Brian Greenway. 6 Decades on the Road with April Wine
- timcaple
- 9 hours ago
- 4 min read
Introduction
For nearly sixty years, Brian Greenway has lived the life most rock musicians dream of — writing, recording, and touring at the highest level. As the longest-serving member of Canadian rock legends April Wine, Greenway has witnessed the evolution of rock music from the late 1960s to today’s arena tours.
With April Wine preparing to hit the road with fellow Canadian icons Triumph, Greenway remains as passionate about performing as ever — driven by fans, fueled by nostalgia, and grounded by experience.
We met up with Brian this week to look back at some of the great memories of the last 6 decades and what fans can expect from the band on the up coming arena tour with Triumph.
You can watch the full interview with Brian on the main page of the website or youtube channel below just click the link.
Early Days: From The Cheek to a Career in Rock
Greenway’s professional journey began in the late 1960s with his first structured band, The Cheek, a horn-driven group inspired by Chicago-style rock. His entry into the band was pure chance — filling in for a horn player recovering from surgery.
That moment set everything in motion.
“If that guy hadn’t needed surgery, I probably wouldn’t have joined. God knows where I’d have ended up.”
Like many musicians of his generation, Greenway was shaped by The Beatles. As a teenager, he cycled miles to Montreal’s airport just to catch a glimpse of them arriving in 1964. Instead of attending the concert, he chose to buy the album — a decision he still stands by.
Joining April Wine: The ‘Summer Job’ That Never Ended
Greenway first nearly joined April Wine in 1973. The timing didn’t work — but in 1977, the opportunity came back.
He thought he was joining for one summer tour.
Instead, he became a defining part of the band’s identity.
April Wine wanted a musician who could do everything: guitar, vocals, keyboards, songwriting. Greenway delivered — and helped create the band’s powerful three-guitar sound.
“They wanted someone who could play guitar, sing, play some keys, and write. That was me — exactly.”
Breaking America: The Roller Effect
The band’s rise in the United States came with the single Roller, which gained traction after heavy airplay in Michigan. The success felt sudden — but it was years in the making.
“You can’t plan that kind of thing. Your ducks just line up and suddenly it happens.”
At one point before that breakthrough, the band had even considered moving to Los Angeles to chase success.
They didn’t need to.
Touring with Rock Royalty
Following their U.S. breakthrough, April Wine spent years touring alongside rock heavyweights including:
Rush
Styx
Foreigner
Nazareth
Aerosmith
Opening slots were never treated lightly. Each night was about converting new fans.
“You didn’t worry about ticket sales. You worried about winning over the crowd.”
Studio Life: Creativity, Pressure — and Table Hockey
Recording at Le Studio in Quebec remains one of Greenway’s favourite periods — equal parts productivity and chaos, including legendary tabletop hockey rivalries between band members.
By contrast, recording at The Manor Studio in rural England was isolating and challenging — though it produced the massive album Nature of the Beast.
The recording of Just Between You and Me took hours to perfect despite its simplicity.
“Simple songs are the hardest. Everything has to be perfect.”
Donington 1980: Mud, Metal, and Mayhem
At the first-ever Monsters of Rock festival at Donington, heavy rain turned the grounds into mud. April Wine, dressed in bright Canadian colours, stood out — and became literal targets for flying mud from the crowd.
“We were singing, dodging mud, and our amps were getting coated. And we thought — yeah, that went well.”
Philosophy: Play What the Fans Came to Hear
Greenway holds a simple belief about live shows:
“Play what the people paid to hear — not what the band feels like playing.”
For April Wine, that means focusing heavily on the albums fans know best:
First Glance
Harder… Faster
Nature of the Beast
Even in the streaming era, Greenway believes core legacy albums still define what audiences expect live.
Still Loving the Road
Despite decades of touring, Greenway still loves every part of road life — the arenas, the buses, the pre-show atmosphere.
“I love walking into an arena before doors open and just looking around thinking — wow.”
He’s toured at every level, from loading his own gear to arena headlining tours. That perspective keeps him grounded.
The Triumph Tour: Canadian Rock United
When the opportunity came to tour with Triumph, the answer was immediate.
“Two Canadian guitar bands in arenas? Yeah — let’s do that.”
While the bands are friends offstage, there’s still a professional competitive edge once the lights go up.
Career Highlights: Living the Dream
Among countless moments, two stand above the rest:
Sitting onstage beside Deep Purple’s Roger Glover during a show
Playing Smoke on the Water with Deep Purple the following night
“It doesn’t get better than playing that song with the band who wrote it.”
Legacy and Looking Forward
After six decades, Brian Greenway still approaches music with the excitement of a young fan discovering rock for the first time.
From chasing Beatles sightings on a bicycle to playing arenas around the world, his story is one of persistence, timing, and genuine love for music.
And if you ask him what he’d rather be doing?
Nothing else.
You can watch in full on the main page of this website or head over to the YouTube channel
and if you enjoyed this don't forget to watch the feature we recorded recently with Gil Moore from Triumph looking back at their remarkable rise to superstardom and why don't we finish with a song that sums up the bands mission statement "I Like To Rock"
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