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Artist
Roy Ayers
12+ albums
funkjazzsouljazz-funkacid jazz
about
Roy Ayers (born Roy Edward Ayers Jr. in Los Angeles, CA, on 10 September 1940; died 4 March 2025) was an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player remembered as a key figure in the acid jazz movement and for his pioneering jazz-funk band Roy Ayers Ubiquity. He was a recipient of the US Congress of Racial Equality Lifetime Achievement Award. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk with his band Roy Ayers Ubiquity. He was a key figure in the acid jazz movement, which is a mixture of jazz into hip-hop and funk, and has been dubbed by many as "The Godfather of Neo Soul". He was well known for his signature compositions "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" and "Searchin", and is also famous for having more sampled hits by rappers than any other artist. Roy Ayers was born in Los Angeles. Thanks to his trombone playing father and piano teaching mother, he became immersed in music from day one and the story goes that he was given his first set of vibe mallets by his hero Lionel Hampton at the age of 5. Constantly performing and recording since the 1960s, he is one of the most famous jazz vibraphonists. He has produced some of the most loved modern soul-jazz records of all time such as, "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", most influential afro-jazz with musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (Africa - Centre Of The World) and
