Died On This Date (August 22, 2011) Nick Ashford / Ashford & Simpson
themusicsover Nick Ashford
May 4, 1942 – August 22, 2001
Nick Ashford was a respected songwriter, singer and producer, who with his wife Valerie Simpson made up one of popular music’s most successful hit-making teams. The pair got their start as songwriters during the mid ’60s when they penned such R&B staples as the 5th Dimension’s “California Soul,” Aretha Franklin’s “Cry Like A Baby,” and Ray Charles’ “Let’s Go Get Stoned” and “I Don’t Need No Doctor.” They quickly caught the eye of Motown’s Berry Gordy who hired them on to write songs for and produce many of the label’s acts. For Motown, Ashford and Simpson wrote such hits as “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing,” and “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” to name just a few. Beyond Motown, the list of artists who scored hits with their songs includes Teddy Pendergrass, Chaka Khan, and the Brothers Johnson. As performers, Ashford and Simpson were a formidable force as well. They began making records together during the mid ’60s, but it was the late ’70s and early ’80s that saw their biggest hits like “Solid,” “Street Corner, and “Don’t Cost You Nothin’.” In 1992, Whitney Houston had a huge hit with their “I’m Every Woman” from The Bodyguard soundtrack. The song had originally been recorded by Chaka Khan. 1985 saw Ashford and Simpson become one of Live-Aid’s most memorable if not emotional moments when the brought Teddy Pendergrass on stage for his first public performance since an automobile accident left him paralyzed from the neck down. Their performance of “Reach Out And Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” that day struck a chord with viewers from the Philadelphia crowd to those watching on TV from around the world. The pair continued to perform and produce together and separately for many years to come while their songs continued to find new audiences, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” which was prominently sampled for Amy Winehouse’s single, “Tears Dry On Their Own.” Nick Ashford passed away on August 22, 2011 following a courageous battle with throat cancer. He was 70.
Thanks to Ken McCullagh at New Releases Now for the assist.
What You Should Own
Gene McDaniels was an American singer who scored six U.S. hits during the early 1960s. He was one of a group of African-Americans who successfully bridged the gap between jazz and early rock ‘n roll. McDaniels’ hits included “Tower Of Strength” which peaked at #5 on the pop charts, and “A Hundred Pounds Of Clay” which reached #3 in 1961 and sold over one million copies. McDaniels was also a successful songwriter, with his late ’60s output sometimes gravitating toward protest. He has been covered by Less McCann, D’Angelo, George Benson, and Roberta Flack who took his “Feel Like Making Love” to #1, earning him a Best Song Grammy and Flack a Best Record and Best Female Pop Vocal Performance Grammy. McDaniels can also be seen in such films as It’s Trad, Dad!, The Young Swingers, and Uptown Saturday Night. He continued to make music well into the 2000s, his last album being 2009’s Evolution’s Child. Gene McDaniels was 76 when he passed away on July 29, 2011.
Alphonzo “Fonce” Mizell was an American record producer and songwriter who, as part of the Corporation production team at Motown, penned and produced virtually every Jackson 5 hit between 1969 and 1971. That list includes “ABC,” “I Want You Back,” and “The Love You Save.” Mizell was also an accomplished musician dating back to his childhood when he, his brother, Larry Mizell and a school friend performed and recorded demos as a doo-wop group, the Nikons. After high school, Mizell attended Howard University where he studied the trumpet under the great Donald Byrd. Around this time, the Mizell brothers founded their own record label, Hog Records where they produced and released just one record, the Moments’ “Baby, I Want You,” which has been known to go for as much as $2500 to collectors. Fonce eventually went to work for Berry Gordy at Motown where, besides the Jackson 5, he worked on hits by the likes of 