Roots of Rick James

Bob & Gene is an American R&B, singing, songwriting, duo. The duo consists of Bobby Nunn and Eugene Coplin Jr. In 1967, in their home town of Buffalo, New York, the two teenagers started writing and recording original songs that were released locally on the MoDo records label.

Leroy O'Neil Jackson Jr., known by his stage name Leroy Burgess, is an American singer, songwriter, keyboard player, recording artist, arranger and record producer.

Roy Edward Ayers Jr. was an American vibraphonist, record producer, and composer. Ayers began his career as a post-bop jazz artist, releasing several studio albums with Atlantic Records, before his tenure at Polydor Records beginning in the 1970s, during which he helped to pioneer jazz-funk. He was a key figure in the acid jazz movement, and has been described as "The Godfather of Neo Soul". He was best known for his compositions "Everybody Loves the Sunshine", "Running Away", and "Freaky Deaky" and others that charted in the 1970s. At one time, Ayers was listed among the performers whose music was most often sampled by rappers.