Nabil Ayers | My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family

Join author and musician, Nabil Ayers, for a discussion about his new biography, My Life in the Sunshine: Searching for My Father and Discovering My Family.  Ayers will be in conversation with musician and activist Liz Lambson.

This event is free and open to the public and will take place on the bookshop patio. Masks are recommended inside the bookshop.

GET YOUR COPY NOW! Pre-order your signed copy of My Life in the Sunshine today, by either calling the store at 801-484-9100 or ordering online. Please specify if you will be attending the event and if you want your book personalized.

Places in the signing line are reserved for those who purchase a copy of the featured book from The King’s English.

About the book:

In 1971, a white, Jewish, former ballerina chose to have a child with the famous Black jazz musician Roy Ayers, fully expecting and agreeing to his absenteeism. In MY LIFE IN THE SUNSHINE their son Nabil recounts a life spent living with the aftermath of that decision, and his journey to build an identity of his own despite his father’s absence. Even though Nabil has only met him a handful of times, his father has been a steady influence in his life. Like Roy, Nabil became deeply involved in the music world, first as a musician, and currently as the US head of the London-based record label 4AD. The title of his memoir is a homage to the opening lyric from his father’s 1976 song, “Everybody Loves the Sunshine.”

In Nabil’s search to connect with his father, he ultimately discovers the existence of several half-siblings as well as a paternal ancestor who was enslaved. Following these connections, Nabil meets and befriends the descendant of the plantation owner, which, strangely, paves the way for him to make meaningful connections with the extended family he never knew existed.