Bobby Thurston

Soul singer Bobby Thurston was a native of Washington, D.C., and got his start singing and playing congas with a group called Spectrum Ltd. in his high school years. He caught his break when writers/producers Willie Lester and Rodney Brown heard him sing live, and signed him as part of their attempt to forge a stable of artists in the vein of Philadelphia International. Thurston recorded his first album, Sweetest Piece of the Pie, in 1978, and it was very much in the smooth, mellow Philly soul vein, with help from keyboardist/arranger Al Johnson. Thurston's subsequent recordings for Prelude were more consistently disco-oriented, starting with 1980's double-sided 12" club smash "You Got What It Takes"/"Check Out the Groove." The accompanying LP, You Got What It Takes, became his biggest seller, but the 1981 follow-up, The Main Attraction, was less successful, and Thurston faded from view as disco died out.