(NDG Wire) The spectacular singing partners, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson will provide the entertainment for the Urban League of Greater Dallas Annual 2010 Gala.
As songwriters and performers, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson have long ranked among the most acclaimed and admired creative couples in contemporary music. Their award-winning collaborations began over four decades ago.
Having completed a course in modern dance at the University of Michigan in 1964, Ashford moved to New York from Detroit to pursue a career in the theater. He was homeless when he met Simpson, a Bronx native, who had studied piano since the age of five and was playing and singing with the White Rock Baptist Church’s legendary choir in Harlem.
Nick joined the choir and the two began writing songs. That year they recorded an original song, “I’ll Find You” for $75. They were soon signed to the legendary Scepter Records as staff songwriters, breaking through in 1966 when Ray Charles landed a major hit with their composition “Let’s Go Get Stoned.” This led to their signing with Motown Records, where they penned the classic Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hits “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Your Precious Love, “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” “You’re All I Need to Get By” and “Good Lovin’ Ain’t Easy to Come By.” They also wrote hits for other Motown greats, most notably Diana Ross, who launched her solo career with a hit remake of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” that was produced by Ashford & Simpson. The duo also wrote her hits, “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” and “The Boss.”
While Simpson scored with a pair of well-received solo albums for Motown in the early 1970s, it was with Warner Bros. Records that the now married couple fully realized their artistic vision. From 1973 to 1981 they released nine albums, which included such unforgettable hits as “Send It,” “Don’t Cost You Nothin’,” “It Seems to Hang On,” “Love Don’t Make it Right,” “Is It Still Good to Ya” and “Found a Cure.” The hit making continued after a move to Capitol Records in 1982, with “Street Corner,” “Highrise,” “I’ll Be There for You,” and of course, “Solid,” which topped the rhythm and blues chart in 1984 and crossed over to No. 12 on the pop singles chart.
They continued writing and producing for other artists, including Ben E. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, Chaka Khan (they wrote her hit “I’m Every Woman”) and Quincy Jones (they co-wrote and performed on his hit “Stuff Like That”).
In addition to their artistic endeavors, Nick and Val are equally and continuously involved in community service. Ongoing activities iinclude Simpson’s membership on the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) Board of Directors and her role as a national spokesperson for the Speaking of Woman’s Health organization. For his part, Ashford serves on the Board of Directors for George Faison’s Firehouse Theatre.
The duo has received many honors and awards but the two that stand out as special milestones include a street sign in the Bronx Walk of Fame, in commemoration of Valerie Simpson’s achievements by her proud neighborhood. She presented Bryant Park with a park bench inscribed with “Nick Ashford slept here,” symbolizing the long journey they’ve traveled together since that fateful day at White Rock Baptist Church.
The event will be held on Saturday, August 28, 2010 at the Hilton Anatole Hotel.
