Solid As A Rock duo, Ashford & Simpson, are set to grace the stage of the 2009 Jamaica Jazz & Blues festival next month.
Nickolas Ashford & Valerie Simpson have been added to the opening night line-up of the festival, set for January 22-24 at Rose Hall in Montego Bay, Jamaica.

Since the beginning of their career together over 30 years ago, Ashford & Simpson have become one of the most prolific and versatile musical couples in recording history.

Combining multiple skills as performers, songwriters and producers, they have created an unprecedented catalog of chart-topping hit singles and albums, collecting 22 gold and platinum records and more than 50 ASCAP awards.

As staff songwriters for Scepter Records, Nick and Valerie penned Ray Charles' classic Let's Go Get Stoned in 1964, which brought them to attention of Motown's hit-making team Holland-Davier-Holland.

At Motown, they wrote their second smash hit Ain't No Mountain High Enough for Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell.

Soaring high energy harmonies and driving rhythms became Ashford & Simpson trademarks, and other Gaye/Terrell hits followed: Your Precious Love, Aint Nothing Like the Real Thing, You're All I Need to Get By and Good Lovin' Aint Easy to Come By.

They soon grew beyond staff writers and signed with Warner Brothers in 1973 as recording artistes. The duo recorded eight albums, four of which went gold. Their numerous hit singles include Send It, Found a Cure, Don't Cost You Nothin, It Seems to Hang On and Love Don't Make It Right.
In addition to their own growing catalog of songs, Ashford & Simpson wrote and produced for Ben E King, Chaka Khan,

Gladys Knight and the Pips, Quincy Jones and rewrote a version of Aint No Mountain High Enough for Diana Ross that became a number one record. Her album The Boss, not only gave her another hit song but a title as well. In the '80s Ashford & Simpson signed with Capitol Records and their hit Solid as a Rock continues to be a signature song for the duo.

Ashford & Simpson joins a Thursday night line-up that opens with award-winning multi-platinum superstar, Robin Thicke; British Grammy Award-nominated hip hop/R&B singer, rapper and producer Estelle, who is best known for her hit single American Boy; Los Van Van, a Cuban band led by bassist Juan Formell, the Reunion Jazz Quartet and Jewish reggae singer, Matisyahu.

On Friday night, January 23, Jamaica's Rose Hall development in Montego Bay will come alive with multi-platinum Grammy award-winning singer, Lionel Richie, who will grace the stage along with Lou Gramm of Foreigner fame, Randy Crawford and Joe Sample, Alton Reeds Blues Entourage and young Canadian sensation, 13-year-old Nikki Yanofsky.

Saturday, January 24 rocks with Chicago, Maxi Priest, Atlantic Starr and the O'Jays, all of whom need
no introduction.

Also added recently to the Saturday line-up are: Acclaimed singer-songwriter Carlene Carter, who has emerged from a period of intense mourning and introspection to craft

Stronger, an album that explores the power of love to hurt, to bring laughter, to change the heart and, most of all, to heal.
The 2009 festival is being presented this year by the Jamaica Tourist Board, which is the new title sponsor.

The festival, which since its introduction in 1996 was known as the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues Festival, has attracted thousands of patrons from the USA, Europe, the Caribbean and Jamaica. International artistes that have performed at the festival include Alicia Keys, Kenny Rogers, Norah Jones,

Julio Iglesias, Roberta Flack, Lou Rawls, Dionne Warwick, India Arie, Nancy Wilson, Earth Wind and Fire, Kenny G, Michael McDonald, Gladys Knight, Kool & the Gang, Al Jarreau, Branford Marsalis, Brian McKnight Harry Belafonte, Babyface, Stephanie Mills, George Benson, Erykah Badu, Diana Ross, Michael Bolton, and many more.

And to bring the Jamaican flavour, well-known names such as Ziggy Marley, Morgan Heritage, Third World, Toots Hibbert, Shaggy, Sean Paul Maxi Priest, Beres Hammond, Monty Alexander, Ritchie Stephens and many other Jamaican talents have made their mark on the Air Jamaica Jazz and Blues stage.

This year the festival is being presented by key title sponsor, the Jamaica Tourist Board along with Rose Hall Developments, Jamrock Magazine, Half Moon, The Jamaica Observer, Holiday Inn Sun Spree, The Ritz Carlton Golf & Spa Resort in Rose Hall, Courts Jamaica, Scotiabank, Riu Hotels, CaribPR Wire, Sky Writings Magazine and CMS Media.

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