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In 1945, Lionel Hampton spotted a five year-old boogying so hard during his concert in Los Angeles, that the legendary the vibraphonist handed young Roy Ayers his first pair of mallets.
Roy Ayers went on to establish himself as a pioneer of jazz-funk and soul. He was hugely influential on the neo-soul and hiphop movement.
As a solo artist, Roy Ayers released dozens of albums over the years, dating as far back as 1963. His last release was in 2024.
Ayers’ biggest hits were “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and “Running Away” with his group Roy Ayers Ubiquity.
Though over his decades-long career he collaborated with scores of musicians including the Roots, Guru, Fela Kuti and Rick James.
The musician’s songs have been sampled by everyone from Mary J. Blige and Common to Tyler the Creator and Kanye West.
There are 21 tracks that sample “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” alone.
According to Ayers: “Well, I have more sampled hits than anybody,” he said in a 2004 interview with Wax Poetics magazine. “I might not have more samples than James Brown, but I’ve had more sampled hits. Oh, man, and there’s a few I don’t know about.”
Please enjoy this collection of tracks by Roy Ayers Ubiquity and his many collaborations. A brotha was duty-bound to include some of those sampled hits too.
Until next time! Stay safe, sane and kind.
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