Although they only cracked the American Top 40 three times, April Wine was one of the most successful rock 'n' roll bands in their native Canada. Next to The Guess Who and Bachman Turner Overdrive, April Wine racked up more hits than any other Canadian band. They were the first group to chart a platinum album in Canada and the first to launch a tour that grossed over $1 million. The group debuted as a national recording act in 1969, but it would take almost a decade for them to gain international recognition. In 1975, as The Rolling Stones were getting ready to launch their world tour from Canada, it was at a small April Wine club gig at Toronto's El Mocombo that Mick and the boys emerged to play an unannounced 90 minute warm-up set.
The show was captured for the band's Got Live (If You Want It), double album and earned April Wine a spot as opener on several of the Stones shows. The endorsement from the Stones helped win them recognition with American audiences and fans of U.S. radio programmers, who for the first time really started to notice the band. Shortly thereafter, they began charting hits of their own, and by the early 1980s, had become a staple on the U.S. touring circuit - and a new music medium called MTV.
Throughout their career, April Wine has proved uniquely able to attract and please fans of both hard rock and pop music, a fact that's evident in their ability to structure a live show that celebrates musicianship and also appeals to the mainstream audiences.
The band officially broke up in 1986 but had a successful reunion tour in 1993, and they continue to tour sporadically today.