Roy Ayers

Roy Ayers was born in Los Angeles in 1940 and started playing vibraphone early on. He formed the band Ubiquity in the late 1960s, mixing jazz with funk and soul. Their 1976 album 'He's Coming' included 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine,' which became a hit on the R&B charts.

That song, along with tracks like 'Running Away' and 'Don't Stop The Feeling,' defined his sound, warm, rhythmic, and laid-back. Ayers worked as a vibraphonist and percussionist, and his music from that period has been sampled widely in hip-hop and electronic music.

In the 1980s, he faced some personal difficulties that affected his career for a time. He kept recording and performing afterward, though his profile shifted. The music he made with Ubiquity, especially the sunny, groove-oriented material, remains what most people know him for.