Roy Ayers death: Neo-soul pioneer behind ‘Everybody Loves The Sunshine’ dies aged 84

Musician died on Tuesday after long illness

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Roy Ayers, the legendary jazz-funk pioneer behind the evergreen hit “Everybody Loves The Sunshine”, has died after a long illness. He was 84.

His death was confirmed by a statement on his Facebook page.

“It is with great sadness that the family of legendary vibraphonist, composer and producer Roy Ayers announce his passing which occurred on March 4th in New York City after a long illness,” it read.

“He lived a beautiful 84 years and will be sorely missed. His family ask that you respect their privacy at this time, a celebration of Roy’s life will be forthcoming.”

Ayers released more than 40 albums in his career, including such hits as “Everybody Loves the Sunshine” and “Running Away”.

His songs have been sampled by a number of artists, from Mary J Blige, Dr Dre and Kanye West to Tyler, the Creator. Pharrell Williams has cited Ayers as one of his biggest musical inspirations.

Born in Los Angeles on 10 September 1940, Ayers came from a family with a rich musical legacy. His father played the trombone and his mother the piano, and Ayers received his first set of vibraphone mallets from jazz vibraphonist Lionel Hampton when he was five years old.

“At the time, my mother and father told me he laid some spiritual vibes on me,” Ayers told The Los Angeles Times in a 2011 interview.

Roy Ayers performs at the Brookside Golf Course in June 2017 (Getty )

In 1962, Ayers began recording as a bebop sideman and released his debut album, West Coast Vibes, the following year with the saxophonist Curtis Amy.

Ayers worked with jazz flutist Herbie Mann on three albums under the Atlantic Records label –Virgo Vibes (1967), Stoned Soul Picnic (1968), and Daddy Bug (1968) – as well as on the critically acclaimed soundtrack of the Jack Hill film Coffy, starring Pam Grier.

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“I incorporated vocals in order to reach a greater recognition. After four years with Herbie Mann where I only played the vibes, I found that I had a strong desire to be versatile. I wanted to play jazz, blues, soul, funk, pop, everything,” Ayers told Boston Globe in a 2005 interview.

It was this desire to do more that led Ayers to start his band, Roy Ayers Ubiquity, in the early 1970s, named after his 1970 album Ubiquity. However, it was with his 1976 LP Everybody Loves The Sunshine, with the hit of the same title and the underground disco hit “Brother Green (The Disco King)” that Ayers truly found his quintessential sound.

Roy Ayers performs at the 10th Annual Jazz in the Gardens in March 2015 (Getty )

“It was so spontaneous. It felt wonderful. And I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound: a mix of vibraphone, piano and a synthesiser. We recorded it at night, so the sun was down, but the vibe in the studio was really nice. Pure vibes. I sang it with Debbie Darby, who we called Chicas because she was a fine chick, a good-looking girl who sang it so beautifully. She was the star of the show,” Ayers recalled about the making of “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” in a 2017 interview with The Guardian.

Ayers continued to make music well into the 2000s and 2010s, collaborating with hip-hop and R&B artists like Erykah Badu, Mary J Blige, Alicia Keys, Mos Def, and A Tribe Called Quest.

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