Tag Archives: Ray Charles

“Ain’t Nothing Like the Real Thing,” “Reach Out and Touch (Somebody’s Hand),” “I’m Every Woman,” “Solid (As a Rock)” and other era-defining tunes were written by Valerie Simpson and her husband, the late Nickolas Ashford, in a songwriting career that began in 1964 when they wrote Ray Charles’ classic “Let’s Go Get Stoned.” Continue reading →