Born in Los Angeles, California on September 10, 1940, vibraphonist, vocalist,
composer, and producer Roy Ayers has been a musical pioneer in the jazz, soul,
acid jazz, and funk genres and has been referred to as ‘the Godfather of Neo
Soul’. From 1960s West Coast jazz to the funk and disco scene of the 1970s
through to the early roots of hip-hop, Roy Ayers has left his mark in musical
history. Raised in Los Angeles by a musical family, Ayers took up the vibraphone
(an aluminum version of a xylophone) at the age of 17 and immersed himself in
the sounds of the Central Avenue nightc...