Ashford & Simpson

Hold tight, still got some shouts to get through.

Andy Tomlinson says, inside the chat room, Ashford and Simpson, incredible songwriters.

I actually thought it was written by a Diana.

I didn't realise those were the guys who had penned this.

And as I said already, memories of fantastic times for Choice FM.

And I told me

I said I didn't realise it was Ashford and Simpson who had written this track.

I look on the label to see if it was Jean Perez on bass and it's here, written right in front of me.

And, um, [sighs] and then, uh, well, it was sorta after I, I had cancer about 16 years ago, stage IV, uh, you know, wasn't good.

I lost a, a couple of friends to the same cancer I did, Larry Hagman, I remember, from Dallas, uh, the show, and Nick Ashford from Ashford & Simpson.

And, you know, I wasn't sure.

And, um, and I talked about it.

And there we have it.

R.I.P. to the disco kingpin as he was known, Ray Caviano, the legendary promoter, A&R man that launched the likes of the Doobie Brothers, Change, Ashford and Simpson and many others, including Attitude, you've just heard.

Time now to switch it up to play some jazz, a proper jazz track.

We haven't done that for a while here in the Loft Lounge.

Mm.

Ashford & Simpson, Eugene Record, Keith Jarrett, and The Blues Brothers- I think you bullied me into giving Randy Newman a sideways 'cause I wanted to give him a thumbs down I don't think that's true ...

Short People was a- I think it's because you like Short People ... it's a good song.

I think that's what got it.

I don't have to do that anymore.

Zach Pruitt, our, uh, renowned music lover, he gave 17 thumbs up.

He gave six thumbs sideways for Libby Titus, Ashford & Simpson, Art Garfunkel, Eugene Record, Gary Tigerman, and Sun Ra.

No.

Now, You can argue that Stilly Dan is kind of black because it's R&B, it's jazz.

You have a lot of black players who play with the band, Bernard Purdy, Chuck Rainey, Valerie Simpson, you name it.

But I thought I want to write about a band which is authentically pure black and really is... not what you would equate with Black music.

So that's how I got to the Living Color as the third book.

... as performed by the English rock band Humble Pie.

Now, I Don't Need No Doctor was originally written as an R&B song by Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

You've heard of them-

Mm-hmm

Did you know that?

Yeah, Ashford and Simpson.

No.

[laughs]