HEATWAVE

Heatwave was a popular international R&B/Funk band with Americans Johnnie Wilder, Jr. & Keith Wilder (vocals) of Dayton, Ohio, Englishman Rod Temperton (keyboards), Spaniard Mario Mantese (bass), Czechoslovakian drummer Ernest "Bilbo" Berger, Jamaican Eric Johns (guitars) and British guitarist Roy Carter.

They were known for their hits "Boogie Nights" and "Always and Forever" (from their 1977 debut album, Too Hot To Handle), and "The Groove Line" (from their 1978 follow-up album Central Heating).

In late 1979, Temperton left the band but continued to write for them, resulting in the hits "Eyeballin' and "Gangsters Of The Groove". He also became the songwriting lynchpin for Michael Jackson's "Off The Wall" and "Thriller". Also in 1979, Johnnie Wilder, Jr. suffered a car crash and became paralyzed from the chest down. Wilder died on May 13, 2006. His brother Keith fronts a touring version of Heatwave to this day.