Musical News - Keith Wilder of Heatwave

Keith Wilder of Heatwave passed away of natural causes on October  29, 2017, at the approximate age of 65. Keith and his brother Johnnie (of Dayton, OH), along with Rod Temperton (England), Mario Mantese (Switzerland), Ernest Berger (Czechoslovakia), Eric Johns (Jamaica) and Roy Carter (Britain), formed Heatwave in 1975. The group was hugely successful until 1983, when they disbanded. They were known for several club hits such as “The Groove Line” (1978), “Boogie Nights” (1977) and the monstrous “Always and Forever” (1976).

Keith was singing in a band in his native Dayton when his brother called upon him to join the Chicago Heatwave in London. The rest, as they say, is history.

The band reconstituted in 1988 and again in the mid-1990s, with only Keith Wilder as an original member. I guess one could say he was drawn to the music. Keith was predeceased in death by his brother Johnnie in 2006 and by Rod Temperton in 2016.

As much as I love music I cannot really say I have a very favorite group, but Heatwave was certainly one of my favorite groups in the latter half of the 1970s, definitely my favorite decade.

I and millions of other fans will love Heatwave’s “Always and Forever” always!

 

 

 

Keith Wilder [c. 1950 – 10/29/2017]
© 10/31/2017

Musical News - Antoine "Fats" Domino

Antoine “Fats” Domino Jr., rock and roll pioneer, died at the age of 89 on October 24, 2017, of natural causes. He was born in New Orleans, LA on February 26, 1928. His father was a well known violinist and Fats learned to play the piano at an early age. At 19, he joined the Solid Senders, a band led by Billy Diamond, who gave him the nickname “Fats”.

During the early years of his career, he had at least five hit records which sold over a million copies, and ultimately he had 35 songs on the U.S. Billboard Top 40 list. “Ain’t That a Shame” (1955) crossed over onto the pop charts, and was covered by other artists. He in turn covered “Blueberry Hill” (1956), which reached no. 1 on the R&B charts. It sold over 5 million copies worldwide. Over the course of his career, he sold more than 110 million records.

In the 1980s, Fats declared his dislike for touring, stating that he could not get any food that he liked anywhere else other than Louisiana. He lost everything he owned during Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and was temporarily housed in Baton Rouge and in Harvey, LA while his home was being restored.

Fats was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 1986, one of the first musicians inducted. He was awarded the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award in 1987. In 1998, he was awarded the National Medal of Arts. In 2004, Rolling Stone magazine ranked him on its list of the 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. January 12, 2007 was declared the "Fats Domino Day” in New Orleans. Fats was awarded the Offbeat Magazine Lifetime Achievement Award, also in 2007. He was inducted into the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and into the Delta Music Museum Hall of Fame. His Medal of Arts was replaced after Katrina, as well as his lost gold records.

While visiting New Orleans in 2015, I went to the Louisiana State Museum (formerly the Presbytère) across from Jackson Square, wherein one of Domino’s personal pianos was housed.

In this instance, the word “legend” doesn’t quite cover it.

 

 Fats Domino [02/26/1928 – 10/24/2017]

© 10/25/2017