CA's The Rrazz Room Presents Valerie Simpson in Tribute to Her Late Husband Nick Ashford, Now thru 5/13

The Rrazz Room, a San Francisco nightclub, presents the debut solo engagement of Valerie Simpson from tonight, May 8 to May 13. Ms. Simpson wrote love songs with her husband and writing partner, Nick Ashford, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need To Get By," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)" and "Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing." He died of throat cancer in August at the age of 70. Valerie will perform all their greatest hits in this moving once in a
lifetime concert experience. The RRazz Room has been the Bay Area "home" of Nick & Val since its inception.

Valerie Simpson's has had dual careers as a performer and songwriter, having provided many  artists with some of their biggest hits. Her songs have been recorded by legends such as Aretha Franklin, Diana Ross, Ray Charles, Whitney Houston, Marvin Gaye, Chaka Khan, Mary J. Blige, Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Ronnie Milsap and Nina Simone, among many more.

Ashford & Simpson met in 1964 and scored their first songwriting hit in 1966 with Ray Charles' recording of their "Let's Go Get Stoned." After a period at Scepter Records, they moved to Motown, where they wrote hits for the duo of Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell ("Ain't Nothing Like the Real Thing," "You're All I Need to Get By"). When Diana Ross left The Supremes for a solo career, Ashford & Simpson wrote "Reach Out and Touch Somebody's Hand" for her. Their own performing career was launched in 1973 with Keep It Comin' on Motown and Gimme Something Real on Warner Bros. Their first success came in 1977 with the gold-selling Send It, which contained the Top Ten R&B hit "Don't Cost You Nothing."

Is It Still Good to Ya, a second gold album, contained the number two R&B hit "It Seems to Hang On" in 1978. Stay Free, their third straight gold album, contained "Found a Cure," another R&B smash that also made the Top 40 on the pop chart. A Musical Affair, in 1980, featured the hit "Love Don't
Make It Right." Their performing career saw a huge resurgence in 1984 with Solid, which went gold and produced the R&B #1 smash "Solid" (#12 on the pop charts).

Their own record label, Hopsack and Silk, launched in 1996 with Been Found, a collaboration with poet Maya Angelou. That year, ASCAP presented them with their highest honor, the Founders Award and in 1999 they received the Pioneer Award from the Rhythm & Blues Foundation. They have also hosted a long-running radio program on KISS FM Radio.

Tickets are $45 and $55. More information is at www.TheRRazzRoom.com.

The Rrazz Room at Hotel Nikko
222 Mason Street, San Francisco, CA 94102
Shows nightly Tuesday - Friday 8:00 PM, Saturday at 7:00 PM and 9:30 PM
and Sunday at 7:00 PM
800-380-3095 // 415-394-1189
http://www.therrazzroom.com/