By Karen Bliss
Myles Goodwyn, singer, songwriter, producer and leader of multi-platinum-selling band April Wine, known for such classics as “You Could Have Been a Lady,” “Sign of a Gypsy Queen,” “Roller” and “Just Between You and Me,” died Dec. 3 at age 75, his publicist announced on social media and later in a press release.
“No further details on cause of death, location or funeral details will be disclosed at this time. The family asks for privacy,” the statement read.
A year ago, he announced he would no longer be touring with April Wine. His final show with the group was in March. He continued to play shows with his acoustic trio. He resided in Halifax.
Goodwyn, who was born in Woodstock, Nova Scotia, received many honours recognizing his career in music. He was inducted into the Canadian Songwriters Hall of Fame during the East Coast Music Awards in Halifax earlier this year, and April Wine received a star in Canada’s Walk of Fame in September. In 2010, the band was inducted into the Canadian Music Hall of Fame at the JUNO Awards, and in 2008, they received the East Coast Music Lifetime Achievement Award. Performing rights organization, SOCAN also honoured him with the National Achievement Award in 2002.
Goodwyn, who had diabetes—and was hospitalized in 2008 after collapsing at the airport on the way to a sold-out concert—told CBC, “The lifestyle is not healthy for me anymore.” He continued to help manage April Wine.
April Wine released 16 albums, selling more than 10 million albums from 1971’s self-titled debut through to 2006’s Roughly Speaking, enjoying multiple hits, seven of which landed on the Billboard Hot 100: “Just Between You and Me,” “Roller,” “You Could Have Been a Lady,” “Sign of the Gypsy Queen,” “Enough Is Enough,” “This Could Be the Right One” and “I Like to Rock.”
Goodwyn also released three solo albums, his eponymous debut in 1988 and a pair of others 30 years later, Myles Goodwyn and Friends of the Blues Volume 1 (2018), which was nominated for a 2019 JUNO Award for blues recording, and Volume 2 (2019). Volume 1 and 2 each won the honours in the Blues category at the ECMA Awards in 2019 and 2020. In 2022, he released a benefit single, “For Ukraine,” which earned a SIFA Festival Award for Best Social Impact Music/Art 2022.
Outside music, Goodwyn released his best-selling autobiography, Just Between You and Me, in 2016, and two years later, a novel, Elvis and Tiger.
Goodwyn is survived by his wife, Kim Goodwyn, their two children, and a child from a previous marriage.
