Roy Ayers, Vibraphonist And Music Pioneer, Dies At 84
The celebrated musician behind the hit ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’ has died at age 84.
Roy Ayers, the genre-pioneering vibraphonist often called the ‘Godfather of Neo Soul,’ died in Manhattan on Tuesday. He was 84. His death was announced by his son Mtume, who shared that his father died in hospital after a long illness.
Ayers, a Los Angeles native, grew up in a musical family. He got his first pair of vibraphone mallets from the jazz icon Lionel Hampton, who apparently recognized the budding musicality of a then 5-year-old Ayers in the crowd of his show. “At the time,” Ayers later recalled, “my mother and father told me he laid some spiritual vibes on me.”
He went on to become one of the most successful jazz musicians of his generation. While his career got its start in the 1960s bebop world, in the early 70s he founded his band Roy Ayers Ubiquity. The group released 11 albums from 1970 to 1977, incorporating electric instruments and elements of rock and R&B in their approach to jazz. “Roy Ayers is largely responsible for what we deem as ‘neo-soul,’” the producer Adrian Younge, who collaborated with Ayers, once told Clash Magazine. “It was just that groove. That’s not to say people around then weren’t making music with a groove, but he is definitely a pioneer.”
When asked about his genre himself, Ayers said, “I don’t think I’m really so unique. What we call ‘soul’ has been around a long time. It comes out of a particular culture that is African in origin, but influenced by 250 years of slavery, as well as other forms of racial oppression.”
Twelve of Ubiquity’s albums spent a collective 149 weeks on the Billboard Top 200 chart. Ayers’ 1976 composition “Everybody Loves the Sunshine,” from the group’s album of the same name, has proved to be his most enduring hit. The instantly recognizable groove has been sampled hundreds of times by hip-hop and R&B artists including Tupac Shakur, Mary J. Blige, and Snoop Dogg. “It’s wonderful, the desire young people express for my music,” Ayers told Dummy in 2016. “It’s wonderful because I’m still growing in popularity.”
In recent years, Ayers continued to make his impact in music. He made a guest appearance on Tyler, the Creator’s 2015 track “Find Your Wings” and later performed at the rapper’s Camp Flog Gnaw festival. His last solo album was 2004’s Mahogany Vibe, which featured fellow neo-soul artist Erykah Badu.
Roy Ayers is survived by his wife Argerie, his sons Mtume and Nabil, his daughter Ayana, and his granddaughter.
