Kevin Ayers

Kevin Ayers (16 August 1944 – 18 February 2013) was an English singer-songwriter who was a major influential force in the English psychedelic music movement. Ayers was a founding member of the pioneering psychedelic band Soft Machine in the mid-1960s, and was closely associated with the Canterbury scene.[2] He recorded a series of albums as a solo artist and over the years worked with Brian Eno, Syd Barrett, Bridget St John, John Cale, Elton John, Robert Wyatt, Andy Summers, Mike Oldfield, Nico and Ollie Halsall, among others. After living for many years in Deià, Majorca, he returned to the United Kingdom in the mid-1990s before moving to the south of France. His last album, The Unfairground, was released in 2007.[3] The British rock journalist Nick Kent wrote: “Kevin Ayers and Syd Barrett were the two most important people in British pop music. Everything that came after came from them.”[4]

Ayers was born in Herne Bay, Kent,[5] the son of BBC producer Rowan Ayers.[6] Following his parents’ divorce and his mother’s subsequent marriage to a British civil servant, Ayers spent most of his childhood in Malaya.[7] The tropical atmosphere and unpressured lifestyle had an impact, and one of the frustrating and endearing aspects of Ayers’ career is that every time he seemed on the point of success, he would take off for some sunny spot where good wine and food were easily found.[8]

Ayers returned to England at the age of twelve. In his early college years he took up with the burgeoning musicians’ scene in the Canterbury area. He was quickly drafted into the Wilde Flowers,[9] a band that featured Robert Wyatt and Hugh Hopper, as well as future members of Caravan. Ayers stated in interviews that the primary reason he was asked to join was that he probably had the longest hair. However, this prompted him to start writing songs and singing.