Rod Temperton: The Invisible Man
When you think of the greatest songwriters of all time, who is the first that comes to mind? John Lennon, Paul McCartney, Elton John, Michael Jackson. This is the story of probably the biggest unknown, underrated songwriter of all time: Rod Temperton.
You've heard the songs. You know the musicians. You know the producers. But did you know that Rod Temperton is the mastermind behind such hits as Michael Jackson's “Rock With You” and “Thriller”? The Brothers Johnson’s “Stomp!” George Benson's “Give Me the Night” and Rufus and Chaka Khan's “Master Jam.”
Not only did Rod write all these songs, but the names of the songs went on to become the actual names of the albums themselves, including Michael Jackson’s “Off The Wall."
Rod Temperton was born in a small village in England in 1949 of modest means. In the early 70s he moved to Germany where he met Johnny Wilder, the founder of the band Heatwave.
Heatwave was an all black disco funk band that formed in 1976. Rod auditioned to be their keyboard player and went on to write all of Heatwave’s songs.
After Heatwave’s second album in 1978, Rod Temperton caught the eye of the legendary producer Quincy Jones. At the time Quincy was producing Rufus and Chaka Khan’s new album and had just begun working with Michael Jackson to produce his first adult solo album which later would be called “Off The Wall.”
Quincy asked Rod to write one song for Michael and one song for Rufus and Chaka Khan. Being up for the challenge, he came back with two songs for Rufus and Chaka Khan and three for Michael.
Rod had many top 10 hits in both England and America with Heatwave, but he finally achieved a number one hit with Michael Jackson's “Rock With You.” Rod had originally written “Rock With You” for Heatwave, but it was never a completed song until working with Michael.
Going into the 80s Rod Temperton was a permanent fixture in Quincy Jones's musical world. By 1982, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones had begun to record which would go onto become the biggest selling album of all time, “Thriller.”
Again, Rod was called upon to write a few tracks for the new album. The song “Thriller” was originally titled “Starlight” (wise decision to change the name) and would become Rod’s crowning achievement in songwriting.
After the success of “Thriller,” Rod took a step back from songwriting, only writing occasionally for other Quincy Jones’ artists and officially retired by the end of the 80s.
How a skinny nerdy looking white guy from the middle of England ended up writing some of the greatest R&B funk disco hits of all time is beyond thought. Rod Temperton is a legendary story of an underrated music writer that never received enough credit for his work. Rod was happy with that. He never craved the spotlight. He led a quiet life with his wife until his death in 2016. He wanted to be the invisible man.
Rod wrote many more songs for tons of different singers (Up to seven hours worth of music), but there’s too many to put in one playlist. These are his biggest hits.
You know what's funny, I actually own all the vinyl to all the songs on this playlist.
Here is a Rod Temperton tribute after his passing in 2016 from the BBC.
YouTube Playlist - Rod Temperton: The Invisible Man
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