- Served in the National Guard.
- Through his collecting he developed one of the biggest, most rarefied stockpiles of music that otherwise would have been lost to history. Reports estimated his collection to be between 15,000 and 25,000 78 rpm records.
- In 1956, Bussard founded the Fonotone Records label to issue new recordings by artists making old-time music, often recording the work himself. Fonotone released titles by a young John Fahey and dozens more during its run. The label was the last one releasing old-time music, and Bussard ended its operations in 1969.
- Was a record collector who helped preserve and celebrate early American blues, country, gospel and folk music.
- Worked with the label Dust to Digital on several projects, including a Fonotone retrospective and a collection of songs from the Civil War.
- He hosted two weekly radio programs in Knoxville, Tennessee and Mount Airy, North Carolina.
- During the 1950s and 1960s he traveled the United States in search of more and more rare 78s, searching estate sales, sometimes buying from dealers, and working on word-of-mouth tips.
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