Ashford & Simpson
Superstar singer songwriter powerhouse couple Ashford & Simpson will release a definitive collection of their Greatest Hits, Ashford & Simpson: The Real Thing on CD, DVD and DVD Blu Ray (Burgundy Records / Sony Music). The first-ever live in-concert audio and video recordings are performances by the duo of the hit songs they have written for themselves as well as those made popular by other major music artists. The release date is January 27, 2009.
Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson have had a renowned and celebrated career as performers, songwriters and producers, providing top music artists with some of their biggest hits. The duo boasts 31 singles on the Billboard R&B Chart; six in the Top 10 including their #1 chart hit ‘Solid.’ Ashford & Simpson produced many Gold certified albums, which have come from their numerous in-studio recordings. They are the recipients of a number of awards including ASCAP’s highest honor, The Founder’s Award and the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation, which they received in 1999. In 2002 they were inducted into the Songwriters Hall Of Fame.
Nick & Valerie met in the choir of Harlem’s White Rock Baptist Church and later married. They went on to enjoy a multifaceted career as the most successful husband & wife songwriting / production team in music history; as notable performers in their own right; and as producers at Motown working with many of the legendary artists at the peak of the iconic label’s success. Ashford & Simpson's musical influence has impacted worldwide culture over the last four decades.
Legendary and top contemporary music artists that have recorded their songs include; Ray Charles, Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Gladys Knight, Smokey Robinson The Supremes, Chaka Khan, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston and Mary J Blige. Most recently they were given credit for their writing talents on the Amy Winehouse Grammy Award winning CD "Back to Black" for the single ‘Tears Dry On Their Own.’ The track is based on Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell's 1967 Motown classic hit ‘Ain't No Mountain High Enough.’
Ashford & Simpson: The Real Thing DVD & Blu Ray contains over 90 minutes of exciting concert performances with 18 of the Greatest Hits filmed in HD video and surround sound digital audio. The popular New York City spot, Feinstein’s at the Loews Regency, was carefully selected as the setting for its intimacy and the energy a performer and audience can experience only in a nightclub surrounding.
Having played larger venues such as Radio City Music Hall, the group realized that a big location could not create special moments. They were right, this unique location created the background for memorable highlights: Valerie’s personal interaction with fans out in the audience as well as a special impromptu performance by Freddie Jackson. Nick spotted Jackson in the audience, walked from the stage to him and handed him a mic. Jackson took the mic and sang along side Nick which the audience ate up.
There is thirty minutes of bonus content which includes a retrospective feature from CBS Sunday Morning, an intimate at-home interview and 2 tracks from a never-before-seen concert of Dr. Maya Angelou and Ashford & Simpson performing together on stage. The DVD features an exclusive premiere of four songs from Ashford & Simpson's upcoming Broadway musical, “Invisible Life.â€