His publicist Eric Alper said Goodwyn died Sunday in Halifax. No cause of death was announced.
“April Wine was kind of leading all of it because they were breaking through on American rock and roll radio a little bit earlier than everybody else was,” he said in an interview.
“And the fact that they had just so many hits and sold out arenas and places in the U.S. and around the world just showed them that we can kind of compete on our own level.”
The group formed in Halifax in 1969 and consisted of Goodwyn, his friend Jim Henman, and Henman’s cousins David and Ritchie Henman.
After moving to Montreal, the band would go on to record a steady stream of hit songs in the 1970s and early 1980s including “You Could Have Been a Lady,” “You Won’t Dance With Me,” “Roller,” and “Just Between You and Me.”
In later years, Goodwyn released several blues recordings, including the Juno-nominated “Myles Goodwyn And Friends Of The Blues,” as well as an autobiography titled “Just Between You And Me: A Memoir.”
Alper, who has represented him in recent years, described Goodwyn as a “straight shooter” and a “breath of fresh air” who retained a keen interest in the music business.
Alper said Goodwyn stepped away from the band earlier this year due to health issues and no longer wanting to “live out of a suitcase,” but continued to perform and work with other musicians.
“I’m just so sad, because his spirit and his energy of still wanting to write the great rock and roll song, and the great Blues song, was still in him and he loved collaborating with people to have that happen,” he said. “I’m going to miss him terribly.”
“Myles, thanks for the songs we'll keep playing all over town.”
“His songs will live on forever,” Bachman wrote in an email. “Many of his songs are among my favorite of all time.”