Nickolas Ashford

And by that time it was stage four cancer.

And at the same time around there, two good friends of mine, Nick Ashford of Ashford and Simpson and another actor died from the cancer.

So it was a tough pull.

I'm externally, internally grateful to my kids at a very early age who took a very close role of being supportive as I laid on the couch with the chemo and the radiation afterwards and to Catherine.

In 1978, she released her first solo album, Shaka, and what a way to introduce yourself.

The album featured her signature solo version of I'm Every Woman, written by Nicholas Ashford and Valerie Simpson, who we would later grow to love as Ashford and Simpson.

The song became a landmark in her career and an enduring anthem of women's strength, confidence, and possibility.

But here's something else interesting.

You've got good genes.

Well, you know, as it was at that time, I lost Nick Ashford and Larry Hagman.

Both had the same...

So what I came out as a public service announcement was for dentists, and it became a thing.

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.

That's church right there.

I mean, Nick and Val, like, oh, God bless them, man.

And then we had my queen, Miss Janet Jackson, I Get Lonely.

And, um, she's celebrating, I believe it's what? 30 years of The Velvet Rope, so big shouts to Janet.

... 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

... who wrote Rock Me Tonight, who ended up, well, began my career with writing Rock Me Tonight for Old Time's Sake.

And I joined his group, and we started singing, and Valerie Simpson and Nick Ashford were members of that church, the White Rock Baptist Church.

So church, of course, uh, was embedded in my blood.

It still is embedded in my blood.

oh that was a nice section sometimes you hear tracks so often that you forget how good they are and uh for me that's a case in point with that last track from 1965 absolute classic northern soul the artistics and this heart of mine on okay From 67, before that we had Betty Harris on Sansu, I'm Evil Tonight.

Another Betty before that from 1965, and that was Betty Lovett, a great double-sider, written by the winning team of Joe Armstead, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson.

And Betty Lovett was just 19 when she recorded this.

I was lucky to catch her a few years ago and she tore the house down.