Friday Jukebox 8.26.11: A Tribute to Two Songwriters.

This is also my 200th post.

On Monday, two talented songwriters passed away.

Jerry Leiber, writer of Elvis' "Hound Dog" from 1956. Aged 78. Along with partner Mike Stoller, not only worked with Elvis, but a who's who of artists, from the Beatles and Rolling Stones to B.B. King, Buddy Holly and James Brown just to name a few.

Also, Nick Ashford passed away, age 70. Along with partner (and later wife) Valerie Simpson, Ashford was a writer as well as musician. Both Ashford and Simpson teamed up on "Found a Cure" (1979), "It Seems to Hang On" (1978), and "Solid" (1984).

I discovered, that now that I'm following Nile Rodgers (Chic) on twitter, he tweeted that it was Ashford that "gave Chic their first break." And the rest of history.