Heartwave

Heatwave Band Members: Johnnie and Keith Wilder, Rod Temperton, Mario Mantese, Ernest Berger, Jesse Whittens, Eric Johns, Roy Carter
Hometown: Various – Europe and America
Biggest Hit Singles: Boogie Nights, number two, 1977, Always And Forever, number nine, 1978
Career Highlights: Top deck celebrity-only performance on Britain’s Ocean Village cruise ship for the 2006 New Year’s Eve Party

The US-born Wilder Brothers formed this world-famous funk band while serving in Germany for the American army. Shortly after they moved to London to join in the excitement of the city’s growing disco club circuit.

Jamming and ceaselessly touring around Britain, Heatwave picked up musicians from far and wide, including the Czech Republic and Spain, which helped to define and refine their music.

In the mid-70s they won a recording contract with Epic, but it all nearly went down the pan when Whittens was murdered before the band had even entered the studio. He was replaced with rhythm guitarist Roy Carter and a pair of singles, Ain't No Half Steppin' and Super Soul Sister appeared before the end of 1976, to be followed by January 1977's anthemic Boogie Nights that rocketed to number two in Britain. The single didn’t appear on the American radar until that summer though. Boogie Nights was later used in Spike Lee’s 1999 film Summer Of Sam.

In 1978, Temperton quit the band and turned songwriter. He went wrote for Herbie Hancock and Quincy Jones but his seminal moment came when he penned Thriller for Michael Jackson in 1982.

The group’s co-founder and lead singer, Johnnie Wilder, died at his Ohio home on 13 May 2006, aged 56.