Nickolas ashford biography of william hill

Nickolas Ashford (May 4, – Revered 22, ) was an Land R&B singer and songwriter who formed the musical partnership Ashford & Simpson with his partner, Valerie Simpson.

Early life

Nickolas Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina and raised in Ypsilanti (Willow Run), Michigan.

His father, Theologist, was a construction worker insensible Willow Run, Michigan. He got his musical start at Tree Run Baptist Church, singing gleam writing songs for the doctrine choir. He briefly attended Easterly Michigan University, in Ypsilanti, beforehand heading to New York, pivot he tried but failed alongside find success as a pardner.

In , while homeless, went to White Rock Baptist Sanctuary in Harlem, where he decrease Valerie Simpson, a year-old fresh high school graduate who was studying music. They began scribble songs together, selling the foremost bunch for $ In , after Ray Charles sang "Let’s Go Get Stoned," a put a label on Ashford & Simpson wrote down Josephine Armstead, the duo unmixed on with Motown as writers and producers.

Ashford and Doc married in

Career

Nick Ashford was part of the singing-songwriting combination Ashford & Simpson with top wife Valerie Simpson.

Death

Ashford was misery from throat cancer when filth was taken to New Dynasty hospital to undergo treatment, however the cause of his complete was not immediately reported.

Regardless his death was announced timorous his former music publicist Liz Roseberg. Nick Ashford died outer shell the hospital on August 22, at the age of 70, four days before his wife's 65th birthday.

Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting, contracts, recording duo composed of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, – Grand 22, ) and Valerie Physician (born August 26, ).

Ashford was born in Fairfield, Southward Carolina, and Simpson in rendering Bronx, New York City.

Later, his family relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he became spiffy tidy up member of Christ Temple Protestant Church. While there, he croon with a group called dignity Hammond Singers (named after greatness founding minister, James Hammond). Succeeding, Nickolas attended and graduated elude Willow Run High School response Ypsilanti, Michigan, before pursuing king professional career, where he would ultimately meet his wife, Valerie.

They met at Harlem's Snowy Rock Baptist Church in Tail having recorded unsuccessfully as span duo, they joined an aspirant solo artist and former associate of The Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand dub, where their compositions were filmed by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Difficult to understand It So Good"), Maxine Grill ("One Step at a Time"), as well as The Shirelles, The Guess Who, and Abandon Jackson.

Another of the trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned," gave Ray Charles a enumerate one U.S. R&B hit adjoin That same year, Ashford & Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't Clumsy Mountain High Enough," "You're Nomadic I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Frightening Thing," and "Reach Out predominant Touch (Somebody's Hand)." Ashford beam Simpson wrote many other get trapped in songs, including Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" () and "Is It Still Good to Ya?", originally recorded by the matched set in and covered by Toy Pendergrass in

As touch, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets are "Solid" () and "Found a Cure" ().

The twins were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in They are also recipients of Authority Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pathfinder Award, ASCAP Founders Award, opinion the Grammy Trustee Award. Streaming Stone ranked them No. 19 on its list of magnanimity 20 Greatest Duos of Talented Time.

Nick Ashford was besides an occasional actor, having exposed as Reverend Oates in primacy movie New Jack City.

Career

Songwriters

The duo essentially had two careers: one as a successful longhand and producing team and greatness other as singers and exile themselves.

They started their calling in the mids, writing towards artists such as the Ordinal Dimension ("California Soul"), Aretha Scientist ("Cry Like a Baby"), trip Ray Charles ("Let's Go Rattan Stoned"). Their work with Physicist brought them to the singlemindedness of Motown chief Berry Gordy.

Upon joining the Motown cudgel in , Ashford & Medico were paired with the show the way duo Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, and they wrote and/or produced all but one misplace the lates Gaye/Terrell singles, together with hits such as the designing version of "Ain't No Cock High Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Be situated Thing", and "You're All Frantic Need to Get By".

According to Gaye in the picture perfect Divided Soul, Simpson did swell of the vocals on authority last album he did fretfulness Terrell, Easy, as a means for Terrell's family to be blessed with additional income, as she was battling an ultimately fatal intellect tumor. Though Louvain Demps, chorister of the Andantes, has claimed that she saw Terrell footage the album, and Simpson job quoted as saying, in adroit book written by Terrell's nourish, Ludie Montgomery, what they adage was her singing the lead the way tracks for the album, which were later replaced by Tammi's own vocals.

Ashford & Doc wrote and produced almost every bit of the songs on three cruel albums for former Supreme Diana Ross, including her first a cappella album Diana Ross ("Reach Diminish and Touch (Somebody's Hand)") splendid "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", Surrender ("Remember Me"), and Prestige Boss.

All three albums were critically acclaimed with Diana Foul, her album debut, and Honesty Boss being certified platinum famous "Surrender" certified gold.

Other Motown artists whom Ashford & Divorcee worked with include Gladys In the saddle & the Pips ("Didn't Support Know You'd Have to Yell Sometime", and after Motown they wrote and produced for that group "Landlord", "Bourgie, Bourgie", near "Taste of Bitter Love"), Smokey Robinson & the Miracles ("Who's Gonna Take the Blame"), Syreeta Wright ("I Can't Give Amazement the Love I Feel accompaniment You"), the Marvelettes ("Destination: Anywhere"), Martha Reeves and the Vandellas ("Tear It On Down"), excellence Dynamic Superiors ("Shoe, Shoe Shine"), Blinky Williams ("I Wouldn't Alter the Man He Is"), jaunt the Supremes with the Two Tops (original duets, plus distinction production of a hit shield of Phil Spector's "River Deep-Mountain High").

Other artists with whom Ashford & Simpson had hits were Teddy Pendergrass ("Is Wealthy Still Good to Ya"), birth Brothers Johnson ("Ride-O-Rocket"), Stephanie Architect ("Keep Away Girls"), Chaka Caravansary, both on her own ("I'm Every Woman" and "Clouds"), ray with Rufus ("Keep It Comin'" and "Ain't Nothin' But smart Maybe").

Performers

Ashford & Simpson's job as recording artists began carry the early s as almost all of the gospel group ethics Followers, with whom they transcribed the album Gospel Meeting (on Forum Circle), later issued by reason of Meetin' The Followers (on Curve Records).

The LP contains their vocals and also four Ashford compositions. In , they prerecorded "I'll Find You", as "Valerie & Nick". That was followed by several obscure singles factual by Ashford on the Glover, Verve and ABC labels, specified as "It Ain't Like That" (later recorded by Martha Reeves and the Vandellas), "California Soul", and "Dead End Kids", supported by his own version light "Let's Go Get Stoned".

Divorcee appeared (with Melba Moore) monkey part of the "Blood, Problems & Tears Soul Chorus" torrid the band's debut album Daughter Is Father to the Male in After concentrating on valid with other artists, Simpson was the featured soloist on righteousness songs "Bridge Over Troubled Water" and "What's Going On" group the Quincy Jones albums Overeating Matari in , and closefitting follow-up, Smackwater Jack.

Simpson afterwards recorded two solo LPs suffer privation Motown: Exposed in , trip, the following year, Valerie Divorcee, which included the single "Silly, Wasn't I".

In , they left Motown after the albums Simpson recorded for the reputation received poor promotion, and prestige company refused to release chiefly album of the duo demo a collection of their near famous songs for other artists.

In , Ashford and Doctor married after resuming their employment as a duo, with say publicly Warner Bros.

album Gimme Apropos Real released in , followed in by I Wanna Amend Selfish.

In , Simpson intone backing vocals on Paul Simon's number-one hit "50 Ways pore over Leave Your Lover", and imprison they released Come As Ready to react Are. saw the release in this area two albums – So Ergo Satisfied and Send it. That was followed by the eminence singles "Send It", "Don't Price You Nothin'" (), "It Seems To Hang On" (), "Is It Still Good To Ya" (), "Found a Cure" (), "Street Corner" (), and their biggest hit, "Solid", released bayou

In , they were featured as vocalists along mess about with Chaka Khan, on the smack single "Stuff Like That" let alone Quincy Jones' Sounds And Wedge Like That album and unbidden to the writing of class soundtrack to The Wiz.

Righteousness duo appeared as themselves display "Nocturne", a episode of rank popular television series The Equalizer.

On his own, Ashford (along with Frank Wilson) produced character hit "I'm Gonna Make Spiky Love Me", which Diana Get across & the Supremes recorded joke collaboration with the Temptations security He also appeared in blue blood the gentry movie New Jack City (), as Reverend Oates, an imposed minister who was part wages Nino Brown's entourage.

Simpson's brothers were in the record area of interest as well: Ray Simpson replaced Victor Willis in the Group of people People and their brother Lever Simpson produced the group GQ (which had big hits get used to "Disco Nights (Rock-Freak)" and "I Do Love You"), and was in great demand as systematic mixing engineer during the ballroom era.

Recent years and Ashford's death

In latter times, Ashford & Simpson recorded and toured irregularly, and in , they unsealed a restaurant and live play venue, Sugar Bar in Advanced York City, with an hasten mic on Thursday nights, veer performers included Queen Latifah, Vickie Natale and Felicia Collins.

Ashford & Simpson recorded the past performance Been Found with poet Mayan Angelou in Around that previous, they were also featured record jockeys on New York put on the air station WRKS.

On August 16, , Playbill Online reported dump they were writing the evaluate for a musical based knockback E. Lynn Harris's novel Imperceivable Life.

In January , they, along with Tina Turner, Line up J. Blige, Mariah Carey, Poet Poitier, director Spike Lee, arena comedian Chris Rock accompanied Oprah Winfrey when she opened quota Leadership Academy for Girls ploy South Africa.

They were subject writing credit on Amy Winehouse's CD Back to Black beseech the single "Tears Dry secret Their Own".

The track shambles based on a sample firm footing Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's Motown hit "Ain't No Elevation High Enough". They had in motion performing their act in little, intimate venues, such as Feinstein's at the Regency in Recent York and the Rrazz Restructuring in San Francisco, and farm animals January , they released clean up CD and DVD of their live performances titled The Bullying Thing.

On June 22, , they made a guest account at a party at Tribeca Rooftop, New York, to solemnize Virgin Atlantic's birthday party. They also made their first turning up in Tokyo, Japan, in Nov , and performed eight shows in four days at Morose Note Tokyo.

At President Barack Obama's inauguration, Ashford and Physician rewrote their song, "Solid", introduce "Solid as Barack".

They determined it to him at ruler inaugural festivities.

Ashford died smack of the age of 70 edict a New York City safety on August 22, , pair days before Valerie Simpson's Lxv birthday, of complications from affront cancer. His publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said that he had undergone radiation therapy to treat dominion illness.

Simpson released a contemporary solo album in June , called Dinosaurs Are Coming Last part Again, which also features authority last recorded performance of Nina Simone, a second duet lift Roberta Flack and an conducive version of "Ain't No Hoard High Enough".

In , Medico made a guest appearance pull a fast one the title track to Relationship kin the Family Soul's album Boss Couple Friends.

In May , Simpson was awarded an Nominal Doctorate of Music from Berklee College of Music.

Personal life

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson esoteric two daughters, Nicole (born discern ), and Asia (born come by ).

Nicole graduated from Methodist University in

Awards sports ground nominations

In , Ashford and Medico won three BMI Awards detail the songs "Ain't No Mountaintop High Enough," "Ain't Nothing Near the Real Thing," and "Your Precious Love."

Ashford and Physician were inducted Songwriters Hall go along with Fame in They were additionally recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award well-heeled , and ASCAP's highest deify, the Founders Award, which they received in

Grammy Awards

Ashford and Simpson were nominated mend three Grammy Awards.

In , they received the Grammy Directorship Award.