“Ain’t No Mountain High Enough”, “You’re All I Need To Get By”, “Your Precious Love”, “I’m Every Woman”. What do all these songs have in common besides great lyrics, smooth melodies, rich harmonies and universal appeal that spans generations and genres? They, along with many others, are part of the legacy from the singer/songwriting husband and wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. And they can all be found, performed live by the legends that gave them life, on the CD Ashford & Simpson: The Real Thing.
Their songwriting career started in the 1960s when Nickolas and Valerie first penned tunes for the New York based Scepter/Wand label. It was there that performers Ronnie Milsap, Maxine Brown, The Shirelles and others started recording their songs. More artists found success recording Ashford/Simpson tunes including Ray Charles, The 5th Dimension, Aretha Franklin, Teddy Pendergrass and Chaka Khan. In 1966 they joined the Motown staff, writing classics for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles to name a few. Not only did they write songs for Diana Ross, they produced her first solo Motown album. In my opinion Ashford and Simpson were as crucial to the creation of the “Motown Sound” as the legendary team of Holland/Dozier/Holland.
I’m also of the mind that as performing artists Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson have not had the recognition they deserve. Between 1964 and now, together or solo, the two made numerous records that weren’t as well received as their songwriting efforts for other singers. Okay, “Solid” (1984) charted well. But even Valerie’s stint as a Motown recording artist missed the mark. During negotiations for renewing the songwriting contract with the label, their request to record an album together comprised of the hits they’d produced for others was nixed. Here in 2009 I’m boggled at that flub by the influential label. Had Ashford & Simpson had their way back then, with full backing from the hit-making Motown machine, it could have been huge for the label and the duo.
But you can’t live your life with regrets and Ashford & Simpson have continued to work. The pair received credit along with Amy Winehouse for her song “Tears Dry On Their Own” on the award winning Back To Black CD, which is based on Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s version of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough". Mary J Blige and Method Man have also sampled the songwriters work in their recordings. Something new for the pair, they wrote the score for a musical based on E. Lynn Harris's novel Invisible Life.
.jpg?t=20120527181101)
Article comments
1 - Ree
I always enjoy your reviews. Again, another addition to our similar music tastes.
Be well my friend.
2 - tink
Very true. As if Elvis wasn't enough on his own, there are still so many more that we share.
Thanks for reading and taking the time to comment...it means a lot to me!