In 2003, acclaimed songwriter and April Wine frontman, Myles Goodwyn, received the ECMA Lifetime Achievement Award for his impact on the music industry of Atlantic Canada. Exactly 20 years later, he’ll return to the East Coast Music Awards to accept his latest distinction as the newest Inductee to the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame (CSHF). Considered by many as one of Canada’s greatest rock n’ roll songwriters, the CSHF will celebrate Goodwyn’s catalogue of songs penned for April Wine, spanning more than five decades.
On May 4, the CSHF will present Goodwyn with the award at the ECMAs in Halifax, Nova Scotia; and later this year, his name will be included in the permanent exhibit at the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame Museum in the National Music Centre in Calgary, as the organization commemorates 25 years of celebrating Canada’s greatest songs and songwriters.
The 35th Annual East Coast Music Awards Presented by Rogers will be broadcast across the country on selected community television stations including Rogers TV, and available to view online at ECMA.com and RogersTV.com. Announced performers include Jimmy Rankin, Nick Earle, Christine Campbell and Colin MacDonald; with friend, and Right Myself collaborator, Lennie Gallant presenting to Goodwyn. Tickets available at ECMA.com.
"To be inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame, has been a wish of mine for many years. It is possibly the most significant award I've ever received. What has mattered most to me, for all my years in the business, was to be taken seriously as a songwriter," says Myles Goodwyn.
Goodwyn gave his final live performance with April Wine on March 2, 2023, as the only remaining original member of the iconic rock group.
"After more than 50 years of touring and performing as the voice and songwriter behind April Wine, we're thrilled to be able to induct Myles and his iconic body of work into the CSHF," said Stan Meissner, Board Chairman. “On behalf of all music fans, we thank Myles for sharing his gift as a songwriter, singer, guitarist, and performer who has given us the soundtrack to a generation; and he'll continue to inspire a new generation as the creative force behind the next evolution of April Wine.”
He founded April Wine in 1969 with long-time friend, Jim Henman, and Henman’s cousins David and Ritchie Henman in Nova Scotia. Less than a year later, the group moved to Montreal to sign a record deal with Aquarius Records, and embarked on a “Fast Train” to success.
Their first album was released in 1971, which included their first hit single, "Fast Train", written by Goodwyn; followed by penned classics like "Roller", "I Wouldn’t Want To Lose Your Love", and "I Like To Rock". Their album, The Whole World’s Goin’ Crazy, became the first Canadian album to sell over 100,000 copies.
Goodwyn’s songs ranged in styles from edgy rock to romantic ballads, from country to blues – and his subject matter was just as wide-ranging, encompassing piano classics such as "Comin’ Right Down On Top Of Me", "Like A Lover, Like A Song" and "I Wouldn’t Want To Lose Your Love", and the environmental song, "Lady Run, Lady Hide".
He also wasn’t afraid to tackle political topics in "Some Of These Children" (bringing awareness to unmarked residential school graves), and 2022’s “For Ukraine”, which was written in support of the citizens of war-torn Ukraine, garnering him the SIFA Award for Best Social Impact Music/Art 2022.
As a hardworking master of his craft Goodwyn has said, “I worked diligently and tenaciously on becoming a good, consistent songwriter. To me it is the most important part of what I do. Always has been.”
April Wine disbanded in 1984, after releasing 22 studio and two live albums. They re-banded in 1993 and resumed touring, once again selling out shows continent-wide. In March 2009, April Wine was inducted into the Canadian Music Industry Hall Of Fame and received the JUNO Lifetime Achievement Award. Goodwyn and April Wine were also inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame in 2010 and have garnered two Félix Awards as well as several SOCAN Classic Awards.
Goodwyn will continue writing and producing for April Wine as the band continues to tour with his artistic involvement; and his third blues recording will be released in the summer of 2023.
2023 will mark the 25th anniversary of the Canadian Songwriters Hall Of Fame (CSHF), a national and non-profit organization that is dedicated to honouring and celebrating Canadian songwriters and those who’ve dedicated their lives to the legacy of music. The CSHF also works to educate the public about these achievements, and to foster the next generation of songwriters through year-round initiatives and events. In December of 2011, SOCAN (the Society of Composers, Authors and Music Publishers of Canada) acquired the CSHF; however, the Hall of Fame continues to be run as a separate organization and is guided by its own Board of Directors, comprised of both Anglophone and Francophone music creators and publishers, as well as representation from the record industry. The CSHF’s mandate aligns with SOCAN’s objectives as a songwriter and publisher membership-based organization.
