract, owing Capitol Records one more album. Greenway
joined Goodwyn in Nassau, along with Montreal session musicians Barbe,
Pellerin and Simon, and recorded WALKING THROUGH FIRE.
1992
Goodwyn-vocals, guitars, keyboards
Greenway-guitars
Clench-bass
Steve Seagal-guitars
Mercer-drums
With Goodwyn releasing a solo album while living in the
Caribbean, serious discussion began on the future of AW. Goodwyn returned to Montreal
in preparation of a second solo album but it is shelved as interest continued
building for a reincarnation of AW. Greenway, who also released a solo album,
signs on. Mercer leaves The Buzz Band to return but Moffet is fully committed
to his production company and his spot is filled by local guitarist Steve Segal.
Not completely out of performing, Moffet currently is playing guitar on tour with Sass Jordan, along with his brother, Bruce on drums.
Probably one of the biggest and nicest surprises came from the return of
Clench on bass, who had just moved back to Montreal from Calgary.
PRESENT
Goodwyn-vocals, guitars, keyboards
Greenway-guitars
Clench-bass
Mercer-drums
Now a four piece band, with Segal leaving on friendly terms, they're still hard at work. A new CD is under construction with an earlier mentioned late summer release pushed back. Stay tuned for future updates. An acoustic project has been shelved but a possible live album is still in planning stages.
