What Is Roy Ayers' Net Worth?
Roy Ayers is an esteemed American composer, musician, and music producer with an impressive net worth of $10 million. A master of the vibraphone and keyboards, Roy's musical repertoire spans jazz, jazz fusion, funk, acid jazz, disco, R&B, soul jazz, house, and hip hop. With over 30 studio albums including 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' (1976), 'Let's Do It' (1978), 'Fever' (1979), 'Love Fantasy' (1980), and 'Feeling Good' (1982), Roy has cemented his legacy in music history. Known as 'The Godfather of Neo Soul,' Ayers has been pivotal in the jazz-funk and acid jazz genres. Notable compositions include 'Searchin,' 'Everybody Loves The Sunshine,' and 'Running Away.' He has also collaborated with icons like Curtis Amy, Herbie Mann, David Newman, Leroy Vinnegar, Gerald Wilson, Jack Wilson, and Erykah Badu.
Early Life
Born on September 10, 1940, in Los Angeles, California, Roy Edward Ayers, Jr., showcased his musical talents early on. His mother, Ruby, was both a piano instructor and schoolteacher, while his father, Roy Sr., was a trombonist and parking attendant. By age five, Roy was already playing boogie-woogie tunes on the piano, later picking up the steel guitar at nine. He played numerous instruments, including the flute, drums, and trumpet. A significant moment in his youth was receiving vibe mallets from Lionel Hampton at a concert—an event Roy describes as 'the gift of a lifetime.' Roy also took piano lessons and was an active church choir singer. He attended Wadsworth Elementary, Nevins Middle School, and Thomas Jefferson High School. As a teenager, he led a band called The Latin Lyrics, playing piano, steel guitar, and singing.
Career
Roy Ayers began his music career as a bebop sideman in 1962. He left L.A.'s City College to tour with jazz flautist Herbie Mann during the mid-1960s. Roy released seminal albums throughout the '60s, such as 'West Coast Vibes' (1963), 'Virgo Vibes' (1967), 'Stoned Soul Picnic' (1968), and 'Daddy Bug' (1969). In the early '70s, he founded Roy Ayers Ubiquity, releasing 10 albums, including 'Change Up the Groove' (1974), 'Mystic Voyage' (1975), 'Everybody Loves the Sunshine' (1976), 'Vibrations' (1976), 'Lifeline' (1977), and 'Starbooty' (1978), many of which charted on the 'Billboard' 200. Roy also composed, arranged, and produced the 1973 'Coffy' soundtrack, which reached #31 on the Billboard Jazz LPs chart. He produced the RAMP album 'Come into Knowledge' in 1977 and saw his single 'Running Away' peak at #19 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
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In 1978, 'Let's Do It' reached #33 on the 'Billboard' 200 chart. Albums like 'You Send Me' (1978), 'Fever' (1979), 'No Stranger to Love' (1979), 'Love Fantasy' (1980), 'Africa, Center of the World' (1981), and 'Feeling Good' (1982) also charted well. In 1979, he scored a top 10 hit on the Hot Disco/Dance chart with 'Don't Stop The Feeling.' A notable period came in the late '70s when he toured Nigeria with Afrobeat legend Fela Kuti. Their collaborative album 'Music of Many Colors' was released in Nigeria in 1980. Roy continued to release influential albums like 'Silver Vibrations' (1983), 'Drivin' On Up' (1983), 'In the Dark' (1984), 'You Might Be Surprised' (1985), 'I'm the One (For Your Love Tonight)' (1987), and 'Wake Up' (1989). He also contributed to Whitney Houston's 1988 single 'Love Will Save The Day.'
Roy featured on the Red Hot Organization's 1994 charity album 'Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool', which Time magazine named 'Album of the Year.' His releases continued with 'Nasté' in 1995, 'Perfection' in 2000, and 'Mahogany Vibe' and 'Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976–1981' in 2004. In 2015, he collaborated with Tyler, The Creator on 'Find Your Wings.' Roy also founded two record labels, Gold Mink Records and Uno Melodic.
Personal Life
Roy has been married to Argerie since 1973, and they share four children: Lauren Faith, Roy Ayers III, Nabil Ayers, and Ayana Ayers. Nabil's memoir, 'My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family,' was published in 2022. According to a 2020 'Los Angeles Times' article, Ayana manages her father's career. Roy's song 'Holiday' was inspired by the efforts of civil rights activists to honor Martin Luther King Jr.'s birthday as a holiday. In a 2017 interview with 'Creative Loafing,' Roy expressed deep respect for Martin Luther King and Coretta Scott King, enthusiastically participating in Stevie Wonder's campaign to raise awareness. He mentioned, 'We knew that the criticism was coming. We didn't care because we knew we were doing the right thing. I come from a family of educators, so it was natural to be a part of a campaign that helped inspire people and bring people closer together.'
Awards and Honors
In 2011, Roy Ayers received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Congress of Racial Equality (CORE), a civil rights organization dedicated to the rights of minorities and the impoverished for over 60 years. Since 2010, the documentary 'Roy Ayers Connection' (formerly 'The Roy Ayers Project') has been in development. The filmmaker noted in 2022 that the mission of the project transcends the documentary itself and aims to celebrate Roy Ayers' life and legacy. The @royayersconnection Instagram account describes it as 'a multimedia project highlighting the life and legacy of jazz legend Roy Ayers and all that is connected to him.'
