Roy Ayers was born in Los Angeles. Thanks to his trombone playing father and piano teaching mother, he became immersed in music from day one and the story goes that he was given his first set of vibe mallets by his hero Lionel Hampton at the age of 5. Constantly performing and recording since the 1960s, he is one of the most famous jazz vibraphonists. He has produced some of the most loved modern soul-jazz records of all time such as, "Everybody Loves The Sunshine", most influential afro-jazz with musician Fela Anikulapo-Kuti (Africa - Centre Of The World) and the most seminal jazz-funk, such as "Running Away". And that's just the surface. 2004 saw the release of "Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased Recordings 1976-1981" which were 'lost' sessions tapes that he had discarded. Gilles Peterson described this as the equivalent of finding a lost Beatles album. No doubt this helped him win the Gilles Peterson 2004 Worldwide Lifetime Achievement Award. Roy Ayers is ageless and evergreen and as per the title of another one of hits, remember "We All Live In Brooklyn Baby".
Timeline
Ayers started recording as a bebop sideman in 1962 and rose to prominence when he dropped out of City College and joined jazz flutist Herbie Mann in 1966.
In the early 70's, Roy Ayers started his own band called Roy Ayers Ubiquity, a name he chose because ubiquity means a state of being everywhere at the same time.
Ayers was responsible for the highly regarded soundtrack to Jack Hill's 1973 blaxploitation film Coffy, which starred Pam Grier. He later moved from a jazz-funk sound to R&B, as seen on Mystic Voyage, which featured the songs "Evolution" and the underground disco hit "Brother Green (The Disco King)", as well as the title track from his 1976 album Everybody Loves the Sunshine.
In 1977, Ayers produced an album by the group RAMP, Come into Knowledge, commonly and mistakenly thought to stand for "Roy Ayers Music Project". That fall, he had his biggest hit with "Running Away".
In late 1979, Ayers scored his only top ten single on Billboard's Hot Disco/Dance chart with "Don't Stop The Feeling," which was also the leadoff single from his 1980 album "No Stranger to Love", whose title track was sampled in Jill Scott's 2001 song "Watching Me" from her debut album Who Is Jill Scott?
In the late 70's, Ayers toured in Nigeria for six weeks with Afrobeat pioneer Fela Kuti, one of the Africa's most recognizable musicians. In 1980, Phonodisk released Music of Many Colors in Nigeria, featuring one side lead by Ayers' group and the other lead by Africa '70.
In 1981, Ayers produced an album with the singer Sylvia Striplin, Give Me Your Love (Uno Melodic Records, 1981). He has also worked in collaborations with soul songstress Erykah Badu.
Ayers performed a solo on John "Jellybean" Benitez's production of Whitney Houston's "Love Will Save The Day" from her second multi-platinum studio album Whitney. The single was released in July 1988 by Arista Records.
Ayers has played his live act for millions of people across the globe, including Japan, Australia, England and other parts of Europe.
Ayers is known for helping to popularize feel good music in the 70's, stating that "I like that happy feeling all of the time, so that ingredient is still there. I try to generate that because it's the natural way I am". The types of music that he used to do this consisted of funk, salsa, jazz, rock, soul and rap.
1990s to present
In 1992, Ayers released two albums, Drive and Wake Up, for the hip-hop label Ichiban Records.
In 1992, Ayers collaborated with Rick James for an album and is quoted to have been a very close friend of his.
In 1993, Ayers appeared on the record Guru's Jazzmatazz Vol.1 featuring on the vibraphone in the song "Take a Look (At Yourself)".
In 1994, Ayers appeared on the Red Hot Organization's compilation album Stolen Moments: Red Hot + Cool. The album, meant to raise awareness and funds in support of the AIDS epidemic in relation to the African-American community, was heralded as "Album of the Year" by Time Magazine.
During the 2000s and 2010s, Ayers ventured into house music, collaborating with such stalwarts of the genre as Masters at Work and Kerri Chandler.
Ayers started two record labels, Uno Melodic and Gold Mink Records. The first released several LPs, including Sylvia Striplin's, while the second folded after a few singles.
In 2004, Ayers put out a collection of unreleased recordings called Virgin Ubiquity: Unreleased recordings 1976–1981 which allowed fans to hear cuts that didn't make it onto the classic Polydor albums from his more popular years.
Roy Ayers hosts the fictitious radio station "Fusion FM" in Grand Theft Auto IV (2008).
In 2015, he appeared on Tyler, The Creator's new album Cherry Bomb on the track "Find Your Wings".
A documentary the Roy Ayers Project featuring Ayers and a number hip hop producers who have sampled his music and other people who have been influenced by him and his music has been in development for a number of years.
Pharrell Williams cites Roy Ayers as one of his key musical heroes.
Ayers is a recipient of the Congress of Racial Equality Lifetime Achievement Award.
http://www.royayers.com
http://www.bassics.de/ayers.html
http://www.discomuseum.com/RoyAyers.html
You Send Me
Roy Ayers Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I know you send me
Darling you send me
Honest you do, honest you do
Honest you do, whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You thrill me
I know you, you, you thrill me
Honest you do
At first I thought it was infatuation
But woo, it's lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
You, you, you, you send me
I know you send me
I know you send me
Honest you do
Whoa-oh-oh, whenever I'm with you
I know, I know, I know when I'm near you
Mmm hmm, mmm hmm, honest you do, honest you do
Whoa-oh-oh, I know-oh-oh-oh
I know, I know, I know, when you hold me
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whenever you kiss me
Mmm hmm, mmm hmm, honest you do
At first I thought it was infatuation
But woo, it's lasted so long
Now I find myself wanting
To marry you and take you home
I know, I know, I know, you send me
I know you send me
Whoa-oh-oh-oh, you you you you send me
Honest you do
The lyrics to Roy Ayers's song "You Send Me" describe a love so intense that it begins to feel permanent. The singer describes how his initial attraction to his partner felt like infatuation, but as time passes, it has deepened into a desire to marry and take them home. Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes how overwhelming his feelings for his partner are, using the repeated phrase "you send me" to convey that their presence in his life is a constantly thrilling and intoxicating experience.
One way to interpret the meaning of the song is to see it as an homage to the power of physical connection. The way the lyrics describe how the partner's touch and presence make the singer feel suggests that there is an almost chemical reaction happening between them. The repetition of "you, you, you" in the chorus drives home the idea that the singer is entirely focused on their partner, and that this attention gives him a sense of purpose.
Another interpretation of the lyrics is that they reflect the idea of soulmates. The way the singer describes feeling permanently connected to his partner, and wanting to make a life with them, suggests that he believes they are meant to be together. This idea is further supported by the use of the phrase "honest you do," which could be interpreted as a way of emphasizing that the singer's love for his partner is not just a passing feeling, but a fundamental truth that he believes in completely.
Line by Line Meaning
Darling you send me
My dear, you make me feel incredibly happy and fulfilled
I know you send me
I am aware of the way you make me feel, and I appreciate it deeply
Honest you do, honest you do
I truly mean it when I say that you have this effect on me
You thrill me
You excite and exhilarate me in a way that no one else can
Darling you, you, you, you thrill me
You thrill me so much that I can't even express it with words
At first I thought it was infatuation
Initially, I thought my feelings for you were just a passing fancy
But woo, it's lasted so long
However, my feelings have persevered despite the passing of time
Now I find myself wanting
My desire for you has only grown stronger over time
To marry you and take you home
I am so committed to you that I want to spend the rest of my life with you
Whoa-oh-oh, whenever I'm with you
Whenever I am in your presence, I feel an overwhelming sense of happiness and joy
I know, I know, I know when I'm near you
I have a deep intuition that tells me when I am close to you
Mmm hmm, mmm hmm, honest you do, honest you do
Yes, it is true that being near you is an incredibly powerful experience for me
I know, I know, I know, when you hold me
I am certain that your touch has a tremendous effect on me
Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh, whenever you kiss me
Whenever you kiss me, I am overwhelmed by the powerful emotions you bring out in me
You you you you send me
You, and only you, have the ability to stir such strong emotions in me
Lyrics © Tratore, Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, Abkco Music Inc., Warner Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: Sam Cooke
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@MegaTbone95
Awesome! I remember when my mother bought this album. She kept calling the record store to see if it had come in. I remember the joy in her voice when the man said it was there. We ran out and got it, brought it home, and she played it to death. Patience was a requirement before iTunes and You Tube . . . who remembers?
@rawbloom1
Indeed....I remember. It was part of the experience and excitement....the anticipation. Delayed gratification was and is great.
@ericadaniel3710
I do. I have purchased many of the same cassette tapes because I played it so much until it broke. LOL
@tonyajohnson8427
I graduated from high school in 1979.The Old School music from my teenage years will forever be timeless.This song right here brings back memories of high school dances,everyone just having a good time..I was having a flashback.😀
@willie417
1980 here, 79/80, the time before all of the madness that came years later and it would never be the same again. but we still can/do remember the good times before things went down hill.
@fredtolliver4798
Class of 80 in the house....I've always been fortunate to have a good ear for music (and lots of good albums from my parents collection) and I bought this one on vinyl...pretty sure I was 17......this kind of music will never be recorded again.....
@anthonybryant6084
My girl just send this song to me this morning (a traditional we do of love song in the early morning) She's on the East coast I'm in the South. She's moving closer to me in January to Charlotte. We're both retired in the twight light years of our life's, and just re-united after 50 years. I was her Love❤️ and this is a song with would make love too (not really because didn't know what we was really doing)🤣 I said all that, so say this, she send it to me because I send to her first a few weeks ago, she always "Love that song" Pray for our Love ❤️ story.🙏🏿 We just spend 12 wonder days together in NY, New Jersey, and Boston! On our way to a Caribbean Cruise for my Birthday/Labor Day, September 4th capped off with weekend in Miami on the Beach upon our return. Keith Sweat: "Make this Love last Forever!"🙏🏿
@bigant608
Class of 79
@ultralordd7625
Class of 81😊
@kevindobbs3354
I simply love this song so peaceful on a warm summer night in the UK. Thinking of friends around the world and those sadly no longer with us, this is for you all.