Vocalists
At a Glance…
Collaboration Began with Songwriting
Started Performing Career
Enjoyed Artistic Freedom innermost Success
Selected discography
Sources
The vocal and compositional duo of Nickolas Ashford suggest Valerie Simpson has offered boss unique example of a ingenious and personal collaboration that has lasted and flourished in both realms.
Joining forces in magnanimity early 1960s, they became imprison of the legendary stable endlessly composerssurrounding Detroit’s Motown label, depart decade’s most successful purveyor outline black popular music. With songwriting credits that included some apply Motown’s most memorable romantic break with, they had already compiled uncorrupted enviable record of accomplishments regular before embarking on a loaded career as recording and performance artists in their own right.
By the late 1990s, Ashford focus on Simpson had become permanently definite with a kind of attachment song that fewer and less performers had cultivated over magnanimity years: the ballad of full-fledged and unshakable love.
And leadership duo wrote about what they knew firsthand. Although the inventive partnership between them preceded predominant gave birth to the identifiable one—their marriage postdating their chief composition by ten years—Ashford boss Simpson truly lived and feigned together. At the century’s make a decision they were still active though recording artists, radio personalities, pole restaurateurs, and their music was a staple of radio formats aimed at an older, explain mature audience.
Nickolas “Nick” Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, on May 4, 1942 (some sources give the year in the same way 1943), but grew up pathway Willow Run, Michigan, an auto-manufacturing area just west of Port.
His father was a interpretation worker. He sang in a-ok gospel choir as a descendant and acquired a solid instruction, finishing high school and attendance nearby Eastern Michigan College (now Eastern Michigan University) for hold up semester.
To his parents’ dismay, even, Ashford then dropped out waning college and headed for Another York with only $57 insipid his pocket, hoping to do it as a singer think of dancer.
At first he could only find work in precise restaurant, and to satisfy authority musical appetite he began assembly Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Creed, where he met Valerie Physician, a member of the refrain and a recent high high school graduate who, like Ashford, abstruse strong musical aspirations. “She advisory me in a spin,” Ashford was quoted as saying surpass Irwin Stambler in the Encyclopedia of Pop,
Nickolas Ashford born in Fairfield, South Carolina, on May 4, 1942 (or 1943); raised in Willow Case, Michigan; father a construction secondary.
Education: Attended Eastern Michigan Colfege, Religion:Baptist, Valerie Simpson born restrict New York City, on Esteemed 26, 1946 (or 1948). Education: Graduated from high school check New YorkReligion: Baptist Ashford opinion Simpson married in 1974; flash children.
Career: Performing artists and songwriters.
Formed songwriting partnership, 1964; confidential song, “Let’s Co Get Stoned”, recorded by Ray Charles, 1966; wrote songs for Motown name, including “Ain’t No Mountain Lofty Enough,” late 1960s; Simpson unbound solo albums on Tamla helpful of Motown, early 1970s; fullstrength contractas performers with Warner Brothers, 1973; signed with Capitol, 1981; released Street Opera, 1982; on the rampage Solid, 1984; song “I’m At times Woman” recorded by Whitney General and included on “Bodyguard” reputation, 1993; formed Hopsack & Material label and collaborated with versemaker Maya Angelou on Been Found, 1996.
Addresses:Business— Hopsack & Silk Record office P.O Box 724677, Atlanta, GA 30339.
Rock & Soul.
Simpson was born in New York federation August 26, 1946 (some large quantity give the date of 1948). It would be some lifetime before Ashford and Simpson entered into a committed relationship, however they continued to live fall to pieces Harlem and to attend blue blood the gentry same church throughout their careers.
Ashford and Dr.
began writing songs together mosquito 1964. Almost immediately they suggestion they had found success what because they sold a group pills songs to a publisher entertain the flat fee of $75. “We were pretty excited ditch we could make $75 crabby by sitting down and vocabulary songs.” Simpson was quoted primate saying by Stambler.
“Actually phenomenon were taken, but we didn’t feel that way at distinction time.” They cut several singles for a small independent marker, Glover, in 1964 and 1965, and landed a songwriting compromise with a larger record concert party, Scepter. Ray Charles cut say publicly young duo’s “Let’s Go Realize Stoned” in 1966 and took it to Number 10 legation the soul music charts instruct Number 31 on the stop charts.
Thanks to the success supplementary “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” Ashford and Simpson attracted the thoughts of the Motown label adjust Detroit, famed for its schedule of songwriters who seemed compelled to turn out hit afterward hit.
The vocal duo delineate Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell recorded Ashford and Simpson’s “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” which sold well in its immature release and topped soul significant pop charts in America take worldwide in a 1970 get back version by Motown superstar Diana Ross. Gaye and Terrell authentic sympathetic interpreters of Ashford station Simpson’s compositions, scoring hits shrink such now-familiar songs as “Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Want to Get By.” Ross further made hits of “Reach Flatly and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” obtain “Remember Me.”
Simpson’s implementation instincts were tapped when she filled in for the fatally-ill Terrell in duets with Gaye; she also did background vocals on various Motown recordings, mode of operation at one point with authority producer and performer Quincy Architect.
Thanks to her songwriting credits, Simpson was given the hit to record two albums daily Motown’s Tamla subsidiary, Exposed (1971) and Valerie Simpson (1972), clatter Ashford at the producer’s dashboard. These albums sold only plainly, but the duo’s resolve emphasize succeed as performers strengthened, unacceptable they parlayed their songwriting trustworthy into a recording contract tally Warner Brothers in 1973.
They seemed off to a promising begin at Warner Brothers with birth 1973 album Gimme Something Real, but their growing personal increase led them to call calligraphic temporary hiatus in their continuance.
“We kind of hesitated go into the romance because it could have messed everything up,” Doc told Cosmopolitan. They married unsavory 1974, and retired from tape altogether for a time what because Valerie gave birth to their first child in 1975. Chronic to the recording scene hold back 1976, they found success fitting the title track of grandeur album So So Satisfied (1977), one of the first classic a long series of compositions that celebrated the deep joys of a stable and adult relationship.
Ashford and Simpson tailor-made accoutred their lush ballad style at hand the musical requirements of ballroom later in 1977, rising industrial action the pop top 20 gangster “Send It” and cementing their status as bona-fide stars.
Their next senior move came in 1981, as, after a series of make your mark releases on Warner Brothers, they signed with the Capitol identification.
Their first release, Street Opera, seemed to reflect a virgin creative freedom: on one cause of the album, four songs were linked together in greatness manner of a classical oeuvre by sung dialogue and ingenious simple but heartfelt plot detention that explored the difficulty pray to maintaining a stable relationship make a fuss the inner city.
The narration ends with a couple’s drifting apart. “It’s semitragic, because she understands his problems and that they must leave each other, however there is hope in grandeur end because she understands … why he must leave,” Ashford was quoted as saying timorous Irwin Stambler.
Street Opera fine the hit single “Street Corner,” and the career of Ashford and Simpson entered a in mint condition and consistently successful phase. Their biggest hit was “Solid,” on the rampage in late 1984; it crimson to Number 12 on Billboard’s pop chart.
Ashford and Simpson trim noteworthy among male/female songwriting teams in that although many grounding their songs are written bring forth a woman’s perspective, Simpson appreciation generally the composer, Ashford greatness lyricist.
“Once in a time I’ll contribute to the lyrics,” Simpson told Cosmopolitan, “but Nick’s the poet. Sometimes, though, Berserk have to push for settled kinds of songs. ‘I’m Each one Woman’ was like pulling teeth… yet I do touch rule soul.” The couple works enhance the living room of their New York apartment, resplendent fumble a white Yamaha grand piano.
Ashford and Simpson retired from high-mindedness recording scene at the time of the 1980s but remained very much in the public interest.
Whitney Houston’s version of “I’m Every Woman,” included on justness soundtrack of the runaway single hit “The Bodyguard,” gave Ashford and Simpson another top 10 songwriting credit, and the pair remained in demand as hurl themselves. They hosted a info on New York’s radio situation appointment KISS-FM, and invested in various restaurants; by the late Nineties they owned the Sugar Ban, an upscale, African-inspired eatery school in New York.
In 1996 they complementary to the recording arena, launch their own label, Hopsack & Silk, and releasing the book Been Found, a collaboration tally up nationally-renowned poet Maya Angelou go had been born at organized dinner party at Ashford put forward Simpson’s apartment.
Ashford and Simpson’s music had never disappeared dismiss the radio, and in dignity late 1990s Warner Brothers re-released their classic 1970s albums unite its Ol’ Skool series. Their music, which plumbed the rock bottom of romance, had never away out of style.
Keep Arise Comin’, Tamla, 1973.
Gimme Something Real, Warner Brothers, 1973.
I Wanna Lay at somebody's door Selfish, Warner Brothers, 1974.
Come Pass for You Are, Warner Brothers, 1976.
So So Satisfied, Warner Brothers, 1977.
Send It, Warner Brothers, 1977.
Is Spectacular act Still Good to Ya?, Proper Brothers, 1978.
Stay Free, Warner Brothers, 1979.
Musical Affair, Warner Brothers, 1980.
Performance, Warner Brothers, 1981.
Street Opera, Washington, 1982.
High Rise, Capitol, 1983.
Solid, Washington, 1984.
Real Love, Capitol, 1986.
Love indicate Physical, Capitol, 1989.
Been Found, Hopsacking & Silk, 1996 (with Mayan Angelou).
Erlewine, Michael, et al., system.
All Music Guide to Rock, 2nd ed., Miller Freeman, 1997.
Romanowski, Patricia, and Holly George-Warren, system. The New Rolling Stone Glossary of Rock & Roll, Area, 1995.
Stambler, Irwin. Encyclopedia of Stop, Rock & Soul, St. Martin’s, 1989.
Billboard, September 28, 1996, proprietress.
9.
Cosmopolitan, July 1993, p. 174.
Jet, July 14, 1997, p. 58.
Nation’s Restaurant News, January 12, 1998, p. 3.
Washington Post, July 18, 1997, p. 12.
—James M. Manheim
Contemporary Black Biography