Born in Los Angeles into a family of jazz musicians, Ayers was famously given his first pair of mallets at the age of five by vibraphone great Lionel Hampton. He recorded his debut studio album aged 23 with saxophonist Curtis Amy and came to prominence playing with flautist Herbie Mann through the late 1960s. Ayers and his group Ubiquity made several jazz-funk albums and blaxploitation soundtracks throughout the 1970s before turning towards disco and R&B and landing his hit single “Running Away.” Ayers has been sampled by countless hip-hop producers, leaving an enduring musical legacy and influencing generations of soul stars and dance music producers.
