Bill Text: IL HR0076 | 2009-2010 | 96th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: Honors Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson for their many years of success as the musical duo Ashford & Simpson.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2009-02-18 - Resolution Adopted [HR0076 Detail]
Download: Illinois-2009-HR0076-Introduced.html
|
|||||||
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | HOUSE RESOLUTION
| ||||||
2 | WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of | ||||||
3 | Representatives are pleased to honor Nickolas Ashford and | ||||||
4 | Valerie Simpson for their many years of success as the musical | ||||||
5 | duo Ashford & Simpson; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson's | ||||||
7 | award-winning collaborations began in 1964, when the duo | ||||||
8 | recorded an original song, "I'll Find You", as "Valerie & | ||||||
9 | Nick"; the two met earlier that year in New York at the White | ||||||
10 | Rock Baptist Church after Mr. Ashford moved to New York from | ||||||
11 | Detroit in pursuit of a theater career; being homeless upon his | ||||||
12 | arrival, he happened upon Bronx native Valerie Simpson, who had | ||||||
13 | studied piano since the age of five and was playing and singing | ||||||
14 | with the Harlem church's legendary choir; Mr. Ashford joined | ||||||
15 | the choir and the two began writing songs, selling their first | ||||||
16 | batch for $75; and
| ||||||
17 | WHEREAS, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson were soon signed | ||||||
18 | to the legendary Scepter Records as staff songwriters, breaking | ||||||
19 | through in 1966 when Ray Charles landed a major hit with their | ||||||
20 | composition "Let's Go Get Stoned"; their success led to both of | ||||||
21 | them being signed with Motown Records, where they penned the | ||||||
22 | classic Marvin Gaye/Tammi Terrell hits "Ain't No Mountain High | ||||||
23 | Enough", "Your Precious Love", "Ain't Nothing Like the Real |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | Thing", "You're All I Need to Get By", and "Good Lovin' Ain't | ||||||
2 | Easy to Come By"; they also wrote hits for other Motown greats, | ||||||
3 | most notably Diana Ross, who launched her solo career with a | ||||||
4 | hit remake of "Ain't No Mountain High Enough", that was also | ||||||
5 | produced by Ashford & Simpson; the two also wrote hits such as | ||||||
6 | "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "The Boss"; and
| ||||||
7 | WHEREAS, Not content with simply writing hit songs, Nick | ||||||
8 | Ashford and Valerie Simpson had their own recording/performing | ||||||
9 | aspirations as well; from 1973 to 1981, they released nine | ||||||
10 | albums, creating hit songs such as "Send It", "Don't Cost You | ||||||
11 | Nothin'", "It Seems to Hang On", "Love Don't Make it Right", | ||||||
12 | "Is It Still Good to Ya", and "Found a Cure"; their hitmaking | ||||||
13 | continued after a move to Capitol Records in 1982, with "Street | ||||||
14 | Corner", "Highrise", "I'll Be There for You", and "Solid", | ||||||
15 | which topped the R&B chart in 1984 and crossed over to number | ||||||
16 | 12 on the pop singles chart; during their successful career, | ||||||
17 | the two continued writing and producing songs for other | ||||||
18 | artists, including Ben E. King, Gladys Knight and the Pips, | ||||||
19 | Chaka Khan, and Quincy Jones; and
| ||||||
20 | WHEREAS, Ashford & Simpson were the only R&B act to perform | ||||||
21 | at the historic Live Aid event in 1985, where they brought out | ||||||
22 | Teddy Pendergrass to join in on "Reach Out and Touch | ||||||
23 | (Somebody's Hand)" in Mr. Pendergrass' first performance | ||||||
24 | following his tragic car accident; the duo later starred in |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | concerts celebrating Nelson Mandela's 70th birthday and | ||||||
2 | President Bill Clinton's first inauguration; and
| ||||||
3 | WHEREAS, In 1996, the duo's "Reach Out and Touch | ||||||
4 | (Somebody's Hand)" was used as the theme for the Summer | ||||||
5 | Olympics in Atlanta; in that same year, they formed their own | ||||||
6 | label, Hopsack & Silk, and released "Been Found", an acclaimed | ||||||
7 | music/poetry album collaboration with their friend, Maya | ||||||
8 | Angelou; also in that year, the American Society of Composers | ||||||
9 | And Publishers (ASCAP) presented them with its highest honor, | ||||||
10 | the Founder's Award; in 1999, they received the Pioneer Award | ||||||
11 | from the prestigious Rhythm & Blues Foundation; in 2002, they | ||||||
12 | joined the pantheon of popular music songwriters when they were | ||||||
13 | inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame; and
| ||||||
14 | WHEREAS, The partnership between Nick Ashford and Valerie | ||||||
15 | Simpson is currently hotter than ever; a two week stint at | ||||||
16 | Feinstein's at the Regency in New York in 2006 was so | ||||||
17 | successful that they were brought back for three weeks in 2007, | ||||||
18 | garnering some of the best notices of their career; they | ||||||
19 | followed their show with concerts in London and Amsterdam that | ||||||
20 | drew ecstatic audiences, then returned to work on a musical | ||||||
21 | adaptation of E. Lynn Harris's novel "Invisible Life"; and
| ||||||
22 | WHEREAS, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are the operators | ||||||
23 | of the Sugar Bar, a popular Manhattan restaurant known for its |
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | renowned Thursday Night Open Mic events, where anyone can | ||||||
2 | perform a song with the stellar house band; the Sugar Bar has | ||||||
3 | featured acts such as Patti LaBelle, Stevie Wonder, Paul | ||||||
4 | Shaffer, Michael McDonald, Jimmy Buffett, Queen Latifah, and | ||||||
5 | John Rich; and
| ||||||
6 | WHEREAS, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson are continuously | ||||||
7 | involved in community service; Val currently serves as a member | ||||||
8 | of the ASCAP Board of Directors and as national spokesperson | ||||||
9 | for the Speaking of Woman's Health organization; Nick currently | ||||||
10 | serves on the Board of Directors for George Faison's Firehouse | ||||||
11 | Theatre; together, they regularly perform at important charity | ||||||
12 | events, such as Atlanta's recent 24th Annual Mayor's MASKED | ||||||
13 | Ball (Mankind Assisting Students Kindle Educational Dreams), | ||||||
14 | an event supporting the United Negro College Fund; and
| ||||||
15 | WHEREAS, Nick Ashford and Valerie Simpson have been the | ||||||
16 | recipients of many honors and awards; two honors, however, | ||||||
17 | stand out as special milestones for the duo; Val's special | ||||||
18 | milestone consists of her name on a street sign in the Bronx | ||||||
19 | Walk of Fame, in commemoration of her achievements by her proud | ||||||
20 | neighborhood; Nick's special milestone is an inscription from | ||||||
21 | Val that says "Nick Ashford slept here" on the park bench in | ||||||
22 | Bryant Park that he called home when he first came to New York, | ||||||
23 | symbolizing the long journey they've traveled together since | ||||||
24 | that fateful day at White Rock Baptist; and
|
| |||||||
| |||||||
1 | WHEREAS, Ashford & Simpson are well known throughout the | ||||||
2 | music industry and their legions of devoted fans as one of the | ||||||
3 | most acclaimed and admired creative couples in contemporary | ||||||
4 | music; therefore, be it
| ||||||
5 | RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE | ||||||
6 | NINETY-SIXTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we | ||||||
7 | honor Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson for their many years | ||||||
8 | of success and wish them continued success and happiness in the | ||||||
9 | future; and be it further
| ||||||
10 | RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be | ||||||
11 | presented to Nickolas Ashford and Valerie Simpson as a symbol | ||||||
12 | of our esteem and respect.
|