Born in Washington, D.C., soul singer Bobby Thurston launched his career while still in high school, supplying vocals and congas to the local group Spectrum Ltd. Writers and producers Willie Lester and Rodney Brown discovered him during a live performance and promptly signed him to help assemble a roster modeled on Philadelphia International. His debut album, Sweetest Piece of the Pie, appeared in 1978 and stayed firmly within the smooth, mellow Philly soul idiom, bolstered by keyboardist and arranger Al Johnson. Subsequent releases on Prelude shifted toward a steadier disco focus, beginning with the 1980 double-sided 12-inch club smash “You Got What It Takes”/“Check Out the Groove.” The accompanying LP You Got What It Takes proved his strongest commercial performer, yet the 1981 follow-up The Main Attraction met with far less success, after which Thurston receded from sight as the disco era waned.
