Pop and soul songwriting legend and ASCAP and ASCAP Foundation Board member Valerie Simpson has established The ASCAP Foundation “Reach Out and Touch” Award in honor of her partner in life and musical collaborator, Nick Ashford.
Ashford & Simpson, collaborators on such iconic R & B songs like” Ain’t Nothin’ Like the Real Thing,” “You’re All I Need to Get By,” “Gimme Something Real” and “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” began writing songs together in 1964. Their songs have been recorded by such musical giants as Diana Ross, Gladys Knight and the Pips and Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell.
The Award, named after one of their great hit songs, was established to advance the careers of promising songwriters by providing financial assistance for professional recordings of their work.
The inaugural recipient, André Henry, was presented with the award at The ASCAP Foundation Awards Ceremony which took place on December 7, 2011. Henry is a New York City-based singer/songwriter/producer from Atlanta whose music intersects the genres of soul, jazz and pop. He contributed an original song “Don’t Say You Love Me (It’ll Ruin My Day),” on Sir Cliff Richard’s latest album, Soulicious which Valerie and Nick worked on. André is currently working on a book and album entitled Too Young to Die: How I Nearly Jumped Off a Bridge and the Songs That Saved My Life. He is also the Director of the Worship and Arts Ministry at Glad Tidings Tabernacle in Tribeca.
