Covered: Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson, Volume 1: 1965-1969

Here's more of my Covered series, and more of Motown. This time, it's the husband and wife team of Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. I found enough for two volumes, and this is the first.

Ashford and Simpson are best known for being a popular R&B act in the 1970s and 80s. Less well known is the fact they were a very successful songwriting team even before finding success as their own musical act.

Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson met in New York City in 1964 and became romantic partners. It took them ten years until they got married, but they stayed married until Ashford died in 2011 at the age of 69. Simpson is still alive as I write this in 2024.

In the first few years of their songwriting together, they usually were joined by Jo Armstead, a former member of the Ikettes. The three of them soon wrote many soul hits. Their first really big one was "Let's Go Get Stoned," which Ray Charles took to the top of the U.S. R&B chart in 1966. Their success drew the attention of Motown Records, and Ashford and Simpson joined Motown by the end of 1966. I don't know the exact reason why, but for some reason Armstead did not join too, so that ended her role in the songwriting team. (Armstead went on to have some success here and there both as a soul singer and songwriter. There's one minor hit sung by her here, "I Feel an Urge Coming On," from 1967.)

Once they were at Motown, they quickly found success as songwriters. In particular, they had a fruitful relationship writing songs for the duet of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. This album though mostly on their songs prior to joining Motown. Some of them were fairly obscure at the time, but I think are worthy and probably should have been hits with the right promotion. The Motown songs are tracks 11, 12, 16, and then 18 until the end.

There's just one Wikipedia entry from Ashford and Simpson together, here:

Ashford & Simpson - Wikipedia

This album is one hour long.

01 The Real Thing (Tina Britt)
02 You're Absolutely Right (Apollas)
03 One Step at a Time (Maxine Brown)
04 Too Hot to Hold (Betty Everett)
05 I Don't Need No Doctor (Ray Charles)
06 Surrender Your Love (Carrolls)
07 Look Away (Shirelles)
08 Are You Trying to Get Rid of Me Baby (Crystals)
09 I Just Can't Get Enough of You (Lesley Gore)
10 Let's Go Get Stoned (Ray Charles)
11 Ain't No Mountain High Enough (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
12 Starting the Hurt All Over Again (Brenda Holloway)
13 I Feel an Urge Coming On (Jo Armstead)
14 Running Out (Vernon Garrett)
15 Dance Children Dance (Mary Love)
16 Just Look What You've Done (Brenda Holloway)
17 Mr. Creator (Apollas)
18 Keep on Lovin' Me Honey (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
19 Destination- Anywhere (Marvelettes)
20 Some Things You Never Get Used To (Supremes)
21 You Ain't Livin' Till You're Lovin' (Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell)
22 Didn't You Know [You'd Have to Cry Sometime] (Gladys Knight & the Pips)
23 I Can't Give Back the Love I Feel for You (Syreeta Wright)
24 California Soul (Marlena Shaw)

https://www.upload.ee/files/17314571/COVRDASHFRDSMPSN1965-1969Vlum1_atse.zip.html

alternate:

https://pixeldrain.com/u/35NMaCdk

I couldn't find any photos of Ashford and Simpson in the 1960s. But I found a black and white one from 1972, so I used that. I colorized it with the help of the Palette program, and then upgraded it with the help of the Krea AI program.