Ashford & Simpson was an American duo of songwriters/producers and singers, consisting of the couple Nickolas Ashford (Nick) (4 may 1941 - August 22, 2011) andValerie Simpson (August 26, 1946). They scored a worldwide hit with the song in 1984 and were like Solid songwriters responsible for several hits from the Motown record label . Nick Ashford died at the age of 70 in 2011.
Content[]
Life and work[Edit][]
The beginnings of cooperation[Edit][]
Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson met in 1964 in the choir of the Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church. In 1966 they scored their first self-penned hit, Let's Go Get Stoned, for Ray Charles. After they had been at some time Sceptre Records, they signed a contract with Motownin 1966. They wrote a large number of hits, including 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 for the duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. To Marvin Gaye explained would be heard in the later Valerie Simpsons voice songs from this duo (includingGood Loving Ain't Easy and The Onion Song) when Tammi Terrell by a brain tumor could no longer record. Simpson himself has contradicted this.
For Diana Ross, who wanted to go solo and broke with The Supremes, wrote the duo Located & Simpson the world hit Reach Out and Touch somebody's Hand. Also they wrote California Soul for The Fifth Dimensionand Cry Like a Baby for Aretha Franklin. For Gladys Knight & the Pips they wrote Didn't You Know you'd Have To Cry Sometime. They have also written songs for Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, (who's Gonna Take The Blame), 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 Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe).
Nick Ashford solo[Edit][]
Nick Ashford began as a solo singer with various music labels and took songs on if It Ain't Like That (later recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas), California Soul, Dead End Kids and Let's Go Get Stoned. The duo had this last number written with Bobby Jo Armstead. In 1964, the singing duo Ashford & Simpson "Valerie & Nick". Their was no hit single I'll Find You .
Valerie Simpson solo singing duo Ashford & Simpson and the beginning as[Edit][]
Valerie Simpson made a solo album in 1971 with the song Silly Wasn't I that is sampled later by 50 Cent . Ashford & Simpson left Motown in 1973 and signed a contract with Warner Bros.. Around this time married the couple and also the singing duo Ashford & Simpson since then they are. They made up the LP album Gimme Something Real after they together the singles You Don't Cost Nothin (1977), It Seems To Hang On "(1978)," Is it Still Good to Ya (also 1978), Found A Cure (1979), Street Corner (1982) and made their world hit Solid (1984).
Later singing career and other activities[Edit][]
Ashford & Simpson In 1996 opened a restaurant in New York where also live could be sung. This was done by Queen Latifahamong others. In this period they also had its own radio show on New York radio station KISS-FM. In 2006 it was announced that the duo was writing a musical based on e. Lynn Harris ' novel ' Invisible Life '. In 2007 they opened a school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa, along with Tina Turner, Mary j. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier, Spike Lee, Chris Tucker and Oprah Winfrey.
The song Tears Dry On Their Own the cd Back is Back by Amy Winehouse is based on the number of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell Ain't No Mountain High Enough, that was written by Ashford & Simpson. In 2008 came a remix cd of the duo from. They performed until the death of Ashford (22 August 2011) still on in small, intimate venues in the USA
Trivia[Edit][]
- From 1979 is the brother of Valerie, Ray Simpson agent the American singing group the Village People.
- In 2002 Ashford & Simpson were included in the Songwriters Hall of Fame.
Discography[Edit][]
Albums[Edit][]
| Album with any chart positions (and)
in the Dutch Album Top 100 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exposed | 1971 | - | |||
| Gimme Something Real | 1973 | - | |||
| Keep It Coming | 1973 | - | |||
| I Wanna Be Selfish | 1974 | - | |||
| Come as You Are | 1976 | - | |||
| Send it | 1977 | - | |||
| So So Satisfied | 1977 | - | |||
| Is It Still Good to Ya | 1978 | - | |||
| Stay Free | 1979 | - | |||
| A Musical Affair | 1980 | - | |||
| Performance | 1981 | - | |||
| Street Opera | 1982 | - | |||
| High-rise | 1983 | - | |||
| Solid | 1984 | 19-01-1985 | 19 | 9 | |
| ' Real Love | 1986 | - | |||
| Solid plus Seven | 1987 | - | |||
| Love or Physical | 1989 | - | |||
| Capitol Gold: The Best of Ashford & Simpson | 1993 | - | Compilation album | ||
| Leg Found | 1996 | - | |||
| The Gospel according to Ashford and Simpson | 1997 | - | |||
| The Very Best of Ashford & Simpson | 2002 | - | Compilation album | ||
| The Best of Ashford & Simpson | 2007 | - | Compilation album | ||
| Years: Hits, Remixes & Rarities | 2008 | - |
Singles[Edit][]
| Single with any chart positions (and)
in the Dutch Top 40 |
Date of
appear |
Date of
entry |
Highest
position |
Number Of
weeks |
Comments |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Don't cost you nothing | 1978 | 17-06-1978 | tip19 | - | |
| Stuff like that | 1978 | 05-08-1978 | 26 | 5 | with Quincy Jones & Chaka Khan |
| Found a cure | 1979 | 22-09-1979 | tip6 | - | |
| Solid | 1984 | 05-01-1985 | 3 | 11 |