Happy Birthday Johnnie Wilder

The year was 1978. I was 16 years old and just started working as an intern at WDKX radio in Rochester, NY. One of the perks of working at a radio station was getting free concert tickets. Mr. Langston gave everyone on the staff tickets to see the Commodores (for you youngins, Lionel Richie was the lead singer). This group was one of the hottest acts out there! Every song they released went #1 on the R&B charts! And the fact that I had a crush on Lionel Richie was the cherry on the sundae. I couldn't wait to see this show!! Other than Lionel sitting at a white baby grand piano rising in the air with fog coming out of it while singing "Three Times A Lady", I really don't remember the groups performance that night. Why? Heatwave!

We were standing on the floor of the War Memorial (now called the Blue Cross Arena) awaiting the start of the show.  I was excited to see the opening act, Heatwave.   Their singles "Boogie Nights" and the newest popular wedding ballad "Always and Forever" were both wildly popular and had gone platinum in the US. Their "Too Hot To Handle" album was in heavy rotation in my bedroom.  Seeing them perform live that night was an amazing experience!!!  The showmanship, vocals and energy were out of this world!
But for me, the thing that stood out the most was the performance of lead singer, Johnnie Wilder!!! This man was BEYOND AMAZING!!  He had a voice like an angel on the ballads and never missed a note on the uptempo songs all while dancing across the stage and climbing and jumping off the 20 foot tall speakers!  Not one person in the 8 thousand people on hand sat down once while they were on stage! To this day, I've only attended one concert where the opening act out performed the headliner - Prince over Rick James.  Mr. Wilder was the reason why!

Since Heatwave became a new favorite of mine, I started to follow their career, buy all of their new music and researched them. Johnnie was the brainchild of the group, starting it in Germany after retiring from the Army.  His work ethic rivaled most - He was a true perfectionist! Keyboard player the late Rod Temperton wrote the majority of their hits. He really didn't like performing in front of people. He was a bit on the shy side, so he stopped performing with the band, but continued to write for them, as well as other artists like Michael Jackson, Quincy Jones, The Brothers Johnson and George Benson. Temperton was a songwriting BEAST!! Their next two albums did well with "Central Heating" going #2 on the R&B charts.

In 1979, tragedy struck...Johnnie was in a car accident that left him paralyzed from the neck down. He was no longer able to perform with the group.  Ironically, the group replaced him with JD Nicholas who later went on to replace Lionel Richie in the Commodores. Without its founder, brainchild and heart of the group, it was the end of the road for Heatwave. Wilder had a brief stint in the gospel arena, but passed away in 2006.

"Saved" -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_1WkqzXAQdE

If you have a chance, check out some of the songs in their catalog.  Unless you are a super-fan like me, you probably haven't heard most of their music. Some of their best songs never made it to radio!

"Too Hot To Handle" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9AbllzWQRQ  - An example of their electrifying stage performances

"Always and Forever" -  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d3DSQTDGMxY

"Star of a Story" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7V1aOMJvB3Y - My personal favorite

"Sho Nuff Must Be Love" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EPxhxfE-sy0

"Lay It On Me" - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mnn39YLs4P0

I could list a dozen more, but will end here. Happy Birthday, Johnnie. I will continue to celebrate your bday every year! I pray you resting in internal peace......

Heatwave but especially Johnny Wilder have made The Dean's List

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