Heatwave

emerged as one of the disco-era's funkiest dance groups. American serviceman Johnnie Wilder and his brother Keith Wilder were based in West Germany when they first began performing, and upon their discharge from the U.S. Army, the duo stayed in Germany. The brothers sang in clubs and bars with an assortment of bands while still enlisted. By mid-year, the duo decided to relocate to the United Kingdom to link up with songwriter/keyboardist Rod Temperton.

While touring the London club circuit during the mid-1970s, their experience allowed Heatwave to define and refine their music, eschewing straight disco beats for a sound that certainly contained that element, but fused it with a rich funk groove. As a result of their inventive music style, the group signed to GTO (Epic Records) in 1976. They were paired in the studio with GTO house producer/session guitarist Barry Blue and rhythm guitarist Jesse Whitten. Rhythm guitarist Roy Carter replaced Whitten after Whitten was stabbed to death in his hometown of Chicago, Illinois. They began creating their first album Too Hot to Handle in the fall of 1976.

1977 was a big year for Heatwave, as their first single, "Boogie Nights" from their debut album, reached number two on the British pop charts in January (it wouldn't appear on the American radar until later that summer, when it also became a #2 hit in November). The group's long-awaited debut album, Too Hot to Handle, finally appeared in late-spring 1977, giving Heatwave a number eleven hit in the U.S. - it cruised to number five on the R&B charts, while the next single, the sweet soul ballad "Always and Forever", closed out the year with a number two U.S. R&B hit and #18 pop hit in December.

Continuing to use Barry Blue's production skills, Heatwave released their second album Central Heating in April 1978. The album rode firmly on the tails of its single, "The Groove Line," which rocketed up the charts to number seven, leaving the album's other single, the beautiful ballad "Mind Blowing Decisions" gasping for air in its wake.