The world has lost half of an amazing songwriting, producing and
performing duo; Nick Ashford lost his battle with throat cancer. Nick
Ashford was born in South Carolina; he met Valerie Simpson at Harlem’s
White Rock Baptist Church in 1963. Ashford & Simpson tried to record as a
duo, but they were unsuccessful. So they joined former member of the
Ikettes Joshie Jo Armstead as a song writing trio. The trio’s songs were
recorded by several artist of that time like Ronnie Millsap “Never Had It
So Good”, Maxine Brown “One Step At A Time”, the Shirelles and Chuck
Jackson. In 1966 the trio wrote Ray Charles a number one hit on the R&B
charts “Let’s Go Get Stoned”. Ashford & Simpson joined Motown in 1966 and
that is when they became the amazing song writing duo that lasted over 40
decades. I didn’t know that Ashford & Simpson wrote songs for Marvin Gaye
and Tammi Terrell songs like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “Your
Precious Love”, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing”, and “You’re All I
Need to Get By”. These songs are classics in my opinion can’t anybody to
this day write like Ashford & Simpson. Ashford & Simpson were amazing they
were not only song writers they were also producers they produced Diana
Ross’s first solo album “Reach Out and Touch somebody’s Hand”. Ashford &
Simpson also worked with other artists when they were at Motown was Gladys
Knight & The Pips, Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, The Marvelettes, The
Supremes and The Dynamic Superiors. Ashford & Simpson wrote hits for some
of my all time favorite artists Teddy Pendergrass “Is It Still Good To
You”, The Brothers Johnson “Ride-O-Rocket”, Chaka Khan “I’m Every Woman”
and “Clouds” and Rufus “Keep It Comin” and “Aint Nothin’ But a Maybe”. I
had the honor \of seeing Ashford & Simpson at the Circle Star Theater in
San Carlos California in the 80’s. It was an amazing show they did all of
the hits they wrote for the different artist and my husband and my theme
song “Solid”. There will never be another Ashford & Simpson.

LM

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ashford_%26_Simpson

http://www.tvguide.com/celebrities/ashford-simpson/videos/221575?rss=breakingnews&partnerid=worldnow&profileid=01