Rodney Lynn Temperton

Rodney Lynn Temperton net worth is $125 Million. Also know about Rodney Lynn Temperton bio, salary, height, age weight, relationship and more …

Rodney Lynn Temperton Wiki Biography

Rodney Lynn Temperton was born on 9 October 1949, in Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, and was an English songwriter, record producer and musician, best known as the keyboardist and main songwriter of the band Heatwave, and for writing two of Michael Jackson’s biggest hits, “Thriller” and “Rock With You”.

A noted songwriter, how wealthy was Rod Temperton? According to sources, Temperton had amassed a net worth of over $125 million, acquired largely through his involvement in music. His assets included homes in Los Angeles, the south of France, Switzerland, Fiji and the south east of England.

Temperton grew up in Lincolnshire where he attended De Aston Grammar School in Market Rasen. While at school, he was a drummer who formed a group for the school’s music competitions.

Upon his matriculation, he began to work in a frozen food company, but concurrently he started to play keyboards in several dance bands. Then in 1974, he met Johnnie Wilder, who at the time was forming a band. The two began performing in London clubs under the name Chicago Heatwave, with Rod as both the keyboardist and the main songwriter of the band.

Soon Wilder’s brother, Keith Wilder, joined them on vocals, and they became known as Heatwave. In 1976 the band signed with GTO Records, gaining additional members and releasing their debut album “Too Hot to Handle” the same year in the UK, and in 1977 in the USA. It spawned the hit singles “Boogie Night” and “Always and Forever”, both going platinum. Their second album, the 1978 “Central Heating”, contained another platinum hit, “The Groove Line”. The band’s popularity started to grow, which greatly contributed to Temperton’s net worth.

However, in the late ’70s he decided to leave Heatwave, but continued to write songs for them, as well as for various other artists, quickly establishing himself as one of the major songwriters in the industry.

In 1979, Temperton began a long collaboration with Quincy Jones. At the same time, Michael Jackson was working on his first solo album in four years, entitled “Off the Wall”, and Jones chose Temperton to write songs for it. He wrote three songs, including “Rock with You” which became one of the biggest hits of the star. They continued their collaboration on Jackson’s 1982 album “Thriller”, with Temperton providing the same amount of material as for the previous album, including the spectacular title song. “Thriller” became the biggest-selling album of all time, with uncorroborated sales surpassing 65 million copies, and winning eight Grammys. Temperton’s involvement in Jackson’s albums significantly improved his status, and considerably added to his net worth.

Aside from Jackson, Temperton also collaborated and wrote songs for other major names in music, such as Rufus & Chaka Khan, the Brothers Johnson, George Benson, Patti Austin, Donna Summer, Mica Paris among others, which also contributed to his fame and fortune. His work on “Birdland” from Quincy Jones’s album “Back on the Block” earned him a Grammy Award.

Along with Jones and Lionel Richie, Temperton wrote the song “Miss Celie’s Blues (Sister)” for the 1985 film “The Color Purple”, which earned him a nomination for the Best Original Song Oscar, and for Best Original Score. He then wrote five songs and composed the score of the 1986 film “Running Score”.

When it comes to his personal life, Temperton was married to Kathy until his death from cancer in 2016, but other details regarding his private life remain unknown to the public.

IMDB Wikipedia “Back on the Block” (1989) “Central Heating” (1978) “Too Hot to Handle” (1976) $125 Million Rufus & Chaka Khan 1947 Academy Award for Best Original Song ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films/Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures(1987) Cleethorpes De Aston School Donna Summer George Benson Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song – Motion Picture (1987) Grammy Award for Best Arrangement Instrumental Or A Cappella Instrumental Or A Cappella (1991) Johnnie Wilder Jr. Keith Wilder Mica Paris Musician October 15 Off the Wall (1979) Original Score (1986) Original Song/Best Music Oscar for Best Music Patti Austin Producers R. Temperton Record producer Rod Temperton Rod Temperton Net Worth Rodney Lynn Temperton Rufus & Chaka Khan Songwriter The Brothers Johnson The Color Purple (1985) Thriller (1982) United Kingdom

Rodney Lynn Temperton Quick Info

Full Name Rod Temperton
Net Worth $125 Million
Date Of Birth October 9, 1949 Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England
Died September/October 2016 (aged 66) London, England
Profession Record producer, Songwriter, Musician
Education De Aston Grammar School, Market Rasen
Nationality British
Spouse Kathy Temperton
Nicknames R. Temperton , Rodney Lynn Temperton
IMDB http://www.imdb.com/name/nm0854644
Allmusic www.allmusic.com/artist/rod-temperton-mn0000293897
Awards Grammy Award for Best Arrangement, Instrumental Or A Cappella (1991), ASCAP Award for Top Box Office Films/Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures(1987)
Record Labels Warner/Chappell, Epic Records, GTO Records
Albums “Back on the Block” (1989), “The Color Purple” (1985), “Thriller” (1982), “Off the Wall” (1979), “Too Hot to Handle” (1976), “Central Heating” (1978)
Nominations Oscar for Best Music, Original Song/Best Music, Original Score (1986), Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song – Motion Picture (1987)
Movies Running Scared (1986)

Rodney Lynn Temperton Important Facts

  • Wrote for Michael Jackson, George Benson, Quincy Jones, Aretha Franklin, Donna Summer, Manhattan Transfer, Lionel Richie, Karen Carpenter and countless others.
  • Extraordinarily prolific, yet self-effacing British songwriter who began as a singer while serving with the US army in West Germany. He was subsequently a member of several groups, including Sundown Carousel (in Germany) and The Hammer. His first claim to fame was a s keyboardist for the funk band Heatwave. Temperton was recruited by Quincy Jones in 1978 as a songwriter and formed a successful partnership with Jones and recording engineer Bruce Swedien, dubbed The A-Team’. Among his numerous hits are the title track for Michael Jackson’s ‘Off the Wall’, plus ‘Rock With You’ and ‘Give Me the Night’ (1980, a George Benson mega hit).
  • Wrote and recorded his band Heatwave’s R&B hit “Always and Forever” (1977) that was memorably covered by Luther Vandross in 1995.
  • Was the keyboard player for Heatwave.
  • Songwriter. His songs were recorded by George Benson Donna Summer and Herbie Hancock before he was used by Quincy Jones for Michael Jackson.

Rodney Lynn Temperton Filmography

Title Year Status Character Role
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon 2016 TV Series writer – 2 episodes Soundtrack
Lucha Mexico 2016 Documentary writer: “THRILLER” Soundtrack
Britain’s Got Talent 2012-2016 TV Series writer – 4 episodes Soundtrack
Tvoje tvár má známý hlas 2016 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Amor & Sexo 2016 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Benidorm 2016 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Michael Jackson’s Journey from Motown to Off the Wall 2016 Documentary writer: “Burn This Disco Out”, “Off The Wall”, “Rock With You” – as Rodney Lynn Temperton, uncredited Soundtrack
Mike & Mike 2015 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Magic Mike XXL 2015 writer: “The Groove Line” Soundtrack
The 10 Faces of Michael Jackson 2015 TV Movie documentary writer: “Rock With You” 1979, “Thriller” 1983 Soundtrack
Halloween on Dartmoor 2014 Video short writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Strictly Come Dancing 2014 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Samba 2014 writer: “Stomp” Soundtrack
Ochéntame… otra vez 2014 TV Series documentary writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Danville 2nd Ward Young Men 2010-2014 TV Series writer – 2 episodes Soundtrack
Born to Be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock 2014 TV Series documentary writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Anchorman 2: The Legend Continues 2013 writer: “The Groove Line” Soundtrack
EastEnders 2013 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Halloween Thriller: Rise of the Zombie 2013 Short writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Tu cara me suena – Argentina 2013 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
t Schaep met de 5 pooten 2013 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Twenty Feet from Stardom 2013 Documentary writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno 2011-2012 TV Series writer – 4 episodes Soundtrack
One Hit Wonderland 2012 TV Series documentary writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
220 Volts 2012 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
No me la puc treure del cap 2010-2012 TV Series writer – 3 episodes Soundtrack
Los nuevos y clásicos bloopers 2012 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Tu cara me suena 2011 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
The X Factor 2007-2011 TV Series writer – 4 episodes Soundtrack
Thriller Night 2011 Short writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
American Dad! 2011 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
20 to 1 2007-2011 TV Series documentary writer – 4 episodes Soundtrack
Tosh.0 2011 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Glee 2011 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
X Factor 2010 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Formula 1: BBC Sport 2010 TV Series writer – 2 episodes Soundtrack
The Art Of… When You’re Hot, Young, Poor and a Filmmaker! 2010 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
The 5 O’Clock Show 2010 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
SOKO Stuttgart 2010 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Live from Studio Five 2010 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Gopnik 2010 Short writer: “Gopnik” Soundtrack
This Is It 2009 Documentary writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Dancing with the Stars 2006-2009 TV Series writer – 3 episodes Soundtrack
Welcome to the 80’s 2009 TV Series documentary writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
This Morning 2009 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Jangan pandang belakang congkak 2009 writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Saturday Night Live 2009 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Familjen Babajou 2009 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Witnessing Headlines 2008 Documentary writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Yes Man 2008 writer: “Stomp!” Soundtrack
Banda sonora 2008 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Sex: The Revolution 2008 TV Mini-Series documentary writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Charlie Wilson’s War 2007 writer: “Stomp” Soundtrack
L’isola dei famosi 2007 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Idols 2007 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Your Song 2007 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Karaoke Revolution Presents: American Idol 2007 Video Game “Rock with You” Soundtrack
Australian Idol 2004-2006 TV Series writer – 2 episodes Soundtrack
Yu-Gi-Oh! The Abridged Series 2006 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
The Break-Up 2006 writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
Idols! 2005 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Idols 2005 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Brice de Nice 2005 writer: “Le casse de Brice Give Me the Night”, “Le casse de Brice Radio Mix” Soundtrack
Idol 2004 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Saturday Night Live: The Best of Cheri Oteri 2004 TV Special documentary writer: “Always and Forever” – uncredited Soundtrack
Indonesian Idol 2004 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
13 Going on 30 2004 writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
New Zealand Idol 2004 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
American Idol 2002-2004 TV Series writer – 3 episodes Soundtrack
Pop Idol 2003 TV Series writer – 2 episodes Soundtrack
I Love the ’80s Strikes Back 2003 TV Series documentary writer: “Rock With You” Soundtrack
Canadian Idol 2003 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Living with Michael Jackson: A Tonight Special 2003 TV Special documentary writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
I Love the ’80s 2002 TV Series documentary writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
My Own Private Oshawa 2002 TV Special writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
Night Fever 2001 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Freaks and Geeks 2000 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Boiler Room 2000 writer: “Keepin’ the Faith” Soundtrack
Whatever Happened to Harold Smith? 1999 writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
Summer of Sam 1999 writer: “Boogie Nights” 1975 Soundtrack
Among Giants 1998 writer: “The Groove Line” Soundtrack
Stars in Their Eyes 1993-1997 TV Series writer – 4 episodes Soundtrack
Sprung 1997 writer: “The Secret Garden” Soundtrack
Brit Awards 1996 1996 TV Special writer: “Thriller’ – uncredited Soundtrack
Monte Video 1994 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
South Central 1992 writer: “The Groove Line” Soundtrack
Mystery Science Theater 3000 1991 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Whatever Happened to Mason Reese 1990 Short writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
House Party 1990 lyrics: “Always and Forever” / music: “Always and Forever” Soundtrack
The Super Mario Bros. Super Show! 1989 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Moonwalker 1988 writer: “Rock With You”, “Thriller” Soundtrack
Dynasty 1987 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
DTV Monster Hits 1987 TV Movie writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Running Scared 1986 producer: “Sweet Freedom” / writer: “Sweet Freedom”, “Sweet Freedom” by nm3575178 Soundtrack
The 58th Annual Academy Awards 1986 TV Special writer: “Miss Celie’s Blues Sister” Soundtrack
New American Bandstand 1965 1985 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
The Color Purple 1985 lyrics: “Miss Celie’s Blues Sister”, “Makidada” / music: “Miss Celie’s Blues Sister” / writer: “Sister’s Theme”, “Proud Theme” Soundtrack
Lost in America 1985 writer: “Love Is in Control Finger on the Trigger” Soundtrack
The Magic of David Copperfield VII: Familiares 1985 TV Special writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Shake, Rattle & Roll 1984 writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Revenge of the Nerds 1984 writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
WWF Championship Wrestling 1984 TV Series writer – 2 episodes Soundtrack
Hot Dog… The Movie 1984 writer: “Do You Love Me?” Soundtrack
The Making of ‘Thriller’ 1983 Video documentary writer: “Off The Wall”, “Thriller” Soundtrack
Michael Jackson: Thriller 1983 Video short writer: “Thriller” Soundtrack
Fame TV Series lyrics – 1 episode, 1983 music – 1 episode, 1983 Soundtrack
Donna Summer: A Hot Summer Night 1983 TV Movie writer: “Love Is in Control Finger on the Trigger” Soundtrack
Top of the Pops 1977-1980 TV Series writer – 14 episodes Soundtrack
Skatetown, U.S.A. 1979 writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
Sunburn 1979 writer: “One Night Tan”, “This Night We Fell” Soundtrack
Escape to Athena 1979 writer: “Keep Tomorrow For Me” Soundtrack
The Midnight Special 1979 TV Series writer – 1 episode Soundtrack
Eyes of Laura Mars 1978 writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
The Carpenters… Space Encounters 1978 TV Special writer: “Boogie Nights” Soundtrack
Selvsving Galla 2015 TV Movie music by Music Department
Michael Jackson: 30th Anniversary Celebration 2001 TV Special documentary songs by Music Department
Michael Jackson: HIStory on Film – Volume II 1997 Video documentary composer: song “Thriller” Music Department
Michael Jackson: Video Greatest Hits – HIStory 1995 Video documentary composer: songs “Rock With You” and “Thriller” Music Department
Running Scared 1986 music producer Music Department
Running Scared 1986 Composer
Mexican Thriller 2016 Short in memory of Thanks
Q: The Man 2009 Video documentary Himself Self

Rodney Lynn Temperton Awards

Year Award Ceremony Nomination Movie Category
1987 ASCAP Award ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top Box Office Films The Color Purple (1985) Won
1987 ASCAP Award ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures Running Scared (1986) Won
1987 ASCAP Award ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Top Box Office Films The Color Purple (1985) Nominated
1987 ASCAP Award ASCAP Film and Television Music Awards Most Performed Songs from Motion Pictures Running Scared (1986) Nominated