Roy Ayers

Roy Edward Ayers Jr. (September 10, 1940 – March 4, 2025) was an American vibraphonist, record producer, and composer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several studio albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped to pioneer jazz-funk. He was a key figure in the acid jazz movement, and has been described as "The Godfather of Neo Soul". He was best known for his compositions " Everybody Loves the Sunshine", "Running Away", and "Freaky Deaky" and others that charted in the 1970s. At one time, Ayers was listed among the performers whose music was most often sampled by rappers.

Early life

Roy Edward Ayers Jr. was born in Los Angeles on September 10, 1940. He grew up in a family of musicians, where his father played trombone and his mother played piano. At the age of five, he was given his first pair of vibraphone mallets by Lionel Hampton. The area of Los Angeles that Ayers grew up in, South Park (later known as South Central) was at the center of the Southern California Black music scene. He attended Thomas Jefferson High School that formed a formative part of the Central Avenue jazz scene. During high school, Ayers sang in the church choir and fronted a band named the Latin Lyrics, in which he played steel guitar and piano. His high school, Thomas Jefferson High School, produced various talented musicians, such as Dexter Gordon.

Career

1960s–1980s

Ayers started recording as a bebop sideman in 1962. In 1963, he released his debut studio album ''West Coast Vibes'' featuring a collaboration with the saxophonist Curtis Amy. He rose to prominence when he dropped out of Los Angeles City College and joined jazz flautist Herbie Mann in 1966.

In the early 1970s, Ayers formed his own band, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, a name he chose because ubiquity meant a state of being everywhere at the same time.

Ayers was responsible for the highly regarded soundtrack to Jack Hill's 1973 blaxploitation film '' Coffy'', which starred Pam Grier. He played Elgin in '' Idaho Transfer'' the same year. He later moved from a jazz-funk sound to R&B, as heard on '' Mystic Voyage'' (1975), which featured the songs "Evolution" and the underground disco hit "Brother Green (The Disco King)", as well as the title track from his studio album '' Everybody Loves the Sunshine'' (1976).

In 1977, Ayers produced an album by the group RAMP, ''Come into Knowledge''. That fall, he had his biggest hit with "Running Away".

In late 1979, Ayers scored his only top ten single on ''Billboard's'' Hot Disco/Dance chart with "Don't Stop the Feeling", which was also the leadoff single from his studio album '' No Stranger to Love'' (1980). The title track was sampled in Jill Scott's 2000 song "Watching Me" from her debut studio album '' Who Is Jill Scott?: Words and Sounds Vol. 1''.

In the late 1970s, Ayers toured Nigeria for six weeks with Afrobeat innovator Fela Kuti, one of Africa's best known musicians. In 1980, Phonodisk released ''Music of Many Colors'' in Nigeria, featuring one side led by Ayers' group and the other led by Africa '70.

In 1981, Ayers produced a studio album for the singer Sylvia Striplin, '' Give Me Your Love'' (Uno Melodic Records, 1981). That same year he released his own studio album, '' Africa, Center of the World,'' on Polydor Records along with James Bedford and Ayers's bassist William Henry Allen. Allen can be heard talking to his daughter on the track "Intro/The River Niger". The album was recorded at the Sigma Sound Studios in Philadelphia, PA.

In 1982, Ayers collaborated with Rick James for the album '' Throwin' Down'', appearing in the opening track "Dance Wit' Me" in a vibraphone solo. They are said to have been close friends.

In 1984, he released the studio album ''In the Dark,'' released by Columbia Records and produced by bassist Stanley Clarke. The album produced the 12" single release "Love Is in the Feel" which, along with other tracks on the album, promoted the use of a LinnDrum, an instrument which gained enormous popularity among pop and jazz-funk musicians from 1982 to 1985. At this time Ayers' music was promoted extensively by UK BBC Radio 1 disc jockey (DJ) Robbie Vincent.

Ayers performed a solo on John "Jellybean" Benitez's production of Whitney Houston's " Love Will Save the Day" from her second multi-Platinum studio album '' Whitney''. The single was released in July 1988 by Arista Records.

Ayers has played his live act for millions of people across the globe, including Japan, Australia, England, and other parts of Europe.

Ayers was known for helping to popularize feel-good music in the 1970s. He stated "I like that happy feeling all of the time, so that ingredient is still there. I try to generate that because it's the natural way I am". This philosophy was reflected throughout all his musical output, whether it was funk, salsa, jazz, rock, soul or hip-hop.

1990s–2020s

In 1992, Ayers released two studio albums, ''Drive'' and ''Wake Up'', for the hip-hop label Ichiban Records. In 1993, he appeared on the record '' Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol. 1'', playing vibraphone on the song "Take a Look (At Yourself)". The following year he appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album '' Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool''. The album, intended to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in the African-American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by ''Time'' magazine.

During the 2000s and 2010s, Ayers ventured into house music, collaborating with such stalwarts of the genre as Masters at Work and Kerri Chandler. He founded two record labels, Uno Melodic and Gold Mink Records. The first released several studio albums, including Sylvia Striplin's, while the second folded after a few singles.
In 2004, Ayers put out a collection of unreleased recordings called ''Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased recordings 1976–1981'', which allowed fans to hear cuts that did not make it onto the Polydor albums from his more popular years. He also worked in collaborations with soul singer Erykah Badu and other artists on his 2004 album ''Mahogany Vibes''.

Ayers hosted the fictitious radio station "Fusion FM" in the video game ''Grand Theft Auto IV'' (2008).

In 2015, he played vibraphone on Tyler, the Creator's fourth studio album '' Cherry Bomb'' on the track "Find Your Wings". He continued to perform live until 2023.

Personal life and death

Ayers married his wife Argerie in the early 1970s and together they had three children. He also had a son, the writer Nabil Ayers, with a woman who asked to have a child with no strings attached. His daughter Ayana had also been managing him recently until his death.

Ayers died at a hospital in Manhattan, New York, on March 4, 2025, at the age of 84, after suffering from a long illness.

Awards and influence

A documentary, ''The Roy Ayers Project,'' featuring Ayers and artists who had sampled his music or had been influenced by him and his music, had been in development for several years. The Roy Ayers Project was rebranded as "Roy Ayers Connection", highlighting Ayers and all the people and things he was connected to.

Pharrell Williams cited Ayers as one of his key musical heroes.

Ayers was a recipient of the Congress of Racial Equality Lifetime Achievement Award.

Discography

As leader

* ''West Coast Vibes'' (United Artists, 1963) Roy Ayers (b. 1940) Discography. American funk, soul and jazz vibraphone player, composer and producer.
Discogs.
* '' Virgo Vibes'' (Atlantic, 1967)
* '' Stoned Soul Picnic'' (Atlantic, 1968)
* '' Daddy Bug'' (Atlantic, 1969)
* ''All Blues'' (Roy Ayers Quartet, Columbia, 1969)
* ''Unchain My Heart'' (Roy Ayers Quartet, Columbia, 1970) Roy Ayers Quartet Discography.
Discogs.
* ''Ubiquity'' (Polydor, 1970)
* ''Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival'' (Polydor, 1972)
* ''He's Coming'' (Polydor, 1972) Roy Ayers Discography.
AllMusic.
* ''Virgo Red'' (Polydor, 1973)
* ''Red Black & Green'' (Polydor, 1973)
* '' Coffy'' (1973)
* '' Change Up the Groove'' (Polydor, 1974)
* '' Mystic Voyage'' (Polydor, 1975)
* ''A Tear to a Smile'' (Polydor, 1975)
* ''Daddy Bug & Friends'' (Atlantic, 1976)
* '' Everybody Loves the Sunshine'' (Polydor, 1976)
* '' Vibrations'' (Polydor, 1976)
* '' Lifeline'' (Polydor, 1977)
* '' You Send Me'' (Polydor, 1978)
* ''Step in to Our Life'' (Polydor, 1978)
* ''Starbooty'' (Elektra, 1978) Starbooty LP (Item 27625) Elektra, 1978.
note: "Recorded around the same time as the RAMP album." Dusty Groove.
* '' Let's Do It'' (Polydor, 1978)
* ''Fever'' (Polydor, 1979)
* '' No Stranger to Love'' (Polydor, 1979)
* '' Love Fantasy'' (Polydor, 1980)
* '' Africa, Center of the World'' (Polydor, 1981)
* '' Feeling Good'' (Polydor, 1982)
* ''Lots of Love'' (Uno Melodic, 1983)
* ''In the Dark'' (Columbia, 1984)
* '' You Might Be Surprised'' (Columbia, 1985)
* ''I'm the One'' (Columbia, 1987)
* ''Drive'' (Ichiban, 1988)
* ''Wake Up'' (Ichiban, 1989)
* ''Searchin' '' (Jazz House, 1991)
* ''Hot'' (Jazz House, 1992)
* ''Good Vibrations'' (Jazz House, 1993)
* ''The Essential Groove Live'' (Jazz House, 1994)
* ''Nasté'' (RCA Records, 1995)
* ''Mahogany Vibe'' (Rapster, 2004)
* ''King of the Vibes'' (2011)

References

External links

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Ayers, Roy
1940 births
2025 deaths
African-American male singer-songwriters
American male singer-songwriters
American dance musicians
American jazz vibraphonists
American funk singers
American rhythm and blues singers
Musicians from Los Angeles
Muse Records artists
Soul-jazz musicians
Polydor Records artists
Ichiban Records artists
Verve Records artists
Atlantic Records artists
Singer-songwriters from California
Fela Kuti
20th-century African-American male singers
20th-century American male singers
20th-century American singers
21st-century African-American male singers
21st-century American male singers
Barely Breaking Even artists