Top Five Roy Ayers Songs

Influential vibraphonist, composer and jazz-funk pioneer Roy Ayers died on Tuesday, March 5, after a long illness. He was 84. “The Godfather of Neo-Soul” brought a wealth of great music and wonderful performances to the world. In honor of this multitalented artist, I made up a list of my top five Roy Ayers songs. Here’s the list in no particular order.

Freaky Deaky (1978)

Kenny Turman’s funky slap bass line drives this dynamic dance groove. The song features singers Sylvia Cox and Merry Clayton, who lit up the Rolling Stones’ classic “Gimme Shelter” with her soul-wrenching vocal performance. “Freaky Deaky” was a single from Ayers’ album Let’s Do It (1978). It peaked at #29 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. 

Freaky Deaky at Amazon

Everybody Loves The Sunshine (1976)

Roy Ayers caressed the airwaves with this majestic groove back in 1976. The song is immaculately produced and arranged. It features luminous synths and an exquisite vocal performance from Debbie Darby (aka Chicas). Music magazine Pitchfork placed it at #72 on its “200 Greatest Songs of the 1970s” list. It’s the title track from Ayers’ studio album that was released on May 12, 1976. The collection performed well on the charts, peaking at #10 on Billboard’s R&B album chart and #51 on the Billboard 200. “Everybody Loves The Sunshine” has been sampled on 188 songs, including tracks by prominent artists such as Dr. Dre, Mary J. Blige, Tupac Shakur, OutKast and Common. 

Everybody Loves The Sunshine at Amazon

Love Will Bring Us Back Together (1979)

There is so much groove goodness on this irresistible cut. Ayers’ serves up some marvelous keyboard work, particularly the funky clavinet parts. And he infuses his lead vocals with tons of smooth soul, nicely complemented by Carla Vaughn's strong backing vocals. William Allen anchors the track with a tasty bass line. “Love Will Bring Us Back Together” was the lead single from Ayers’ studio album Fever (1979). It peaked at #41 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. 

Love Will Bring Us Back Together at Amazon

Hot (1985)

Roy Ayers brought truckloads of funk to this dope groove. The track features some cold guitar riffs, a wicked beat, and electrifying synth lines. And Ayers delivers a smokin’ vibraphone solo, which augments the funk level considerably. “Hot” was the second single from Ayers’ studio album You Might Be Surprised (1985). The song had a pretty strong showing on the charts, peaking at #20 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #12 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. It was famously played at the intro of Michael Jackson’s iconic “The Way You Make Me Feel” video, which first aired on October 31, 1987.

Hot at Amazon

Running Away (1977)

This smooth indelible groove had music lovers everywhere bobbin’ their heads and tapping their feet. It’s one of Roy Ayers’ best-known tracks, and it still gets a lot of play on classic R&B, jazz and soul stations. William Allen’s fantastic bass line is the funky nexus of this memorable groove, flawlessly linking all of the elements together. The track features a creative vocal arrangement, with vocals provided by Edwin Birdsong, Silvia Cox, Roy Ayers, and Marguerite Arthurton. Steve Cobb keeps the groove tight and deep in the pocket with his stellar drumming. And Chano O'Ferral's percussion work is topflight. “Running Away” is a single from Ayers’ 1977 studio album Lifeline. The song peaked at #19 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart and #14 on Billboard’s Dance Club Songs chart. It has been sampled on 34 songs, including tracks by noted music acts such as A Tribe Called Quest, Common, Big Daddy Kane, and Slick Rick.

Running Away at Amazon

“Ring My Bell” by Anita Ward

Singer Anita Ward's mesmerizing disco anthem “Ring My Bell” dominated the charts back in 1979, receiving tons of love from R&B, disco, and pop fans. It was also a huge club favorite. DJs kept this cut handy in case things got too dead at the club. Bumpin’ it was a surefire way to get folks back on the dance floor. The track is simply electric. It has a hypnotic flow, featuring a smoldering bass line, a powerful beat, and tight chicken-scratch guitar licks. And Ward delivers a captivating vocal performance. Her vocals are packed with passion and sultry soul. She receives strong vocal support from background singers Cheryl Bundy and Valerie Williams. Their haunting harmonies on the chorus elevate the track to maximum groove bliss. Also, the song was one of the first to feature a Synare drum (an electronic synthesized drum). And the addition of a bell was the cherry on top of this irresistible track.

“Ring My Bell” was written by singer, songwriter, and producer Frederick Knight. The song was originally intended for 11-year-old R&B singer Stacey Lattisaw as a teenybopper song about kids talking on the telephone. Knight wrote the song intending to get Lattisaw to sign with his production company. When she signed with another label, Ward was asked to record the song instead. The song was reworked with a sexy grown-up theme and a hot dance beat. It’s about a woman welcoming her man home after a hard day at work. She invites him to ring her bell, a euphemism for sex. This playfully seductive invitation seems so sweet and quaint compared to the sexually explicit songs released today, i.e., Cardi B and Megan Thee Stallion’s hit “WAP."

“Ring My Bell” was the second single from Ward’s debut album Songs of Love (1979), released on the independent label Juana Records (founded by Frederick Knight and Clinton Harris). The song was an instant smash, topping the pop, R&B and dance charts in the U.S. It also reached the top spot on the charts in the UK, Spain, Norway, New Zealand, Israel, and Canada. And it made the top 10 in many other countries. The song has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide. It also landed Ward a Grammy nomination for Best Female R&B Vocal Performance at the 1980 Grammy Awards. Additionally, “Ring My Bell” placed at #18 on Billboard magazine’s 2022 list of “The 60 Sexiest Songs of All Time.” 

“Ring My Bell” has been sampled on 56 songs and was featured on the soundtracks of several films, including The Book of Eli (2010), The Waterboy (1998), Corky Romano (2001), and Mystery Men (1999). It has also been featured in TV series such as Winning Time: The Rise of the Lakers Dynasty (Season 1, episode 5 titled “Pieces of Man,” originally aired April 3, 2022); Doom Patrol (season 1, episode 5 titled “Paw Patrol,” originally aired March 15, 2019); The Good Place (season 4, episode 10, titled “You’ve Changed Man,” originally aired January 9, 2020); and Cold Case (season 2, episode 3, titled “Daniella,” originally aired October 17, 2004). The song is also featured on the video games Just Dance and Just Dance: Greatest Hits. Additionally, the significance of “Ring My Bell” to disco music's history is discussed in episode 3 of the 2024 PBS series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution. 

The disco classic has been covered by a host of music artists, including Tori Amos, who puts her own unique stamp on it. And New Zealand-born Australian pop singer Collette scored a big hit with her 1989 cover of the song, which peaked at #5 on the Australian charts and #4 on the charts in New Zealand.

Anita Ward was born in Memphis, Tennessee on December 20, 1956. She was the eldest of five children and developed a love for music at an early age, particularly gospel music. Ward earned a degree in psychology at Rust College in Holly Springs, Mississippi. While a student there, she sang with the Rust College A Cappella Choir with Metropolitan Opera star Leontyne Price. Following graduation, Ward worked as a substitute teacher in the Memphis elementary school system, but her true calling was music. 

She began making moves to launch a music career. Her manager got her in contact with Frederick Knight, who had the 1972 hit “I’ve Been Lonely For So Long” to his credit. He produced a three-song session with Ward. He was so impressed with Ward’s abilities that the session expanded to an entire album’s worth of material. After the basic tracks for the album were completed, everyone agreed that it needed one more uptempo tune. Knight returned the next day with “Ring My Bell.” Ward wasn’t enthusiastic about the song, preferring ballads over disco music. But Knight insisted she record it because he knew it had the potential to become a big hit.

Ward's career would never again reach the massive level of success that she enjoyed during her “Ring My Bell” era. She experienced some major career setbacks that included contractual disputes with Knight, a serious car accident, and disco’s waning popularity. She had a minor hit with “Don’t Drop My Love,” released in 1979. It peaked at #87 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #52 on Billboard’s R&B singles chart. And it rose to #26 on Billboard’s dance chart. Her subsequent recordings failed to gain any traction on the U.S. charts. Her 1989 single “Be My Baby” peaked at #164 in Australia, and a 1990 UK reissue of “Ring My Bell” reached #99 on the UK charts.

Ward still occasionally performs. On January 23, 2024, she performed “Ring My Bell” at the First Ladies of Disco Show, which also featured Janice-Marie Johnson of A Taste of Honey and Thea Austin of Snap!

Anita Ward performing "Ring My Bell" on Dutch TV Show TopPop in 1979

A more recent performance of "Ring My Bell." Don't know the year, but really cool performance.

"Ring My Bell" available at Amazon