Nickolas Ashford (born May 4, 1942, in Fairfield, South Carolina) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946 in The Bronx, New York) are a successful songwriting/production team, as well as being recording artists in their own right. They started their career in the 1960s, writing for artists such as Ray Charles. Joining the Motown staff in 1967, they wrote and/or produced all of the late-1960s duets for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, including hits such as "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", "Your Precious Love", and "You're All I Need to Get By". Other Motown artists who worked with Ashford & Simpson included Diana Ross, The Supremes, and The Four Tops. May 4 is the 124th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (125th in leap years). ... Beaufort County is a county located in the state of South Carolina. ... August 26 is the 238th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (239th in leap years). ... The Bronx is one of the five boroughs of New York City in the United States. ... A songwriter is someone who writes either the lyrics or the music for songs. ... In the music industry, record producer designates a person responsible for completing a master recording so that it is fit for release. ... Centuries: 19th century - 20th century - 21st century Decades: 1900s 1910s 1920s 1930s 1940s 1950s - 1960s - 1970s 1980s 1990s 2000s 2010s Years: 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 Events and trends The 1960s was a turbulent decade of change around the world. ... Ray Charles at the piano. ... Motown, also known as Tamla-Motown outside the U.S., is a record label founded on December 14, 1959 by Berry Gordy, Jr. ... Marvin Gaye (April 2, 1939 - April 1, 1984) was an African American pop, soul and R&B singer who gained international fame during the 1960s and 1970s. ... Tammi Terrell (Thomasina Montgomery) (April 29, 1945 - March 16, 1970) was an African-American Motown singer in the 1960s, best known for her duets with Marvin Gaye. ... Aint No Mountain High Enough was a very popular recording for soul music legends Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell when it was originally released in 1967. ... Diana Ross on the cover of her collection Diana Ross: The Ultimate Collection Diana Ross (born Diane Ernestine Earle Ross [1] on March 26, 1944 in Detroit, Michigan) is an African-American soul, R&B and pop singer and actress. ... Reissue album cover showing The Supremes in 1966. ... The Four Tops are an American musical group, who helped define the Motown sound of the 1960s. ...

Ashford & Simpson left Motown in the early-1970s, and, after getting married, went on to become an independent writing/production team. They have also released albums and singles of their own, including the 1984 hit "Solid".

External link

• Ashford and Simpson information site (http://www.warr.org/ashfordsimpson.html)