Singer, guitarist, writer, producer and leader of Canadian rock legends April Wine, Myles Goodwyn, has announced his departure from touring with the group. Goodwyn will continue to lead the band and he will continue to write new material for the band and produce their recordings.
Goodwyn’s last live performance with April Wine will be on March 2, 2023, in Nova Scotia where it all began.
Goodwyn was the only remaining original member since the inception of April Wine in 1969, selling over 10 million albums worldwide.
“I’ve had a long career, happy, fulfilling. I've seen much of the world and I'm grateful to continuing support of radio and our fans worldwide, but touring has been very difficult in recent years because of my diabetes and my health comes first, so unfortunately, my touring days are officially over," says Goodwyn.
Replacing Goodwyn on guitar and vocals will be Marc Parent, who started classical guitar lessons in high school at the age of 14. But once he heard “Smoke on the Water” by Deep Purple, the sounds of the electric guitar became his calling. In his 12th grade math class Parent decided to become a professional musician. In the late 80s, at the age of 22, Parent joined the very popular Ottawa band Eight Seconds and lived the dream of being a rock star for two years. The band opened for major British stars such as David Bowie, Duran Duran, Paul Young, The Fixx and toured North America with Wang Chung.
After leaving the band in 1987, Parent moved to Montreal, finished his bachelor’s degree in music, started his band Wang Dang Doodle and travelled: first Senegal Africa in 1989 with Freddy James playing hip hop; then Tokyo in 1995 representing Canada at the Yamaha Music Quest international pop music contest with Robert and the Rainmakers; then Jakarta Indonesia to play dance music with El Chakeh.
Parent also toured extensively across Quebec as guitarist vocalist with French Canadian artists Breen Leboeuf, Luce Dufault and Marie Carmen.
“I know Marc personally, and I know he’s the only person I feel extremely confident and comfortable with continuing the music and legacy of April Wine. I can’t wait for the fans to meet him and see him in concert. And of course, Brian Greenway, Richard Lanthier and Roy Nichol, are still in the band and excited about the future and the April Wine legacy,” says Goodwyn.
Goodwyn and the other members of April Wine were inducted into the Canadian Music Hall Of Fame and the Canadian Music Industry Lifetime award in 2010.
Goodwyn received the prestigious East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award in 2008 and the SOCAN National Achievement Award in 2002. In 2016, he released his memoir Just Between You and Me, which became an instant best seller on the Globe and Mail`s Non-Fiction List. His second book, Elvis and Tiger was published in 2018.
The Myles Goodwyn and Friends Of The Blues recording released in 2018, it earned international acclaim and a JUNO Nomination for Blues Recording of the Year in 2019. The recording won the ECMA award for Blues Recording of the Year 2019. His follow up blues recording in 2019, Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues 2, won the same blues category, in 2020. There will be a third blues solo released in 2023.
In 2022, Goodwyn was awarded the prestigious SIFA Award for Best Social Impact Music/Art for his song, “For Ukraine.”
