David Henman; The Man behind the Wine – Part Two

David Henman, despite having a non – household name and not being known as a ‘star’ in the music world; is a very prolific songwriter.

Commencing with April Wine, where all of the members ( except Ritchie ) were excited about the songwriting process, David has been penning tunes for over four decades.

‘Drop your Guns’ was his first commercially successful song. It was included on April Wine’s second disc; On Record. That song remains a staple to this day during an April Wine concert. A song which remains close to Henman’s heart.

“As a victim of bullying when I was very young, I came to abhor all forms of violence at an early age. “Drop your guns” was an expression of that anti-violence mentality, which has become a huge part of my philosophy. I wrote both the music, which was inspired by a band called Humble Pie, and the lyrics. The song was a top forty hit in Canada, but wasn’t released in the USA for fear that it might be perceived as an anti-Vietnam war protest song. Duh! The song seems to have a message that resonates with people and continues to resonate decade after decade. I know this because, roughly six months after events like Columbine, 9-11 and the war on Iraq, my royalties for the song take a sharp spike upwards.”

Another song Henman wrote with April Wine which instills pride in the songwriter is also included on Wine’s second album. The track was inspired by a book Henman read at the time. Herman Hesse’s novel Steppenwolf and particularly the line ‘ for madmen only’ is the reason for the song ‘Refuge.’

“Songwriting is a curse.” Says David attempting to explain a life- long habit. “It’s an addiction. An obsession going back to the early days of April Wine. I was very anti-commercial. I thought pop music was all bubblegum, the lowest common denominator and all that. When Myles wrote “Fast Train” and it became a hit, I thought;’Hey! I can do that!’ Now – it is forty plus years later and I am still trying.”

Henman’s artillery of tunes is vast. The guitarist has or continues to write in many different genres …

“Over the years, my influences have accumulated, so you will hear elements of old rock, classic rock, heavy rock, country, folk, celtic, latin, world and even dance in my writing.”

Henman may have referred to Goodwyn’s ‘Fast Train’ as a symbol for something he attempted to strive for yet that does not mean the Nova Scotia – born singer has ever written for the FM or AM airwaves …

“I don’t consciously write for radio. Every song I write starts out innocently enough yet if a song I write does seem to me to be radio-friendly, I try to at least not get in it’s way.” David continues. “I have written a lot of songs. Some great. Some not so great. The proof is in the recording in regards to it’s commercial potential.”

In addition to writing songs, a huge part of David’s focus is on recording them in a way that make people want to listen.

Listening is what people from David’s generation did well. He was a young man at the start of the 1960’s, an era which introduced the world to the British Invasion and the birth of one of the most enduring periods in rock n roll …

Although Henman realizes he grew up in a wonderful time – music wise, he does not agree the music today is not as good as his generation.

“I steadfastly refuse to fall into that idiotic trap of claiming that the music of my generation is superior to the music of the current generation. This happens in virtually every generation. I clearly recall my parents’ generation, back in the fifties, whining that the music I loved was garbage.”

Henman continues.

“That’s not music, that’s just noise!’ Then they would say the music of THEIR generation was all about quality; melody, lyrics, proper singing etc.”

“Before I was a teenager, I vowed I would never be that ignorant, that closed-minded.” Henman goes on.” Yet, that is precisely what happend to my own generation. I find myself virtually inundated by people my age, and younger – much younger, whining about ‘kids today’ and the music they listen to. I have only one thing to say to those people: get over yourself!”

David also realizes the record business is no longer what it once was. He believes there is ‘good and bad’ in the changes.

“The music industry I once knew and loved seems to have choked on its own greed. On the downside, music – especially live music, has been devalued. People no longer believe they should have to pay to own it. On the plus side, with no music industry to speak of and the advent of the global internet, we now have the potential to reach millions of people on our own initiative.”

David has released two CDs lately to ‘reach people’ and believes all his previous records with his older bands have been discontinued ( April Wine excluded) The two current ones are titled; The David Henman Band and Long Ride Home. The single ‘ Long Ride Home’ will be distributed to country radio in September.

David Henman is not playing live very much these days yet when he does – it is usually with his partner Rose. Instead, his concentration lies on writing and recording new material.

In search of his very own; ‘Fast Train’ …