Roy Ayers
Roy Edward Ayers (born September 10, 1940 in Los Angeles ) is an American vibraphonist , singer , composer and arranger . Ayers is one of the most important representatives of jazz radio .
biography
Ayers was introduced to music through his parents, his father played the trombone and his mother the piano. According to legend, Ayers was given his first vibraphone by the legendary jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton at the age of five.
Ayers became known as a jazz musician in the 1960s , especially for his soul jazz pieces. In the 1970s, however, he concentrated more on funk and now also worked as a singer and composer. His possibly biggest hit Everybody Loves The Sunshine and the soundtrack for the blaxploitation film Coffy with Pam Grier date from this time .
Until the 1980s he toured and produced together with the Nigerian musician Fela Kuti , with whom he also founded the record company Uno Melodic Records . Since then his music has been sampled by hip-hop musicians in particular and has been very successful in England and popular in the so-called acid jazz scene.
In the late 1990s, producers in the nu jazz scene never tired of naming Roy Ayers as an important inspiration. In particular, the influential British DJ guru Gilles Peterson brought Ayers' music back to mind by playing his old pieces more often on his program "Worldwide" on BBC radio. Not least because of this, a Roy Ayers album was released in 2001 with previously unreleased recordings from 1976 to 1981 ("Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981"), which then served as the basis for many remixes and Ayers' music to renewed popularity in the field of electronic dance music helped.
Roy Ayers is still an active musician today (last album "Mahogany Vibe" from 2004) and still performs live. On a European tour in 2010 he had several live appearances in Germany and France.
Discography
Studio albums (solo)
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 UK
|
 US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1978 | Let's do it | - |
US33 (13 weeks) US |
R&B15 (14 weeks) R&B |
|
| You send me | - |
US48 (15 weeks) US |
R&B16 (29 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1979 | Fever | - |
US67 (15 weeks) US |
R&B25 (20 weeks) R&B |
|
| No stranger to love | - |
US82 (18 weeks) US |
R&B22 (21 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1980 | Love fantasy | - |
US157 (3 weeks) US |
R&B47 (6 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1981 | Africa, Center of the World | - |
US197 (2 weeks) US |
R&B43 (10 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1982 | Feeling good | - |
US160 (7 weeks) US |
R&B45 (6 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1984 | In the dark | - | - |
R&B50 (13 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1985 | You Might Be Surprised |
UK91 (2 weeks) UK |
- |
R&B31 (32 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1989 | Wake up | - | - |
R&B60 (11 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1995 | Nasté | - | - |
R&B71 (3 weeks) R&B |
|
More studio albums
- 1963: West Coast Vibes
- 1967: Virgo Vibes
- 1968: Stoned Soul Picnic
- 1969: Daddy Bug
- 1970: Ubiquity
- 1983: Silver Vibrations
- 1983: Drivin 'On Up
- 1987: I'm the One (For Your Love Tonight)
- 2000: Perfection
Roy Ayers Ubiquity
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1974 | Change up the groove | - |
US156 (4 weeks) US |
- | |
| 1975 | Mystic Voyage | - |
US90 (18 weeks) US |
R&B13 (22 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1976 | Everybody Loves the Sunshine | - |
US51 (17 weeks) US |
R&B10 (19 weeks) R&B |
|
| Vibration | - |
US74 (12 weeks) US |
R&B11 (14 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1977 | Lifeline | - |
US72 (25 weeks) US |
R&B9 (28 weeks) R&B |
|
More albums
- 1972: He's Coming
- 1973: Red Black and Green
- 1973: Virgo Red
- 1975: A Tear to a Smile
- 1978: Starbooty
Collab albums
| year | title |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
US
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1978 | Step in to Our Life | - | - |
R&B45 (6 weeks) R&B |
with Wayne Henderson
|
| 1980 | Prime time | - | - |
R&B62 (5 weeks) R&B |
with Wayne Henderson
|
More collab albums
- 1963: The Jack Wilson Quartet featuring Roy Ayers (with Jack Wilson )
- 1966: Ramblin ' (with Jack Wilson Quartet)
- 1970: Unchain My Heart (with Bruno Carr , Miroslav Vitouš & Sonny Sharrock )
- 1980: Music of Many Colors (with Fela Kuti )
- 1997: Smiling Faces (with The Soul Society)
- 1998: Spoken Word (with Bonita Brisker)
- 2002: Room at the Top (with James Taylor Quartet & Ian Anderson )
Live albums
- 1972: Live at the Montreux Jazz Festival
- 1990: Fast Money
- 1991: Searchin '
- 1992: Hot
- 1993: Good Vibrations
- 1999: Live from West Port Jazzfestival Hamburg (with Ray Gaskins Band & Jocelyn Brown )
Compilations
- 1976: Daddy Bug & Friends
- 1979: The Best of Roy Ayers
- 1983: Lots of Love
- 1992: Double Trouble (with Rick James )
- 1993: Good Vibrations
- 1993: Vibrant
- 1993: Shining Symbol: The Ultimate Collection
- 1993: King of Vibes (Roy Ayers Super Collection)
- 1995: Evolution: The Polydor Anthology
- 1995: Vibesman (Live at Ronnie Scott's)
- 1996: Searchin '(Live) / Hot
- 1996: Good Vibrations / The Essential Groove - Live
- 1998: In the Dark / You Might Be Surprised
- 1998: The Collection
- 1999: Juice
- 1999: Smooth Jazz
- 1999: Daddy Bug / Virgo Vibes
- 2002: Essential Vibes
- 2002: For Café Après-Midi
- 2003: Destination Motherland: The Roy Ayers Anthology
- 2003: Snoop
- 2003: Virgin Ubiquity (Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981)
- 2004: Mahogany Vibe
- 2005: Virgin Ubiquity II (Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981)
- 2006: Virgin Ubiquity Remixed
- 2011: Step Into Our Life & Prime Time (with Wayne Henderson)
- 2015: Searching for Sunshine (1973-1980)
Soundtracks
- 1973: Coffy
Singles
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1976 | Mystic Voyage Mystic Voyage |
- |
R&B70 (6 weeks) R&B |
|
| The Golden Rod Everybody Loves The Sunshine |
- |
R&B70 (6 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1977 | Running Away Lifeline |
- |
R&B19 (18 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1978 | Freaky Deaky Let's Do It |
- |
R&B29 (16 weeks) R&B |
|
| Get On Up, Get On Down You Send Me |
UK41 (4 weeks) UK |
R&B56 (8 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1979 | Heat of the Beat Step In To Our Life |
UK43 (5 weeks) UK |
R&B59 (8 weeks) R&B |
with Wayne Henderson
|
| Love Will Bring Us Back Together Fever |
- |
R&B41 (11 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1980 | Don't stop the feeling |
UK56 (3 weeks) UK |
R&B32 (17 weeks) R&B |
|
| What You Won't Do For Love |
- |
R&B73 (3 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1984 | In The Dark In The Dark |
UK83 (3 weeks) UK |
R&B35 (13 weeks) R&B |
|
| 1985 | Poo Poo La La In The Dark |
- |
R&B89 (3 weeks) R&B |
|
| Slip N 'Slide You Might Be Surprised |
- |
R&B49 (9 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1986 | Hot You Might Be Surprised |
- |
R&B20 (12 weeks) R&B |
|
| Programmed For Love You Might Be Surprised |
- |
R&B62 (7 weeks) R&B |
||
| 1987 | Can't You See Me |
UK96 (1 week) UK |
- | |
Guest Posts
| year | Title album |
Top ranking, total weeks, awardChart placementsChart placements (Year, title, album , rankings, weeks, awards, notes) |
Remarks | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
UK
|
R&B
|
|||
| 1987 | Let's start over miles |
UK77 (3 weeks) UK |
- |
Miles Jay feat. Roy Ayers
|
| 1998 | Expansions Trouble On The Dancefloor |
UK68 (1 week) UK |
- |
Scott Grooves feat. Roy Ayers
|
| 2000 | When You Think Of Me A Day in the Life |
- |
R&B46 (20 weeks) R&B |
Eric Benét feat. Roy Ayers
|
Web links
- Official website of Roy Ayers
- Roy Ayers on MusicBrainz (English)
- Roy Ayers Live in Europe
- Roy Ayers Project Website documenting Ayers' diverse influences
- Literature by and about Roy Ayers in the catalog of the German National Library
Individual evidence
- ↑ Deutschlandradio Kultur “Fazit-Playlist” from September 10, 2010, CD of the day on the occasion of his 70th birthday
- ↑ a b c d e Chart sources: UK US
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | Ayers, Roy |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | Ayers, Roy Edward (full name) |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | American musician |
| DATE OF BIRTH | September 10, 1940 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | los Angeles |