Motown唱片故人凋零

前黑人歌唱界的大本營Motown唱片公司的老闆 Berry Gordy, Jr 的姐姐，也曾一度擔任該公司副總裁與執行長的Esther Gordy Edwards，8月24日在底特律去世（91歲），Esther晚年在該公司原址為Motown博物館的創設工作出力。這個培育出很多黑人歌唱界巨星的Motown唱片公司，已於1988年7月被MCA公司收購，1993年納入「寶麗金唱片」（PolyGram）旗下。


Motown唱片公司旗下的歌手、作曲人與製作人Nick Ashford8月22日在紐約去世（70歲），Nick 1963年與Valerie Simpson在教會認識，曾以Valerie & Nick之名灌唱片，但沒有走紅，後來他們的California Soul讓the 5th Dimension唱紅，另一首Let's Go Get Stoned甚至使Ray Charles在R&B排行榜獲得冠軍，這些成就使他們被吸收進Motown唱片公司，他們帶給Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell的暢銷曲有Ain't No Mountain High Enough、Ain't Nothing Like The Real Thing、和You're All I Need To Get By等，甚至傳言Marvin Gaye 的搭擋已故的Tammi Terrell當年得腦瘤在醫療時有些歌是Valerie Simpson代唱的，Nick Ashford與Valerie Simpson這對曲詞搭擋也寫了不少歌給Diana Ross如：Reach Out And Touch、Remember Me與The Boss，還有Chaka Khan的I'm Every Woman，Nick 和Valerie 1973年改名Ashford & Simpson灌唱，曾經有8首歌進流行歌曲榜，35首歌進R&B榜，他們倆並於1874年結婚，1996年他們在紐約開了餐廳，並獲選進作曲家名人堂。

Ashford & Simpson最有名的歌是1985年暢銷曲 Solid，這首歌在流行榜獲得第12名，在 R&B則獲得冠軍。



Solid

Ashford & Simpson



Solid, solid as a rock

That's what this love is

That's what we've got



Solid

Solid as a rock

And nothing's changed it

The thrill is still

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot



You didn't turn away

When the sky went gray

Somehow we managed

We had to stay together



You didn't bat an eye

When I made you cry

We knew down the line

We could make it better



And for love's sake

Each mistake you forgave

And soon both of us

Learn to trust



Not run away

It was no time to play

We build it up

Build it up

Build it up



And now it's solid

Solid as a rock

That's what this love is

That's what we've got



Solid, solid as a rock

And nothing's changed it

The thrill is still

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot



Gone with the wind

Another friend got in between

And tried to separate us

Knock knock on wood

You understood

Love was so new

We did what we had to



And with that feeling

We were willing to take a chance

So against all odds

We made a start

We got serious

This wouldn't turn to dust

We build it up

Build it up

Build it up



And now it's solid

Solid as a rock

That's what this love is

That's what we've got



Solid, solid as a rock

And nothing's changed it

The thrill is still

Hot, hot, hot, hot, hot, hot

Solid