Funking Up The Dance Floor Part 5

Ashford & Simpson

Ashford & Simpson were a husband-and-wife songwriting-production team and recording duo of Nickolas Ashford (May 4, 1941 – August 22, 2011) and Valerie Simpson (born August 26, 1946). They met at Harlem's White Rock Baptist Church in 1964. After having recorded unsuccessfully as a duo, they started to work with a former member of the Ikettes, Joshie Jo Armstead, at the Scepter/Wand label. 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?" (1980). As performers, Ashford & Simpson's best-known duets are "Solid" (1984) and "Found a Cure" (1979). The latter is on this cloudcast.

In June 1981 the "Stars on 45 Medley" single went to #1 in the US, where it was released by Radio Records, a sublabel of Atlantic Records. This single with its 41-word title continues to hold the record for a #1 single with the longest name on the Billboard Hot 100​, due the fact that each song title should be listed. Stars on 45 (or Starsound in the UK) consisted solely of studio session musicians under the direction of Jaap Eggermont, a former drummer of Dutch rock band Golden Earring​. He recreated hit songs as a medley and put them together with a "four to the floor" beat and underlying hand clap.

Enjoy this 5th part of Funking Up The Dance Floor! Next week there will be a new episode of Boombox.

Tracklist:

Melba Moore - You Stepped Into My Life (1978)
Boys Town Gang ‎– Yester-Me, Yester-You, Yesterday (1984)
Gene Dunlap – Party In Me (1981)
Chaka Khan – Clouds (1980)
Ashford & Simpson – Found A Cure (1979)
Barbara Roy & Ecstacy, Joy & Pain – If You Want Me (1981)
Stars On 45 – Stars On 45 (1981)
Stargard – Wear It Out [Scratchandsniff Re-rub] (1979)
Love Committee – Tired Of Being Your Fool (1978)
Lalo Shifrin – Theme From ‘King Kong’ (1976)
The Jones Girls – (You Got The) Right Stuff (1984)
Billy Ocean – Stay The Night (1981)
Mystic Merlin - 60 Thrills A Minute (1981)
Glitter Band – Makes You Blind (1975)
Banbarra – Shack Up [Part II] (1975)
Brides Of Funkenstein – Disco To Go (1978)