Nick Ashford

Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) was an American R&B 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 “Let’s Go Get Sto…