Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson

Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson with ex- Ikette Jo Armstead wrote Let's Go Get Stoned for Ray Charles, Nothing I wouldn't Do - For Betty Everett and Never Had It So Good - for Ronnie Milsap.

In 1967 they began song writing for Motown and wrote classics soul tracks including:

Ain't No Mountain High Enough
You're All I Need To Get By
Onion Song

(all sung byMarvin Gaye and  Tammi Terrell)

Remember Me sung by Diana Ross

Nickolas 'Nick' Ashford (b. 4th May 1942, Fairfield, South Carolina, U.S.A.) and Valerie Simpson (b. 26th August 1946, The Bronx, New York, U.S.A.). Collectively they have many gold and platinum records and awards and have been married for many years.



In 1964 at the White Rock Baptist Church in New York City; Nick had come to New York from Detroit to pursue a career in theatre as a dancer. Valerie, who had studied the piano from the age of five, was playing and singing with the church's choir. Nick joined the choir and the two began writing pop songs for fun then for Motown. Their first hit song - Let's Go Get Stoned, was recorded by Ray Charles. At Motown, they wrote and produced hits for Marvin Gaye and Diana Ross. Valerie released a couple of solo albums at Motown which are now collector's items. In 1973 they left. They freelanced and wrote Chaka Khan's hit I'm Every Woman before becoming artists in their own right.

Today their signature song Solid is still a favourite to be heard on the radio.