Legendary Motown songwriter–and star in his own right–Nick Ashford passed away Monday at the age of 70. As one half of the R&B duo Ashford & Simpson, not only did he lend his voice to huge hits like “Solid As A Rock,” but also his lyrics to many Motown classics for other artists, often writing material for with his wife & partner Valerie Simpson that became huge successes for duets from the likes of Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell, including the immortal sides “You’re All I Need to Get By” (recognizable to rap fans from Method Man and Mary J. Blige‘s remake) and “Ain’t Nothing Like The Real Thing.”
In an eerily parallel story, rock n’ roll songwriter Jerry Lieber, who as part of the Lieber & Stroller songrwiting team wrote or co-wrote such rhythm n blues oldies as “Jailhouse Rock”; “Hound Dog”; “Yakety Yak” and “On Broadway” also passed away. Our own Questlove summed up the emotion of the moment best when he tweeted last night:” two masters of lyricals passed away today…these 2 men wrote the sndtrk of your lives.” To see what he’s talking about, watch Ms. Diana Ross live rendition of “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” below:
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