Nick Ashford

Nickolas Ashford May 4 1941 August 22 2011 was an American RB singer and songwriter best known for his musical partnership with his wife Valerie Simpson as the duo Ashford Simpson He was born in Fairfield South Carolina and raised in Ypsilanti Michigan where he began singing and writing music in a church gospel choir After briefly attending Eastern Michigan University he moved to New York to pursue a career in entertainment In 1964 he met Valerie Simpson in Harlem and the two began writing songs together Their breakthrough came when Ray Charles recorded Lets Go Get Stoned leading to a contract with Motown in 1966 where they became successful songwriters and producers Ashford and Simpson later married in 1974 and continued to work together as performers and composers Ashford died on August 22 2011 in New York at the age of 70 after battling throat cancer