Roy Ayers

Infobox musical artist
Name = Roy Ayers


Img_capt = Roy Ayers with Jean Carne in 2006
Img_size =
Background = solo_singer
Birth_name = Roy Ayers
Born = birth date and age|1940|9|10
Origin = Los Angeles, California, U.S.
Instrument = Vocals Vibraphone
Genre = Jazz Jazz-Fusion Funk Acid Jazz Disco Soul jazz
Occupation = Musician
Years_active = 1962 - present
Associated_acts = RAMP
URL = [http://www.royayers.com Roy Ayers' official site]

Roy Ayers (born September 10, 1940, Los Angeles) [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&searchlink=ROY|AYERS&sql=11:jifexqt5ld6e~T1 allmusic Biography] ] is a funk, soul and jazz vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a jazz player, releasing several albums with Arista Records before his tenure at Polydor Records, during which he progressed a new R&B style, slowly molding the new Disco genre. [ [http://www.royayers.com/ Roy Ayers - The Official Website] ]

Biography

Ayers grew up in a musical family. At the age of five, Lionel Hampton gave him his first pair of mallets, which led to the vibraphone being his trademark sound for decades. The area of Los Angeles that Ayers grew up in, now known as "South Central", but then known as "South Park", was the epicenter of the Southern California Black Music Scene. The schools Roy attended (Wadsworth Elementary, Nevins Middle School, and Thomas Jefferson High School) were all close to the famed Central Avenue, Los Angeles' equivalent of Harlem's Lenox Avenue and Chicago's State Street. On any given day, Roy would have been likely to be exposed to music as it not only emanated from the many nightclubs and bars in the area, but also poured out of many of the homes where the musicians who kept the scene alive lived in and around Central. Thomas Jefferson High School, from which Ayers graduated, gave to the music and jazz worlds some of its brightest stars, such as Dexter Gordon.

Ayers was responsible for the highly regarded soundtrack to Jack Hill's 1973 blaxploitation film "Coffy", which starred Pam Grier. He later moved from a jazz-funk sound to R&B, as seen on "Mystic Voyage" and especially the title track from his 1976 album "Everybody Loves the Sunshine".

In 1977 Ayers produced an album by the group RAMP, "Come Into Knowledge", commonly and mistakenly thought to stand for "Roy Ayers Music Project".

In 1980 Ayers released "Music Of Many Colors" with the Nigerian Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti.

In 1981 Ayers produced an by the singer Sylvia Striplin, "Give Me Your Love" (Uno Melodic Records 1981).

In the 1990s, Ayers released several albums for the hip hop records label Ichiban Records.

Ayers has founded no less than two record labels, Uno Melodic and Gold Mink Records. The first release several LPs, including Sylvia Striplin's, while the second folded after a few singles.

In popular culture

;Music
*Hip-Hop Producer Madlib, under the rapper pseudonym Quasimoto, recorded the song "Seasons Change" using a plausibly risky sample of Roy Ayers. The song is included as a b-side to the "Bullyshit" single, under the independent imprint Lord Inamel's Wax. The song was apparently removed from the full-length album, "The Further Adventures of Lord Quas", released on Peanut Butter Wolf's Stones Throw Records.
*UK Hip-Hop artist Nicky Spesh, performed "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" in March 2007 at The Royal Opera House in Covent Garden London, England with members of acid jazz outfit Ton Ton Macoute using instruments constructed solely out of recycled baked bean tins to make a point about Global Warming.;Videogames
*In October 2004 "Running Away" appeared in popular videogame , playing on Funk radio station .
*Two years later in October 2006, Roy Ayers appeared for the second time in the popular franchise, this time on with his signature song "Everybody Loves the Sunshine", which features on Soul radio station .
* Roy Ayers Appeared for a third time in the popular game franchise Grand Theft Auto, with his song "Funk In The Hole" on the Grand Theft Auto IV Soundtrack, in the game it appears on Fusion FM, The station of which he also hosts.
*"Running Away" also appeared on the soundtrack of .

Discography

*"West Coast Vibes" (United Artists) – 1963
*"Virgo Vibes" (Atlantic) – 1967
*"Daddy Bug & Friends" (Atlantic) – 1967
*"Stoned Soul Picnic" (32 Jazz) – 1968
*"Daddy’s Back" (Atco) – 1969
*"He’s Coming" (Polydor) – 1971
*"Ubiquity" (Polydor) – 1971
*"Live At The Montreux Jazz Festival" (Verve) – 1972
*"Coffy (soundtrack)" (Polydor) - 1973
*"Virgo Red" (Polydor) – 1973
*"Change Up The Groove" (Polydor) – 1974
*"A Tear To A Smile" (Polydor) – 1975
*"Mystic Voyage" (Polydor) – 1975
*"Everybody Loves the Sunshine" (Polydor) - 1976
*"Red, Black And Green" (Polydor) – 1976
*"Vibrations" (Polydor) – 1976
*"Crystal Reflections" (Muse) – 1977
*"Lifeline" (Polydor) – 1977
*"Let’s Do It" (Polydor) – 1978
*"Step Into Our Life" (Polydor) – 1978
*"You Send Me" (Polydor) – 1978
*"Fever" (Polydor) – 1979
*"Love Fantasy" (Polydor) – 1980
*"No Stranger To Love" (Polydor) – 1980
*"Prime Time" (Polydor) – 1980
*"Music Of Many Colors (With Fela Kuti)" (Celluloid) – 1980
*"Africa, Center Of The World" (Polydor) – 1981
*"Feelin’ Good" (Polydor) – 1981
*"In The Dark" (Columbia) – 1984
*"You Might Be Surprised" (Columbia) – 1985
*"I’m The One (For Your Love Tonight)" (Columbia) – 1987
*"Searchin’ (Live)" (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House) – 1991
*"Drive" (Ichiban) – 1992
*"Wake Up" (Ichiban) – 1992
*"Double Trouble (With Rick James)" (Uno Melodic) – 1992
*"Good Vibrations (Live)" (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House) – 1993
*"Fast Money (Live At Ronnie Scott’s)" (Castle) – 1994
*"Vibesman (Live At Ronnie Scott’s)" (Music Club) – 1995
*"Nasté" (Groovetown) – 1995
*"Hot (Live At Ronnie Scott’s)" (Ronnie Scott's Jazz House) – 1996
*"Spoken Word" (AFI) – 1998
*"Lots Of Love" (Charly) – 1998
*"Juice" (Charly) – 1999
*"Live At Ronnie Scott’s (DVD Audio)" (Castle) – 2001
*"For Café Après-midi" (Universal Japan) – 2002
*"Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981" (Rapster) – 2004
*"Mahogany Vibe" (Rapster) – 2004
*"Virgin Ubiquity II: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981" (Rapster) – 2005
*"Virgin Ubiquity Remixed" (Rapster) – 2006
*"Perfection" (Aim) – 2006

References

External links

* [http://www.royayers.com Official website] of Roy Ayers
* [http://www.baltic-soul.de Roy Ayers Live in Europe]
* [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=11:3tkxu3i5andk Allmusic Guide to Roy Ayers]
* [http://www.jahsonic.com/RoyAyers.html Roy Ayers history page]