‘Disco Inferno’ songwriter and guitarist Bobby Eli dies, aged 77
The prolific songwriter, guitarist and arranger was a key member of legendary disco outfit MFSB and shaped the Philadelphia sound
Bobby Eli, Philadelphia International Records mainstay and cofounder of legendary disco outfit MFSB, has died at age 77.
Eli's wife Vonnie confirmed the prolific songwriter, guitarist and arranger's death on 17th August to The Philadelphia Inquirer, citing natural causes not directly linked to his 2017 stroke.
The Spinners, who Eli worked with on songs like 'I’ll Be Around' and 'Could It Be I’m Falling in Love', initially shared the news via Instagram. "His guitar is a signature on so many classic Philly soul hits, including many of our own", the band wrote. "Celebrate his magnificent musical legacy by playing your favorite classic Philadelphia soul jams and be enthralled by one of the greatest guitarists in the realm of soul music, and far beyond."
Lifelong Philadelphian Bobby Eli worked as a session guitarist at Sigma Sound Studios, playing on many of Kenneth Gamble and Leon Huff's Philadelphia International recordings in the 1970s. He featured on hits like O’Jays’ 'Love Train' and 'Back Stabbers' and McFadden & Whitehead’s 'Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now', as well as on Harold Melvin & The Blue Notes' single 'The Love I Lost' with Teddy Pendergrass.
Eli, with more than 30 of Sigma Sound Studios' session musicians, cofounded key Philly soul group MFSB (Mother Father Sister Brother), which went on to top the charts with 'TSOP (The Sound of Philadelphia)', the Soul Train theme. The group also penned and performed the disco classic 'Love Is The Message'. Fellow MFSB member Thom Bell called him “Electronic Eli” for his use of effects pedals and kit. Eli and other members of MFSB shifted to Salsoul Records in the mid '70s to become the Salsoul Orchestra.
"Bobby Eli was one of the greatest guitar players that we have worked with on our PIR label recording sessions", Gamble and Huff said in a statement to The Philadelphia Inquirer. "He definitely as a member of our MFSB band played a key role in the TSOP sound."
Throughout his storied career, Eli worked with the likes of David Bowie, Jay-Z, Curtis Mayfield, Sister Sledge, Issac Hayes, Grace Jones, The Whispers and Hall & Oates, plus Jackie Moore on her hit 'This Time Baby'. Another classic with his credit: The Trammps’ 'Disco Inferno'.
In 2006, Eli opened a recording studio of his own in the Philadephia suburbs, called The Grooveyard, where he nurtured young talent. He was inducted into the Musicians Hall of Fame in 2016.
