OKP NEWS: Legendary Motown songwriter–and star in his own right–Nick Ashford passed away Monday at the age of 70. As one half of the R&B duo Ashford & Simpson, not only did he lend his voice to huge hits like “Solid As A Rock,” but also his lyrics to many Motown classics for other artists, often writing material for with his wife & partner Valerie Simpson that became huge successes for duets from the likes of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, including the immortal sides “You’re All I Need to Get By” (recognizable to rap fans from Method Man and Mary J. Blige‘s remake) and “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing.”
In an eerily parallel story, rock n’ roll songwriter Jerry Lieber, who as part of the Lieber & Stroller songrwiting team wrote or co-wrote such rhythm n blues oldies as “Jailhouse Rock”; “Hound Dog”; “Yakety Yak” and “On Broadway” also passed away. Our own Questlove summed up the emotion of the moment best when he tweeted last night:” two masters of lyricals passed away today…these 2 men wrote the sndtrk of your lives.” To see what he’s talking about, watch Ms. Diana Ross live rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” below:
Ashford met Valerie Simpson at a New York City church in 1964 and they quickly began writing songs together. They scored their first big hit in 1966 when Ray Charles recorded their track "Let's Go Get Stoned" and brought it to Number One on the R&B chart. They began writing for Motown that same year, and hit it big in 1967 with "Ain't No Mountain High Enough." The song was originally recorded by Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, but Diana Ross recorded it in 1970 and made it her first solo Number One single on the Hot 100.
Over the next few years Ashford and Simpson continued to regularly write for Diana Ross, as well as Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson and the Marvelettes. In 1978 they wrote "I'm Every Woman" for Chaka Khan, which was later recorded by Whitney Houston on the soundtrack to the The Bodyguard.
In 1974 Ashford and Simpson married each other and stayed happily married. They began recording as a duo for Warner Bros. They scored hits with "Don't Cost You Nothin'," "It Seems To Hang On," "Found A Cure" and 1984's "Solid," which hit Number 12 on the Billboard Hot 100. The hits dried up by the 1990s, but they continued to record and tour until very recently.
CBS Sunday Morning Profile On Ashford & Simpson
