Roy Edward Ayers Jr., aka Roy Ayers was an American vibraphonist, record producer, and composer. Born in Los Angeles, California, Ayers grew up surrounded by music, and during school, he sang in the church choir and played the steel guitar and piano in a band called the Latin Lyrics.

Ayers began his professional music career as a bebop sideman and released his debut studio album, West Coast Vibes in 1963. A few years later, he founded the band Roy Ayers Ubiquity, creating the soundtrack
for the blaxploitation film Coffy. As the years went on, Ayers quickly became a mainstay in the music industry of the 1970s, creating some of the most popular feel-good music of that era.

Additionally, he has been credited for helping pioneer the jazz-funk genre. Ayers toured around the world and wowed audiences in his plethora of live performances. He was also a huge collaborator, working with many artists like Whitney Houston, Erykah Badu, Rick James, Fela Kuti, Tyler, the Creator, and more. He even founded two record labels, Uno Melodic and Gold Mink Records.

In addition to being the Godfather of Neo Soul, he is also considered to be one of the most sampled music artists within the rap industry. By the time of his death, Ayers had released 33 studio albums.