he members of the London-based German band Heatwave blazed a hot streak across the pop charts in the late 1970s, including a disco anthem that lived on into the 1990s. But a series of tragedies almost burned the group out before it could enjoy its success.

In 1973 Johnnie Wilder Jr. had just competed a stint in the Army, and after relocating to West Germany from his native America, he teamed up with his brother Keith to form Heatwave. After a few early personnel changes, the group consisted of Ernest Berger on drums, Mario Mantese on bass, Eric Johns and Jesse Whitten on guitar, and a keyboardist/songwriter from England named Rod Temperton, who was working in a frozen fish factory and joined the group after responding to an ad in Melody Maker. Touring the local area, the group eventually earned a record deal and set to work on its debut album.

First charting on August 27, 1977, "Boogie Nights" was the first of three Top 20 singles for the multinational, interracial group Heatwave formed in Germany by Johnnie and Keith Wilder of Dayton, Oh. It was the first single from Heatwave's 1977 debut album Too Hot To Handle, which first charted on Aug. 6, 1977, climbing to #11 on the Hot 200 album chart and remaining on the chart for 45 weeks. It was certified a platinum million-seller by the RIAA on Dec. 12, 1977.

The first single released from Too Hot To Handle was "Boogie Nights." The song, written by Rod Temperton, was notable for the distinctive jazz bookends featured on the single. After reaching #2 in Great Britain, the band made a play for America. Entering the charts at #93, the single danced its way to platinum sales and a two-week reign at the #2 position -- one of four artists' singles kept from #1 by Debby Boone's 10-week chart-topping juggernaut, "You Light Up My Life." The song also climbed to #5 on the R&B charts and earned a Grammy nomination for Best Group R&B Performance, which it lost to The Emotions' "Best Of My Love."

But while Heatwave was heating up the charts, things weren't so calm inside the band. In the spring of 1978, Temperton decided to retire from touring, although he continued to write for the group. The band's next hit was the #18 ballad "Always And Forever," which was later covered by acts like Whistle and Luther Vandross. "The Groove Line" returned the band to the Top 10, peaking at #7, but it marked the end of the group's pop-chart career. The tragedies, however, continued. Mario Mantese left the group in 1978 after he was involved in an auto accident. A year later, group-cofounder Johnnie Wilder was tragically paralyzed from the neck down in another car accident, and though he continued to record with the group he was unable to tour. J. D. Nicholas was recruited as an additional singer, but he left in 1982 to replace Lionel Richie in The Commodores.

Rod Temperton enjoyed the greatest post-Heatwave career, writing chart-topping hits like the Patti Austin/James Ingram duet "Baby, Come To Me," Michael Jackson's "Rock With You," and George Benson's "Give Me The Night." After leaving Heatwave in 1978, he began working with Jackson's producer Quincy Jones and wrote the Top 10 title songs of Jackson's 1979 album Off the Wall and his best-selling 1982 album, Thriller. He also penned songs for Karen Carpenter, Aretha Franklin, Herbie Hancock and more.

But "Boogie Nights" wasn't forgotten. In 1998, the song's title was borrowed as the title for a popular film about the porn industry starring Mark Wahlberg and Burt Reynolds, even though the song didn't actually appear in the movie.

Temperton went on to co-write "Miss Celie's Blues (Sister)," from the soundtrack of The Color Purple, for which he received an Oscar nomination, and contributed several songs to the Billy Crystal-Gregory Hines comedy Running Scared. Sometimes known as "the invisible man" for his behind-the-scenes role, Temperton had been described as a "reclusive, Grammy-winning genius who has always shunned the spotlight," rarely seen in public and rarely photographed. He died on Sept. 25, 2016, after a brief aggressive battle with cancer. He was 66.

- Christopher G. Feldman, The Billboard Book of No. 2 Singles, Billboard, 2000.

 

 Reader's Comments

No comments so far, be the first to comment.