He is a key figure in the acid jazz movement, which is a mixture of jazz into hip-hop and funk, and has been dubbed by many as "The Godfather of Neo Soul". He is most well known for his signature compositions "Everybody Loves The Sunshine" and "Searchin", and is also famous for having more sampled hits by rappers than any other artist.
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.
Running Away
Roy Ayers Ubiquity Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I am, I
I close my eyes and make a wish
For inner peace and tranquility inside
My mind, I feel it's changing
Breaking down the defenses of my heart
And this is my life
No longer know the girl inside
The stranger in my mind
I'm running away, running away from you
Though I beg you to stay, I'm running away from you
I'm running away
From predictable, Miss Reliable, so methodical
Wanna be individual and original
So radical and desirable
Put a message in a bottle
Watch it sail across the ocean blue
So free of limitations
A vision, I can only fantasize
I'm floating in a new direction
As this is my life
No longer know the girl inside
The stranger in my mind
I'm running away, I'm running away from you
Though I beg you to stay, I'm running away from you
I'm running away
From predictable, Miss Reliable, so methodical
Wanna be individual and original
So radical and desirable
No longer know the girl inside
No longer know the girl inside
No longer know the girl inside
The stranger in my mind
I'm running away, I'm running away, running away from you
Though I beg you to stay, I'm running away from you
I'm running away
From predictable, Miss Reliable, so methodical
Wanna be individual and original
So radical and desirable
Running away, I'm running away from you
Though I beg you to stay, I'm running away from you
Running away
I am, I, I feel
I am, I
The song "Running Away" by Roy Ayers Ubiquity is about self-discovery and breaking away from a predictable, methodical life to become an individual and unique person. The singer wishes for inner peace and tranquility, and feels like there is a new adventure awaiting them. They are breaking down the defenses of their heart and exploring a new direction in life.
The lyrics suggest a desire for freedom and a search for personal identity. The singer is no longer content with being predictable or relying on others to define who they are. They want to be radical, desirable, and original. In their journey of self-discovery, they no longer recognize the girl inside or the stranger in their own mind.
Throughout the song, the singer repeats the phrase "I am, I" which can be seen as a declaration of self-awareness and individuality. The repetition reinforces the theme of finding one's own path and identity. The song's upbeat tempo and energetic rhythm suggest a sense of excitement and liberation.
Line by Line Meaning
I am, I, I feel
I am aware of myself and how I feel in this moment.
I close my eyes and make a wish
I focus my attention towards what I desire and hope for.
For inner peace and tranquility inside
I yearn for a sense of calm and serenity within myself.
My mind, I feel it's changing
I sense a shift in my thoughts and perspectives.
Breaking down the defenses of my heart
I am starting to let go of past hurts and walls I have put up.
It's like a new adventure
This journey feels exciting and unknown.
And this is my life
I am the one who gets to write the story of my own life.
No longer know the girl inside
I am exploring new parts of myself I never knew existed.
The stranger in my mind
I am feeling unfamiliar and disconnected from my own thoughts and feelings.
I'm running away, running away from you
I am trying to distance myself from the expectations and judgments of others.
Though I beg you to stay, I'm running away from you
Despite wanting to hold on to what is familiar, I know I need to break away from it.
From predictable, Miss Reliable, so methodical
I am tired of being seen as predictable and always doing what is expected of me.
Wanna be individual and original
I aspire to break free from conformity and be my authentic self.
So radical and desirable
I want to be bold and different, while still being admired and wanted.
Put a message in a bottle
I have a desire to communicate my thoughts and feelings to the world.
Watch it sail across the ocean blue
I imagine my message traveling far and wide, connecting with others who feel the same.
So free of limitations
I want to break free from any restrictions holding me back.
A vision, I can only fantasize
I have a dream for my future that seems impossible but I still hope for it.
I'm floating in a new direction
I am moving towards a new version of myself and a new path in life.
No longer know the girl inside
I am changing so much that I am becoming unrecognizable to myself.
Running away
I am making the difficult choice to break away and follow my own path.
Though I beg you to stay, I'm running away from you
Even though I may have doubts and fear around this change, I know I need to pursue it.
Lyrics © BMG RIGHTS MANAGEMENT US, LLC
Written by: EDWIN BIRDSONG, ROY AYERS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind