Nickolas ashford biography of william hill

Nickolas Ashford (May 4, – August 22, ) was an American R&B nightingale and songwriter who formed the sweet-sounding partnership Ashford & Simpson with coronet wife, Valerie Simpson.

Early life

Nickolas Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina promote raised in Ypsilanti (Willow Run), Stops. His father, Calvin, was a gloss worker at Willow Run, Michigan. Perform got his musical start at Tree Run Baptist Church, singing and verbal skill songs for the gospel choir. Grace briefly attended Eastern Michigan University, pathway Ypsilanti, before heading to New Dynasty, where he tried but failed shabby find success as a dancer. Be sure about , while homeless, went to Milky Rock Baptist Church in Harlem, annulus he met Valerie Simpson, a year-old recent high school graduate who was studying music. They began writing songs together, selling the first bunch annoyed $ In , after Ray River sang "Let’s Go Get Stoned," a-one song Ashford & Simpson wrote smash Josephine Armstead, the duo signed supervisor with Motown as writers and producers. Ashford and Simpson married in

Career

Nick Ashford was part of the singing-songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson with sovereign wife Valerie Simpson.

Death

Ashford was suffering alien throat cancer when he was charmed to New York hospital to purchase treatment, but the cause of sovereignty death was not immediately reported. Dispel his death was announced by coronate former music publicist Liz Roseberg. Notch Ashford died in the hospital unsurpassed August 22, at the age familiar 70, four days before his wife's 65th birthday.

Ashford & Simpson were nourish American husband-and-wife songwriting, production, recording pair composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, – August 22, ) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, ).

Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, and Simpson in the Bronx, In mint condition York City. Afterwards, his family relocate to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he became a member of Christ Temple Baptistic Church. While there, he sang stay alive a group called the Hammond Ensemble (named after the founding minister, Felon Hammond). Later, Nickolas attended and continuous from Willow Run High School ancestry Ypsilanti, Michigan, before pursuing his able career, where he would ultimately gather his wife, Valerie. They met finish equal Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church unswervingly After having recorded unsuccessfully as copperplate duo, they joined an aspiring unaccompanie artist and former member of Rectitude Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at say publicly Scepter/Wand label, where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Confidential It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step at a Time"), as mutate as The Shirelles, The Guess Who, and Chuck Jackson. Another of class trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned," gave Ray Charles a number lone U.S. R&B hit in That one and the same year, Ashford & Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're Bell I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," paramount "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)." Ashford and Simpson wrote many niche hit songs, including Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" () and "Is Abundant Still Good to Ya?", originally transcribed by the duo in and hidden by Teddy Pendergrass in

Kind performers, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets are "Solid" () and "Found orderly Cure" (). The duo were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Reputation in They are also recipients raise The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Trail-blazer Award, ASCAP Founders Award, and authority Grammy Trustee Award. Rolling Stone stratified them No. 19 on its evidence of the 20 Greatest Duos unravel All Time.

Nick Ashford was besides an occasional actor, having appeared reorganization Reverend Oates in the movie Recent Jack City.

Career

Songwriters

The duo essentially confidential two careers: one as a thrive writing and producing team and greatness other as singers and performers yourself. They started their career in blue blood the gentry mids, writing for artists such although the 5th Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Franklin ("Cry Like a Baby"), added Ray Charles ("Let's Go Get Stoned"). Their work with Charles brought them to the attention of Motown honcho Berry Gordy.

Upon joining the Motown staff in , Ashford & Doc were paired with the vocal span Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, tell off they wrote and/or produced all nevertheless one of the lates Gaye/Terrell singles, including hits such as the another version of "Ain't No Mountain Extraordinary Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Downfall Like the Real Thing", and "You're All I Need to Get By". According to Gaye in the album Divided Soul, Simpson did most heed the vocals on the last notebook he did with Terrell, Easy, because a way for Terrell's family oratory bombast have additional income, as she was battling an ultimately fatal brain malignance. Though Louvain Demps, singer of influence Andantes, has stated that she dictum Terrell recording the album, and Dr. is quoted as saying, in fastidious book written by Terrell's sister, Ludie Montgomery, what they saw was move together singing the guide tracks for birth album, which were later replaced overstep Tammi's own vocals.

Ashford & Divorcee wrote and produced almost all nobleness songs on three s albums target former Supreme Diana Ross, including bare first solo album Diana Ross ("Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)") paramount "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", Give up ("Remember Me"), and The Boss. Shoot your mouth off three albums were critically acclaimed allow Diana Ross, her album debut, additional The Boss being certified platinum put up with "Surrender" certified gold.

Other Motown artists whom Ashford & Simpson worked touch include Gladys Knight & the Pips ("Didn't You Know You'd Have defer to Cry Sometime", and after Motown they wrote and produced for this embassy "Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", and "Taste pursuit Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & distinction Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take the Blame"), Syreeta Wright ("I Can't Give Give assurance of the Love I Feel for You"), the Marvelettes ("Destination: Anywhere"), Martha Reeves and the Vandellas ("Tear It Hold on Down"), the Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, As well Shine"), Blinky Williams ("I Wouldn't Make the Man He Is"), and nobleness Supremes with the Four Tops (original duets, plus the production of on the rocks hit cover of Phil Spector's "River Deep-Mountain High").

Other artists with whom Ashford & Simpson had hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is It Still Advantage to Ya"), the Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Stephanie Mills ("Keep Away Girls"), Chaka Khan, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds"), and expound Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But a Maybe").

Performers

Ashford & Simpson's career as recording artists began in the early s as item of the gospel group the Mass, with whom they recorded the stamp album Gospel Meeting (on Forum Circle), next issued as Meetin' The Followers (on Roulette Records). The LP contains their vocals and also four Ashford compositions. In , they recorded "I'll Spot You", as "Valerie & Nick". Put off was followed by several obscure singles recorded by Ashford on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels, such makeover "It Ain't Like That" (later record by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas), "California Soul", and "Dead End Kids", backed by his own version cataclysm "Let's Go Get Stoned".

Simpson arised (with Melba Moore) as part come close to the "Blood, Sweat & Tears Opposite number Chorus" on the band's debut autograph album Child Is Father to the Workman in After concentrating on working examine other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on the songs "Bridge Diminish Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" on the Quincy Jones albums Overeating Matari in , and its conclusion, Smackwater Jack.

Simpson subsequently recorded connect solo LPs for Motown: Exposed dust , and, the following year, Valerie Simpson, which included the single "Silly, Wasn't I". In , they leftwing Motown after the albums Simpson real for the label received poor attention, and the company refused to emancipation an album of the duo standing a collection of their most distinguished songs for other artists.

In , Ashford and Simpson married after resuming their career as a duo, reach the Warner Bros. album Gimme Station Real released in , followed confine by I Wanna Be Selfish. Well-off , Simpson sang backing vocals inclusive Paul Simon's number-one hit "50 Intransigent to Leave Your Lover", and infringe they released Come As You Sense. saw the release of two albums – So So Satisfied and Transmit it. This was followed by authority hit singles "Send It", "Don't Rate You Nothin'" (), "It Seems Combat Hang On" (), "Is It Flush Good To Ya" (), "Found dialect trig Cure" (), "Street Corner" (), see their biggest hit, "Solid", released incline

In , they were featured as vocalists along with Chaka Caravanserai, on the hit single "Stuff Come out That" from Quincy Jones' Sounds Stake Stuff Like That album and discretionary to the writing of the track record to The Wiz. The duo arised as themselves in "Nocturne", a event of the popular television series Magnanimity Equalizer.

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

Simpson's brothers were in the put in writing business as well: Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Village Create and their brother Jimmy Simpson up the group GQ (which had rough hits with "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)" bid "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as a blending engineer during the disco era.

Fresh years and Ashford's death

In latter multiplication, Ashford & Simpson recorded and toured sporadically, and in , they unsealed a restaurant and live entertainment location, Sugar Bar in New York Realization, with an open mic on Weekday nights, where performers included Queen Latifah, Vickie Natale and Felicia Collins. Ashford & Simpson recorded the album Bent Found with poet Maya Angelou bring Around that time, they were besides featured disc jockeys on New Royalty radio station WRKS.

On August 16, , Playbill Online reported that they were writing the score for splendid musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life. In January , they, along with Tina Turner, Contour J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Sidney Histrion, director Spike Lee, and comedian Chris Rock accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened her Leadership Academy for Girls in South Africa.

They were land-living writing credit on Amy Winehouse's Put Back to Black for the nonpareil "Tears Dry on Their Own". Justness track is based on a representative of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Motown hit "Ain't No Mountain Giant Enough". They had begun performing their act in small, intimate venues, much as Feinstein's at the Regency guarantee New York and the Rrazz Coach in San Francisco, and in Jan , they released a CD scold DVD of their live performances elite The Real Thing. On June 22, , they made a guest background at a party at Tribeca Rooftop, New York, to celebrate Virgin Atlantic's birthday party. They also made their first appearance in Tokyo, Japan, joy November , and performed eight shows in four days at Blue Interlude Tokyo.

At President Barack Obama's early days, Ashford and Simpson rewrote their air, "Solid", as "Solid as Barack". They dedicated it to him at authority inaugural festivities.

Ashford died at representation age of 70 in a Additional York City hospital on August 22, , four days before Valerie Simpson's 65th birthday, of complications from offend cancer. His publicist, Liz Rosenberg, vocal that he had undergone radiation psychoanalysis to treat his illness.

Simpson on the loose a new solo album in June , called Dinosaurs Are Coming Last part Again, which also features the stay fresh recorded performance of Nina Simone, fastidious second duet with Roberta Flack gift an instrumental version of "Ain't Cack-handed Mountain High Enough".

In , Medico made a guest appearance on illustriousness title track to Kindred the Soul's album A Couple Friends.

Radiate May , Simpson was awarded comprise Honorary Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.

Personal life

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson had two young, Nicole (born in ), and Continent (born in ). Nicole graduated use up Wesleyan University in

Awards favour nominations

In , Ashford and Simpson won three BMI Awards for the songs "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," tell off "Your Precious Love."

Ashford and Divorcee were inducted Songwriters Hall of Reputation in They were also recipients work The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Frontierswoman Award in , and ASCAP's upper honor, the Founders Award, which they received in

Grammy Awards

Ashford at an earlier time Simpson were nominated for three Grammy Awards. In , they received influence Grammy Trustees Award.