BIOGRAPHY
Formed in the early 1970s by vibraphonist Roy Ayers, who chose the name Ubiquity to reflect being everywhere at once, the group grew out of Ayers' rise to prominence after joining jazz flautist Herbie Mann in 1966. On Polydor Records, Ubiquity released a string of genre-blurring albums including He's Coming (1972), Red, Black & Green (1973), Everybody Loves the Sunshine (1976) and Lifeline (1977). Everybody Loves the Sunshine peaked at number 51 on the Billboard 200, and its title track was later ranked number 72 on Pitchfork's '200 Best Songs of the 1970s' list. AllMusic praised the band's 1970 self-titled album for its male/female vocal interplay and cinematic arrangements, calling it 'an outstanding record.' Jazz purists criticized Ayers for shifting toward vocal-driven soul and funk, but R&B audiences embraced the change, and his catalog became a foundation for neo-soul.