I want to ask you. Do you remember where you were when you first heard the song ‘Boogie Nights’ by Heatwave? I sure do. It was Saturday night and I was at Studio 47 in San Jose, California. I remember the club had two sides to it. One side was for 21 years or older and the other side was for 16 to 20 years. I was on the 16 to 20 year side and couldn’t wait to get on the other side. The guys looked better. The next day I went to Eastridge Mall in San Jose the and bought the album ‘Too Hot to Handle’. That was my intro to this funk/disco band of the 70s and 80s.
Well one of the creative remembers of Heatwave, Rod Temperton died in late September of 2016 at the age of 66. He was a phenomenal songwriter and keyboardist. This English man from Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, wrote or had his hand in most of the hits for Heatwave. Songs like Boogie Nights, Always and Forever, Groove Line, Mind Blowing Decisions and Ain't No Half Steppin. Temperton not only wrote hits for Heatwave. He started working with the one and only Michael Jackson in 1978 and wrote Thriller, Off the Wall, Baby Be Mine, The Lady in My Life, Rock With You and Burn This Disco Out. Temperton amazing talent will be missed but never forgotten. I know when I hear any of the songs he wrote, I will definitely smile. R.I.P
Women love Will Downing. And men love the women who
love Will Downing. In his two decade recording career, the Brooklyn
native has carved for himself a solid career as one of the leading
purveyors of unapologetic, unabashed romantic music. And while this has
not translated to crossover success – or even to broad urban radio
success – it has gained for Downing a solid musical legacy and a rabidly
loyal following of, well…women.
Celebrating his new release Euphoria, Downing had his first national
exposure as a popular backing vocalist in the 80s before signing with
Island Records. He recorded two modestly successful albums and had a
minor hit with a cover of "A Love Supreme" before releasing his breakout
1991 album A Dream Fulfilled. It was a marvelous disc that showed
Downing not only possessed a fine baritone voice but that he was also
was an excellent song stylist, deftly handling such diverse songs as
War's "The World Is A Ghetto" and Paul Davis's "I Go Crazy" and
providing a stunning, definitive version of Angela Bofill's "I Try."
Both the "I Try" single and the album hit the Urban top 25, and critical
acclaim for the disc abounded.
A Dream Fulfilled began a period where Downing found his musical
identity and was the first of a string of successful albums that focused
on smooth, romantic music, mostly ballads. Sometimes unfairly lumped
with his friend Luther Vandross, Downing was actually creating his own
brand of love music that was less urban and much jazzier. And though
Downing's songs were also more sensual than Vandross's, he shared
Luther's sensibilities, singing to women on a truly romantic level that
clearly went beyond the physical.
In the 90s and early 00s, Downing recorded frequently on multiple record
labels. He became a regular at the top of the contemporary jazz charts
and released a number of solid albums (perhaps the best of which was his
album of duets with saxophonist Gerald Albright, Pleasures of the
Night) with only one miscue (All the Man You Need, his lone album on
Motown and an ill-advised attempt at an "urban" sound).
In early 2007, Will contracted a rare muscular disease, Polymyositis,
which sidelined him for most of the year. It was a devastating attack,
forcing Downing into a wheelchair for most of the year, and causing him
to lose nearly 100 pounds. Despite the setback, he was determined to
complete his debut album for Peak Records, After Tonight, for which he
had recorded four songs prior to his illness. During the Spring of 2007,
Will worked from his home putting down vocals despite severe weakness
and fatigue. He would say it was "the hardest thing I've ever done,"
occasionally moving from chair to bed to complete a vocal piece. But out
of this situation came another five wonderful songs, including the
album's gem, "God Is So Amazing," a simple, melodic testimony of faith
during difficult times. After Tonight became another fine addition to
Downing's growing discography, and "God Is So Amazing" stood as one of
the year's best songs.
In 2009, fully recovered, Downing began work on Classique, a new album
of originals and three cover songs, with producer Rex Rideout at the
helm. The disc was released in June 2009 to positive reviews. And in
2010, he issued one of his most ambitious projects, an "audio novel"
called Lust, Love and Lies, that detailed a relationship going through
various stages, with spoken interludes between a very strong batch of
songs. It was released to enthusiastic reviews.
Looking back over the last two decades, Will Downing has established
himself as one of the most consistent, soulful singers of his era and
arguably, with the unfortunate death of Luther Vandross, as today's
leading provider of romantic, soulful music.
