ROY AYERS
Genres: Funk Jazz, Soul Jazz, RnB, Eclectic Fusion, Post Bop, Jazz Related Soundtracks • United States

Roy Ayers (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 pioneer jazz-funk. He is a key figure in the acid jazz movement, and has been described as "The Godfather of Neo Soul". He is best known for his compositions "Everybody Loves the Sunshine", "Lifeline", and "No Stranger to Love" and others that charted in the 1970s. At one time Ayers was listed among the performers whose music was most often sampled by rappers.    Ayers was born on September 10, 1940, in Los Angeles. He grew up in a musical family, where his father played trombone and his mother played piano. At the age of five, he was given his first pair read more...