A song born from a frustrating day changed the course of her life.
Valerie Simpson celebrated her 80th birthday on Aug. 26. Born in the Bronx in 1946, the singer, songwriter and producer first found music through gospel, playing piano at her grandmother’s church before beginning a partnership that would produce some of soul music’s most enduring songs.
Simpson met Nickolas Ashford at a New York church while she was still in high school. The pair started writing together and soon joined forces with former Ikette Jo Armstead. Among the trio’s early compositions was “Let’s Go Get Stoned,” which Ray Charles recorded in 1966.
Charles’ version became a No. 1 R&B hit and gave the young writers their first major success. Despite its title, the song originally referred to drinking rather than drug use.
“We weren’t having any luck one day, and Nick just said, ‘Let’s go get stoned,'” Simpson recalled in a 2018 interview. The next day, they sang the small refrain for a publisher who promised to get it to Charles if they completed the song.
The hit caught Motown’s attention and Ashford and Simpson were soon writing for the label. Their songs included “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “You’re All I Need to Get By” for Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. They also wrote Diana Ross’ “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand)” and Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman.”
Simpson and Ashford eventually stepped in front of the microphone as Ashford & Simpson. Their best-known recording, “Solid,” became a worldwide hit in the 1980s. The couple married in 1974 and remained creative partners until Ashford’s death in 2011.
Their work brought them 22 gold and platinum records, more than 50 ASCAP Awards and induction into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Simpson also released solo music and continued writing after losing her husband.
At 80, her name remains attached to songs that have survived changing formats, audiences and generations. What started with one offhand joke became the opening note of a remarkable career.
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