Career
Some sources incorrectly spell his name as Guesak. Gussak was a well-respected session drummer, who had been used by Haley on some of his 1953 recordings, including "Real Rock Drive" and "Crazy Manitoba, Crazy" in preference to the Comets" usual live drummer Dick Boccelli (also known as Dick Richards). According to one source, it was record producer Milt Gabler who insisted on using Gussak.
"Gabler, who wanted to stress the big beat sound that he could get from Pythian Temple"s acoustics, brought in his own session drummer.
Beginning with his three rim shots at the start of the record, Gussak would drop echoed snare bombs throughout, giving a dynamic to "Rock Around The Clock" that Haley"s material had never had before."
Gussak later moved to California, where he recorded with Perry Como among others, before retiring due to arthritis. Gussak is also credited with a number of patents in relation to drum design.
He died in 1994.
