George Bussey (June 7, 1958 – August 19, 2023) – Yours For The Taking (1979)
This stellar disco jam was co-written by the unsung songwriter, producer and multi-instrumentalist for his debut album Disco Extravaganza Phase 1.
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George Bussey was a very talented but unsung singer/songwriter, arranger, multi-instrumentalist and producer, active during the 1970s and early 80s.
Born on Fort Devens, the former U.S. Army base near Worcester, Massachusetts, Bussey learned to play several instruments growing up, including piano, drums, and trumpet. After moving to Philadelphia, he saw his first song recorded in 1976, a single released on Virtue Records, owned by Frank Virtue who ran a studio that pre-dated Sigma Sound Studios in that city where many of the original members of MSFB got their start playing on recording sessions.
Bussey then played keyboards on Loleatta Holloway’s 1978 album Queen Of The Night and its slamming opening cut “Catch Me On The Rebound” (produced by the Harris Machine aka Baker-Harris-Young for Gold Mind Records, the Salsoul subsidiary run by Norman Harris) alongside an all-star cast of Philly session musicians. The track was memorably remixed by genius New York City DJ and remixer Walter Gibbons.
He next worked on various other projects produced by Baker-Harris-Young, including albums by the Four Tops, the Trammps, and Joe Simon.
Bussey soon got his own record deal with Atlantic. His debut album Disco Extravaganza Phase 1 was released in 1979, which he co-produced with Stan Watson. Its lineup was another who’s who of Philly soul, featuring Harris and Bobby Eli on guitar, Larry Washington on congas, Don Renaldo in charge of the string section, and the Sweethearts of Sigma (Carla Benson, Evette Benton, and Barbara Ingram) on backing vocals. Bussey sang lead and played drums, bass, guitar, clavinet, and saxes on the LP.
Its title track was an epic, thirteen-and-a-half-minute long disco symphony and was released as a 12” single in late 1978 with an instrumental version on the flip.
Other highlights included the Philly disco-soul closing cut “Come On Over Tonight,” which Bussey co-wrote with Buddy Turner (notably re-worked by the late Montreal DJ Robert Ouimet) and the stellar disco jam “Yours For The Taking.”
He never released another full-length album, his career likely cut short by the racist, homophobic, anti-disco backlash that gathered steam during the second half of 1979.
In 1982, Bussey arranged and co-produced an ultra-rare single for vocalist Willie Daniels, “Let Me Get Close To You,” released on the one-off label Dan Lo Equities Inc. He co-wrote its B-side, the phenomenal boogie funk “I've Been Searching,” which was later reissued under the group name Arts & Craft and remixed by Walter Gibbons.
Sadly, Bussey left us just last year, gone too soon at age 65.
Happy Heavenly Birthday to the great George Bussey.
#soul #funk #disco #GeorgeBussey