Melanated People

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Crochet by Razonda Lee

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Statement Earrings by Razonda Lee

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5 hrs

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8 hrs

They did not start as a love story.

They started as purpose.

Nick Ashford was a young, struggling songwriter when he met teenage Valerie Simpson at church in Harlem. He immediately understood something that mattered. He was a grown man. She was still a teenager. There was no pursuit, no romance. Just respect. Just music. Just calling.

What followed became one of the most enduring creative partnerships in American music.

They worked together for years before love entered the picture, sharpening each other’s instincts, voices, and vision. By the time romance arrived, the foundation was already unshakable. Valerie later explained it plainly:

“We each had what the other needed and so therefore that was the basis of the relationship. The love came after.”

Together, Ashford & Simpson wrote the soundtrack to generations. The duo penned icons like Diana Ross’ Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand), Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell’s Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing, and Chaka Khan’s I’m Every Woman. Songs rooted in faith, dignity, and emotional truth.

Their own chart-toppers, Solid and Is It Still Good to Ya?, blended gospel roots with Motown magic, shaping how love, partnership, and commitment sounded on record.

They earned GRAMMY Awards. They were inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. But more than accolades, they built something rare.

When they finally married, it was not a beginning. It was a continuation.

Over 30 years of marriage. Nearly 50 years of creating together.

After Nick Ashford’s passing in 2011, Valerie reflected on their legacy with quiet certainty. Their music, she said, “will go on beyond him, beyond me, and will just be here forevermore as a testament to what love is.”

Some partnerships burn fast.

Some fade quietly.

But when love is built on respect, patience, and purpose, it does not disappear.

It endures.

It remains solid