Soundtracking Memories: ‘My Life in the Sunshine’ Author Nabil Ayers Details the Music That Made Him (Guest Column)
variety.comNabil Ayers My life has always revolved around music. My mother is a dancer who played Seals & Crofts and Stevie Wonder records loudly in our apartment as far back as I can remember.
My uncle, the jazz saxophonist Alan Braufman, bought me a drum set when I was two-and-a-half years old. I’ve never known my father, the jazz vibraphonist Roy Ayers, but his music has always been present in my life.
Both my mother and Alan exposed me to live music before I could talk — likely before I could even walk.When I started writing my memoir, “My Life in the Sunshine,” I knew it would include a lot of music.
It’s not a music book, but I work for a record company, and I used to own a record store and play drums in bands. So while I wanted to focus my memoir on bigger themes about family and race, it was impossible for music not to influence every page.
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