1. Roy Ayers was a key figure in the acid jazz movement, and has been described as "The Godfather of Neo Soul".
23 Facts About Roy Ayers
1. 2.
At one time Roy Ayers was listed among the performers whose music was most often sampled by rappers.
3.
Roy Ayers grew up in a musical family, where his father played trombone and his mother played piano.
4.
The area of Los Angeles that Roy Ayers grew up in, South Park was at the center of the Southern California Black music scene.
5.
Roy Ayers attended Thomas Jefferson High School that formed a formative part of the Central Avenue jazz scene.
6.
Roy Ayers rose to prominence when he dropped out of Los Angeles City College and joined jazz flautist Herbie Mann in 1966.
7.
Roy Ayers was responsible for the highly regarded soundtrack to Jack Hill's 1973 blaxploitation film Coffy, which starred Pam Grier.
8.
Roy Ayers played Elgin in Idaho Transfer the same year.
9.
In 1977, Roy Ayers produced an album by the group RAMP, Come into Knowledge.
10.
In 1981, Roy Ayers produced a studio album for the singer Sylvia Striplin, Give Me Your Love.
11.
In 1982, Roy Ayers collaborated with Rick James for the album Throwin' Down, appearing in the opening track "Dance Wit' Me" in a vibraphone solo.
12.
Roy Ayers performed a solo on John "Jellybean" Benitez's production of Whitney Houston's "Love Will Save the Day" from her second multi-Platinum studio album Whitney.
13.
Roy Ayers has played his live act for millions of people across the globe, including Japan, Australia, England and other parts of Europe.
14.
Roy Ayers was known for helping to popularize feel-good music in the 1970s.
15.
In 1992, Roy Ayers released two studio albums, Drive and Wake Up, for the hip-hop label Ichiban Records.
16.
Roy Ayers founded two record labels, Uno Melodic and Gold Mink Records.
17.
Roy Ayers worked in collaborations with soul singer Erykah Badu and other artists on his 2004 album Mahogany Vibes.
18.
Roy Ayers hosted the fictitious radio station "Fusion FM" in the video game Grand Theft Auto IV.
19.
Roy Ayers married his wife Argerie in the early 1970s and together they had three children.
20.
Roy Ayers had a son, the writer Nabil Ayers, with a woman who asked to have a child with no strings attached.
21.
Roy Ayers died at a hospital in Manhattan, New York, on March 4,2025, at the age of 84, after suffering from a long illness.
22.
The Roy Ayers Project was rebranded as "Roy Ayers Connection", highlighting Ayers and all the people and things he was connected to.
23.
Roy Ayers was a recipient of the Congress of Racial Equality Lifetime Achievement Award.