Ashford & Simpson - I'm Every Woman - Live at Feinstein's at Loews Regency, New York City - 2008

Ashford & Simpson - I'm Every Woman - Live at Feinstein’s at Loews Regency, 540 Park Avenue, at 61st Street, New York City - 2008. -Lineup: Musical Director: Nat Adderley jr (Luther Vandross) Guitar: Sherrod Barnes (Whitney Houston, Roberta Flack) Bass: Tinkr Barfield (Luther Vandross, Jennifer Holliday) Drums: Bernard Davis (Anita Baker, Roy Ayers) Key/Vox: Valerie Ghent (Deborah Harry) Vox: Clayton Bryant (Elton John, Roger Daltrey, Darlene Love). https://claytonbryantsings.com Vocals: Nickolas Ashford Vocals, piano: Valerie Simpson "I'm Every Woman" is the debut solo single by American singer Chaka Khan from her debut solo studio album Chaka (1978). It was Khan's first hit outside her recordings with the funk band Rufus. "I'm Every Woman" was produced by Arif Mardin and written by the successful songwriting team Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson. The single established Chaka's career outside the group Rufus, whom she would leave after their eighth studio album Masterjam was released in late 1979. The track was remixed and re-released in 1989 for Khan's remix album Life Is a Dance: The Remix Project; this mix reached number 8 in the United Kingdom. American singer Whitney Houston covered the song in 1992 with production by David Cole and Robert Clivillés and vocals produced by Narada Michael Walden. It was a major hit, peaking at number four on both the Billboard Hot 100 and the UK Singles Chart. (Wikipedia). Ashford & Simpson were an American husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4th, 1941 – August 22nd, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). Ashford was born in Fairfield, South Carolina, and Simpson in the Bronx, New York City. Afterwards, his family relocated to Ypsilanti, Michigan, where he became a member of Christ Temple Baptist Church. While there, he sang with a group called the Hammond Singers (named after the founding minister, James Hammond). Later, Nickolas attended and graduated from Willow Run High School in Ypsilanti, Michigan, before pursuing his professional career, where he would ultimately meet his wife, Valerie. They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they joined an aspiring solo artist and former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label, where their compositions were recorded by Ronnie Milsap ("Never Had It So Good"), Maxine Brown ("One Step at a Time"), as well as the Shirelles and Chuck Jackson. Another of the trio's songs, "Let's Go Get Stoned," gave Ray Charles a number one U.S. R&B hit in 1966. That same year, Ashford & Simpson joined Motown, where their best-known songs included "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)." Ashford and Simpson wrote many other hit songs, including Chaka Khan's "I'm Every Woman" (1978) and Teddy Pendergrass's "Is It Still Good to You?" As performers, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets are "Solid" (1984) and "Found a Cure" (1979). The duo were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. They are also recipients of The Rhythm & Blues Foundation's Pioneer Award, ASCAP Founders Award, and the Grammy Trustee Award. Rolling Stone ranked them No. 19 on its list of the 20 Greatest Duos of All Time. Ashford died in a New York City hospital on August 22nd, 2011, four days before Valerie Simpson's 65th birthday, of complications from throat cancer. His publicist, Liz Rosenberg, said that he had undergone radiation therapy to treat his illness. (Wikipedia).

Added 3 Apr 2026