Famous for the hits Always And Forever and Boogie Nights, Wilder … In 1979 he began a decade-long role as the writing force behind Quincy Jones' greatest productions. 7 pop within three months of its April 1978 release.

It also didn’t help that the band’s creativity seemed stifled after their first couple of albums, both musically and thematically. Their fans were pumped and primed for nearly anything the funky outfit had to offer and the future certainly looked bright for one of the genre’s best new ambassadors. No cause of death has been made public. The ballad “Look After Love” from that same album tried but failed to capture the magic that its more evergreen predecessors “Always and Forever” and “Star Of A Story” had earlier. Heatwave’s first two albums, Too Hot To Handle and Central Heating – each peppered with memorable deep album cuts to go along with the successful hit singles – had impressive sales commensurate with that of the singles. For those reasons we will always forever love Heatwave, and we will miss its co-lead vocalist Keith Wilder. Heck, some pundits might even argue that Heatwave was nothing more than a ‘70s disco/funk band who couldn’t evolve with the changing musical styles of the 1980s, hence their quick demise. The members of Heatwave (circa 1978), from l to r: Mario Mantese, Rod Temperton, Keith Wilder, Johnnie Wilder, Roy Carter, Eric Johns and Ernest Berger. So it is particularly sad to report the death of Keith Wilder, who co-founded and led the group along with his brother Johnny. NBA YoungBoy’s ‘Top’ puts him in this elite hip-hop club – Djrobblog.com, Gladys vs. Patti on Verzuz: Our Round-by-Round Results and Overall Winner, Top 25 Hip-Hop Artists of the Decade: 2010-19, Black History: The Best Romantic R&B Songs By Male-Female Duets (since 1965), Black History: 100 Greatest Black Musicians of All Time - Part I, Black History: The 101 Greatest Songs by Male R&B Groups from the Last True Era of R&B: 1990-2001. He released two gospel albums, My Goal and One More Day, and produced a number of gospel albums for other acts. It was the first of those six albums, however, that introduced us to Keith Wilder’s gruff soulful tenor, as he kicked off “Boogie Nights” thusly: “Ain’t no doubt, we are here to party!”  And it was with that convincing declaration that Heatwave started their platinum party train rolling here in America with a famous trio of singles that each sold between one and two million copies.

Yet as progressive a band as Heatwave was during its day, what with its multicultural background and stellar dance/pop sensibilities – and despite the fact that groups like Average White Band, KC & the Sunshine Band, and Sly & the Family Stone had already paved the way for mixed-race funk and disco bands to gain widespread acceptance in the U.S. – Heatwave’s longtime label, Epic Records (GTO in the U.K.) was reluctant to market the group by its multiracial identity.