What is Valerie Simpson's Net Worth?
Valerie Simpson is a songwriter, singer, and record producer who has a net worth of $25 million. Valerie Simpson is best known as one half of the duo Ashford & Simpson alongside her late husband Nick Ashford. The duo wrote numerous hit songs for other artists, including "Let's Go Get Stoned," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," and "I'm Every Woman." As performers, Ashford & Simpson recorded several studio albums and had their biggest commercial hit with the 1984 duet "Solid."
Early Life
Valerie Simpson was born on August 26, 1946 in the Bronx borough of New York City. She has two brothers named Ray and Jimmy, both of whom also joined the music industry.
Songwriting Career
With her then-boyfriend Nickolas Ashford, Simpson formed the songwriting duo Ashford & Simpson in 1964. Early on in their careers, they wrote songs for such artists as Aretha Franklin, Ronnie Milsap, Maxine Brown, and the Guess Who. One of Ashford & Simpson's biggest early hits was "Let's Go Get Stoned," which was a number-one R&B hit for Ray Charles in 1966. That same year, the duo joined Motown and began partnering with the vocal duo of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell. Ashford & Simpson would write and/or produce all but one of Gaye and Terrell's singles in the late 1960s. Among their biggest hits were "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "Your Precious Love," "You're All I Need to Get By," and "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing." The duo worked with many other top Motown artists over the ensuing years and decades, including Smokey Robinson & the Miracles; the Marvelettes; Diana Ross; the Four Tops; Teddy Pendergrass; Chaka Khan; and Gladys Knight & the Pips. In 1978, Ashford & Simpson had number-one R&B hits with Quincy Jones's "Stuff Like That" and Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman."
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Recording Career
Ashford & Simpson began recording songs themselves in the early 1960s, when they were members of the gospel group the Followers. In the early 1970s, Simpson recorded a pair of solo albums for Motown: "Exposed" and a self-titled album. She and Ashford subsequently left Motown and joined Warner Bros. The duo then released their debut studio album together, 1973's "Gimme Something Real." They followed that with 1974's "I Wanna Be Selfish" and 1976's "Come As You Are." Meanwhile, in 1975, Simpson sang backing vocals on Paul Simon's number-one hit song "50 Ways to Leave Your Lover." Ashford & Simpson went on to release two albums in 1977, "So So Satisfied" and "Send It." The latter was their first album to be certified gold by the RIAA. Two more consecutive gold-certified albums followed: 1978's "Is It Still Good to Ya" and 1979's "Stay Free." The former reached number one on the R&B albums chart, and the latter peaked at number three.
In the early 1980s, Ashford & Simpson released the albums "A Musical Affair," "Street Opera," and "High-Rise." They had their biggest commercial hit as performers with their 1984 album "Solid," which charted in countries around the world and spawned the hit title track. Ashford & Simpson's next studio album was "Real Love," which came out in 1986. The duo released two more albums, 1989's "Love or Physical" and 1996's "Been Found," the latter a collaboration with Maya Angelou. After that, they recorded and toured relatively infrequently. In the 2000s, Ashford & Simpson performed in smaller venues, including the Rrazz Room in San Francisco. They released a CD and DVD of their live performances in 2009. A couple of years later, Ashford passed away from complications of throat cancer. Simpson subsequently released a solo album, "Dinosaurs Are Coming Back Again," in 2012.
(Photo by Vinnie Zuffante/Getty Images)
Other Ventures
In 1996, Ashford & Simpson opened a restaurant and live entertainment venue in New York City called Sugar Bar. The venue saw performances from such artists as Queen Latifah, Felicia Collins, and Vickie Natale. Also in New York, Ashford & Simpson were featured DJs on the radio station WRKS.
Personal Life
With her late husband Nickolas Ashford, whom she wed in 1974, Simpson had two daughters named Nicole and Asia.
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