Roy Ayers Quotes

• You grow and learn a lot about the industry and what happens behind closed doors over the years.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Happens

• When I was recording from ’70 to ’82, I always played piano and laid the tracks down. But I used to talk to the other musicians while the track was playing.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Talk, Used

• What we call soul has been around a long time. It comes out of a particular culture that is African in origin, but influenced by 250 years of slavery, as well as other forms of racial oppression.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Soul

  Tags in Around

• The majors, they have to control the distribution, the record outlets, the radio and, in some cases, even the venues. And downloading and pirating have also put pressure on the majors.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Control, Pressure

• Soul has no musical geographical or racial boundaries.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Soul

  Tags in Musical

• Some people really trip on success or popularity. My friends would talk to me about that, about tripping on all this stuff, but you know what I tripped on? I started buying property.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Success

  Tags in Friends

• People in England were coming up to me, saying, My mother and father turned me on to your music. This happened to me 20 years ago. When I was 40 they were saying that.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Father, Mother

  Tags in Music

• People are always defining and re-defining music. My style of playing has been characterized as smooth jazz and acid jazz. I listen as I play; I’m not caught up in defining the type of music I play.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Music, Play

• Only a certain number of people go to a store over the period of a year. When a person sees my record on the shelf, it eliminates someone else’s record from being sold. It’s about continuing to try to find new ways to sell records.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Someone, Person

• Now I get exposure first with people directly in the clubs. This is a unique situation for me.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Unique, Situation

• Most musicians count at the beginning, and never count and talk to their musicians after that. They only talk to them at the end of the song. But I would count with them and talk.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Talk

• Most artists have contracts directly with the record company, and when they do music, all of their music is owned by the record company. But I did mine through a production company.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Music

• It’s a wonderful feeling just being in this creative motif.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Feeling, Wonderful

• I’ve been sampled so much and I’m glad it’s happened, it’s a great compliment.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Happened, Compliment

• I’m celebrating my 40th year in show business this year.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Business

• I’d definitely love to play in Nashville again. That would be really good.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Play, Definitely

• I was with PolyGram; that was the big label that I was with for the longest, like 12 years.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Longest, Label

• I was being an artist, being sensitive and technical as artists are. I’m sure Leonardo Da Vinci did that. Artists don’t always feel the same as others feel about their work.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Same

• I think music all the time.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Music

• I still look good. I’m trippin’, but people tell me that all the time. So check it out, I’m 63, and still kicking. I’ve been putting records out every year.

  Roy Ayers

  Topics in Uncategorized

  Tags in Look, Tell

Roy Ayers (32)

Birth:	10th September, 1940
Nationality:	American
Profession:	Composer, Musician, Lyricist

About

Roy Ayers is an American funk, soul, and jazz composer and vibraphone player. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped pioneer jazz-funk.

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Today's Anniversary - 22nd January

Births

• 1949 - Stephen Ray Perry
• 1949 - Steve Perry
• 1748 - Timothy Dexter
• 1788 - Lord Byron
• 1777 - Joseph Hume

Deaths

• 1973 - Lyndon B. Johnson
• 1995 - Rose Elizabeth Kennedy
• 1994 - Telly Savalas
• 2005 - Rose Mary Woods
• 1995 - Rose Kennedy