What Was Nick Ashford's Net Worth?
Nick Ashford was an American R&B singer and songwriter who had a net worth of $15 million at the time of his death in 2011. Nick Ashford was best known for forming the musical partnership Ashford & Simpson with his wife, Valerie Simpson. Ashford was homeless when he met Simpson, and the two began writing songs and sold their first batch for only $64. They would go on to write hundreds of songs together and generate tens of millions of dollars in royalties. Some of their notable songs include "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "I'm Every Woman," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "You're All I Need to Get By."
Debut Album and Chart Success
The duo released their debut studio album, "Gimme Something Real," in 1973. Their 1978 album "Is It Still Good to Ya" reached #1 on the "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Ashford & Simpson had several #1 singles on the "Billboard" R&B Singles chart, including "Stuff Like That" (with Quincy Jones & Chaka Khan) and "Solid." Their singles "Found a Cure," "Nobody Knows," and "Stay Free" all reached #1 on the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart in 1979. They also wrote several songs for other artists, including the #1 "Billboard" R&B hit "Let's Go Get Stoned" by Ray Charles. Ashford & Simpson were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002, and in 2015, they were ranked #19 on "Rolling Stone" magazine's "20 Greatest Duos of All Time" list. Ashford also released solo singles such as "I Don't Need No Doctor," "When I Feel the Need," "California Soul," and "Dead End Kids," and he appeared in the 1991 film "New Jack City."
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$10 Million Royalty Bond Sale
In late 1998, Nick and Valerie raised $10 million by selling bonds backed by the future royalties produced by their catalog of roughly 250 songs. A year earlier, David Bowie pioneered the practice when he raised $55 million selling "Bowie Bonds," backed by his catalog.
Early Life
Nick Ashford was born Nickolas Ashford on May 4, 1942, in Fairfield, South Carolina. His family later moved to Ypsilanti, Michigan, and Nick joined the Christ Temple Baptist Church. There, he performed with the Hammond Singers, who were named after James Hammond, the church's founding minister. Ashford attended Willow Run High School, and after graduation, he began pursuing a music career. In 1964, he met his future wife and collaborator, Valerie Simpson, at White Rock Baptist Church in Harlem.
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Ashford & Simpson
Ashford & Simpson started out as songwriters, writing for artists such as Ray Charles and Aretha Franklin. After working with Charles, they caught the attention of Berry Gordy, the head of Motown Records, who hired them and paired them up with performers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced several singles for Gaye and Terrell in the late 1960s, including "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and "You're All I Need to Get By." They later wrote and produced almost every song on the Diana Ross albums "Diana Ross," "Surrender," and "The Boss" in the 1970s. Ashford & Simpson also wrote for Motown artists such as Smokey Robinson & the Miracles, Gladys Knight & the Pips, and Martha Reeves and the Vandellas. They had hits with Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman," Teddy Pendergrass' "Is It Still Good to Ya," and Stephanie Mills' "Keep Away Girls."
Ashford & Simpson recorded their own music as well, releasing their debut studio album, "Gimme Something Real," in 1973. The album reached #18 on the "Billboard" Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and their next album, 1974's "I Wanna Be Selfish," peaked at #21 on that chart. Next, they released "Come as You Are" (1976) and "So So Satisfied" (1977), which reached #35 and #30, respectively, on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. The single "One More Try" from "Come as You Are" was a top 10 hit on the "Billboard" Dance Club Songs chart. The duo had a Gold record with 1977's "Send It," which reached #10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart. Their next two albums, 1978's "Is It Still Good to Ya" and 1979's "Stay Free," were also certified Gold. "Is It Still Good to Ya" was Ashford & Simpson's first #1 album on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, and "Stay Free" peaked at #3 on that chart. The single "It Seems to Hang On" from "Is It Still Good to Ya" reached #2 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart, and all three singles from "Stay Free" topped the Dance Club Songs chart. In 1978, Ashford & Simpson collaborated with Quincy Jones and Chaka Khan on the song "Stuff Like That" for Jones' album "Sounds…and Stuff Like That!!," and it reached #1 on the Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart.
In the '80s, Ashford & Simpson released several successful albums including "A Musical Affair" (1980), "Street Opera" (1982), "High-Rise" (1983), "Solid" (1984), "Real Love" (1986), and "Love or Physical" (1989). Three of those albums reached the top 10 on the Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums chart, with "Solid" becoming a Gold album and reaching #1. The title track became the duo's biggest hit, peaking at #12 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and achieving international success. In 2009, they remade the song as "Solid (As Barack)" in honor of President Barack Obama's inauguration. Their final studio album was "Been Found" in 1996. Nick also produced the 1968 hit "I'm Gonna Make You Love Me" for Diana Ross & the Supremes and the Temptations, which reached #2 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart.
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Personal Life and Death
Nick married Valerie Simpson on November 30, 1974, and they remained together until his death in 2011. The couple welcomed daughter Nicole in 1975, followed by a second daughter, Asia, in 1987. On August 22, 2011, Ashford passed away from throat cancer at the age of 69 with his wife and daughters at his side. According to his publicist, Liz Rosenberg, Nick underwent radiation therapy to treat his cancer.
Awards and Nominations
Ashford & Simpson won BMI Awards for the songs "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and "Your Precious Love" in 1969. In 1986, they earned an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Soul/R&B Band/Duo/Group Video Artist. In 2002, the duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. In 2019, they were honored with a Trustees Award at the Grammy Awards. Nick had previously earned five Grammy nominations, three of which were with Ashford & Simpson. They received the Founders Award from the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers' Founders Award (ASCAP) in 1996 and the Pioneer Award from The Rhythm & Blues Foundation in 1999.
