Ashford & Simpson

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Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield, South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in The Bronx, New York) are a successful husband and wife songwriting/production team, as well as being recording artists in their own right.

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[edit] History

The duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful writing and producing team and the other as singers and performers themselves. They started their career in the 1960s, writing for artists such as


Joining the Motown staff in 1967, they wrote and/or produced all but one of the late 1960s singles Marvin Gaye recorded with Tammi Terrell, including hits such as the original version of...

Other Motown artists that Ashford & Simpson worked with included...

and

Other artists they had hits with include...

Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Good To You") Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket") and Chaka Khan, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds," ) and with Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But A Maybe" ).

In 1980, they were featured as vocalists, along with Chaka Khan on the huge hit "Stuff Like That" from Quincy Jones' album of the same title and contributed to the writing of the soundtrack to The Wiz. In 1995, Method Man and Mary J. Blige had a hit with a medley of "I'll Be There For You" and "You're All I Need To Get By."

Simpson appeared (with Melba Moorman) as part of the "Blood, Sweat & Tears Soul Chorus" on the band's Al Kooper led debut, Child Is Father to the Man.

According to Marvin Gaye in the book Divided Soul, Simpson did most of the vocals on the last album he did with Tammi Terrell, "Easy," as a way of Tammi's family to have additional income.

Ashford & Simpson's career as artists actually began in 1964 when they recorded "I'll Find You" as "Valerie & Nick." This was followed by several obscure singles Ashford recorded on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels such as "It Ain't Like That", (later recorded by Martha Reeves & The Vandellas), "California Soul" and "Dead End Kids" backed by his own version of "Let's Go Get Stoned," which the duo wrote with their early collaborator Joshie Jo Armstead. After concentrating on working with other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on the songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums "Gula Matari" in 1970 and its followup, "Smackwater Jack." Simpson subsequently recorded two excellent solo LP's for Motown, Valerie Simpson Exposed in 1971, and, the following year, the album Valerie Simpson, which included the single "Silly Wasn't I," which was sampled on 50 Cent's "Best Friend", from the movie Get Rich Or Die Tryin. Ashford & Simpson left Motown in 1973, after the albums Simpson recorded for the label received poor promotion and the company refused to release an album of the two of them recording a collection of their most famous songs for other artists. They first came to national prominence when they were featured singing selections from Simpson's solo albums on the PBS TV show Soul!, hosted by Ellis Haizlip in 1971.

Around this time, they got married and in 1973, they resumed their career as a duo with the Warner Brothers album "Gimme Something Real." This was followed by the hit singles, "Don't Cost You Nothin'," in 1977, "It Seems To Hang On" in 1978, "Found A Cure" in 1979, "Street Corner" in 1982, and their biggest hit, "Solid", which they recorded in 1984. They recorded the album "Been Found" with poet Maya Angelou in 1996. A complete list of their albums can be found in the discography listed below.

On his own, Ashford produced, along with Frank Wilson, the mammoth hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me", which was recorded by Diana Ross & The Supremes in collaboration with The Temptations in 1968. He also appeared in the movie New Jack City (1991), as Reverend Oates, an ordained minister who was part of Nino Brown's entourage.

Simpson's brothers were in the record business as well: Raymond Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Village People and their brother Jimmy Simpson, produced the group G.Q., (who had big hits with "Disco Nights" and "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as a mix artist during the disco era.

In recent times, Ashford & Simpson have recorded and toured sporadically and in 1996, they opened the restaurant and live entertainment venue Sugar Bar in New York City, which has an open mic on Thursday nights where performers have included Queen Latifah and Felicia Collins. Around this time, they were also featured disc jockeys on New York's KISS-FM radio station.

On August 16th, 2006, Playbill Online reported that they are writing the score for a musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life. [1] In January 2007, they, along with Tina Turner, Mary J. Blige , Mariah Carey, Sidney Poitier, director Spike Lee and comedian Chris Tucker, accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened up the school for disadvantaged girls in South Africa.

[edit] Discography

-- All are albums unless noted --

  • I'll Find You/Lonely Town- "Valerie & Nick" (single) (1964, Glover)
  • Don't You Feel Sorry/Somebody Lying On Love- (single)Glover)
  • It Ain't Like That/You Don't Owe Me A Thing- (single)Glover)
  • I Don't Need No Doctor/Young Emotions - Nick Ashford (1966,Verve)
  • California Soul/Young Emotions- Nik Ashford (single)' (1968,[Verve])
  • When I Feel The Need/Young Emotions- Nick Ashford (1968,[Verve])
  • Dead End Kids/Let's Go Get Stoned- Nick Ashford (single)'(1968, ABC)
  • Can't It Wait Until Tomorrow - Valerie Simpson (single)' (1971,Motown)
  • Silly Wasn't I- Valerie Simpson (single)' (1972, Motown)
  • Valerie Simpson Exposed LP (1971, Motown)
  • Valerie Simpson (1972, Motown)
  • Gimme Something Real(1973, Warner Bros.)
  • I Wanna Be Selfish (1974, Warner Bros.)
  • Come as You Are (1976, Warner Bros.)
  • Valerie Simpson Keep It Comin' CD a/k/a The Best of Valerie Simpson (1977, Motown)
  • So, So Satisfied (1977, Warner Bros.)
  • Send It (1977, Warner Bros.)
  • Is It Still Good to Ya (1978, Warner Bros.)
  • Stay Free (1979, Warner Bros.)
  • A Musical Affair (1980, Warner Bros.)
  • Performance (Recorded Live) (1981, Warner Bros.)
  • Street Opera (1982, Capitol)
  • High-Rise (1983, Capitol)
  • Solid (1984, Capitol)
  • Real Love (1986, Capitol)
  • Solid Plus Seven (1987, Capitol)
  • Love or Physical (1989, Capitol)
  • Been Found (with Maya Angelou) (1996, Hopsack & Silk)
  • The Gospel According to Ashford & Simpson (1997, EMI)
  • The Very Best of Ashford & Simpson: 1973-1984 (2003, Rhino)
  • Valerie Simpson Collection (2005, Universal)

[edit] See also

[edit] External links

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