Source: Brian To/WENN.com / WENN Is Jennifer Lopez Really Performing Motown Grammys Tribute? There’s reasonable doubt surrounding a rumor about Sunday’s 2019 Grammys involving a certain singer and iconic record label. Earlier this week people were flummoxed by the news that Jennifer Lopez would be performing a Motown tribute during Sunday’s awards ceremony. That sparked a series of angry tweets from folks BIG mad that the Recording Academy and/or Motown Records would dare let Jenny From The Block hit the stage for the occasion. Tryna figure out which person sat in a room and decided amongst every living musician, that JLO would be best fit to do a motown tribute pic.twitter.com/bTScIPDm7H —
Nick Ashford#39;s death comes amid news that another famous songwriter, Jerry Leiber, passed away yesterday as well. Both will be missed. Nick Ashford, who helped establish a gold standard for RB duets with wife Valerie Simpson, died Monday in New York of throat cancer. He was 69. Ashford Simpson penned and produced many #39;60s hits for Motown#39;s Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, including “Ain#39;t No Mountain High Enough.” “You#39;re All I Need to Get By,” “Ain#39;t Nothing Like the Real T
Jerry Leiber, one of the most famous songwriters of his era, has passed away from cardiopulmonary failure. He was 78. Often working with Mike Stolle, Leiber was born in Baltimore and penned such iconic tracks as “Stand By Me” and “Jailhouse Rock.” The partners met in high school and started writing together soon after. Elvis Presley – Jailhouse Rock “He was my friend, my buddy, my writing partner for 61 years,” Stoller said. “We met when we were 17 years old. He had a way with words. There was nobody better. I am going to miss him.” Leiber is a member of the Songwriters Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He is survived by three children, Jed, Oliver, and Jake; and two grandchildren, Chloe and Daphne.
Nick Ashford, who helped establish a gold standard for R&B duets with wife Valerie Simpson, died Monday in New York of throat cancer. He was 69. Ashford & Simpson penned and produced many ’60s hits for Motown’s Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell, including “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough.” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” “Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing” and “Your Precious Love” were also among the twosome’s creations. Nick Ashford also wrote hits for Chuck Jackson, The Shirelles, Maxine Brown, the Fifth Dimension and numerous other artists of the era. Ray Charles’ 1966 No. 1 R&B hit “Let’s Go Get Stoned” was his breakthrough record. They would later write and produce Diana Ross’ biggest solo hits, including her signature “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand).” They also wrote Chaka Khan’s “I’m Every Woman,” which was later recorded by Whitney Houston. Basically, they were mega-hitmakers. Ashford’s death comes amid news that another famous songwriter, Jerry Leiber , passed away yesterday as well. Both will be missed. [Photo: WENN.com]
Sad, sad news for the music lovers tonight. Via WashingtonPost.com : Nick Ashford, one-half of the legendary Motown songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson that penned elegant, soulful classics for the likes of Diana Ross and Marvin Gaye and funk hits for Chaka Khan and others, died Monday at age 70, his former publicist said. Ashford, who along with wife Valerie Simpson wrote some of Motown’s biggest hits, died in a New York City hospital, said Liz Rosenberg, who also was Ashford’s longtime friend. He had been suffering from throat cancer and had undergone radiation treatment, she said. Though they had some of their greatest success at Motown with classics like “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” and “Reach Out And Touch Somebody’s Hand” by Ross and “You’re All I Need To Get By” by Gaye and Tammi Terrell, Ashford & Simpson also created classics for others, like the anthem “I’m Every Woman” by Khan (and later remade by Whitney Houston). They also had success writing for themselves: Perhaps the biggest known hit sung by them was the 1980s hit “Solid As A Rock.” Ashford and Simpson’s relationship stretched more than four decades. They met in 1964 in a New York City church; Ashford, a South Carolina native, had come to the city to pursue a dance career. Simpson was a music student, and after connecting with her, they decided to start to write songs together. Their first major success occurred when they came up with “Let’s Go Get Stoned” for Ray Charles. That song became a huge hit, and soon, they came to the attention of Motown Records and began penning hits for their artists. The started out writing for Gaye and Terrell; in fact, “Ain’t No Mountain High Enough” was originally their hit, until Ross later rerecorded it and made it her signature song. The duo, who were married for 38 years, helped sell millions of records for several artists. They also had success as their own entity, but despite “Solid As a Rock,” their hits dwarfed those that they penned for others. In recent years, the pair continued to perform. They also were owners of the New York City restaurant Sugar Bar, where many top names and emerging talents would put on showcases. Ashford is survived by his wife and two daughters.
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