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b'Mississippi native Joshie Jo Armstead began her professional career as a vocalist, touring and recording as one of the original Ikettes behind Ike and Tina Turner. She later settled in New York City where she began working with the legendary duo of Ashford and Simpson, who first found major success as the songwriting\\xa0trio\\xa0of Ashford, Simpson and Armstead when Ray Charles\\u2019 recording of \\u201cLet\\u2019s Go Get Stoned\\u201d became a #1 hit. Soon after, Charles recorded their \\u201cI Don\\u2019t Need No Doctor\\u201d and Aretha Franklin hit the R&B Top 40 with \\u201cCry Like a Baby.\\u201d\\xa0 After Ashford and Simpson went to Motown, Armstead relocated to Chicago where she launched Giant Productions and established herself as one of only a handful of female record label owners and producers in that era. There she scored Top 10 R&B hits with Syl Johnson\\u2019s \\u201cCome On Sock it to Me,\\u201d Ruby Andrews\\u2019 \\u201cCasanova (Your Playing Days Are Over),\\u201d Garland Green\\u2019s \\u201cJealous Kind of Fella,\\u201d and Carl Carlton\\u2019s \\u201cDrop By My Place\\u201d while also releasing her own records as an artist for Giant Records and later Stax Records.\\xa0 As a vocalist she has worked and recorded with Diana Ross, Bob Dylan, Roberta Flack, Nina Simone, BB King, Quincy Jones and Burt Bacharach. As a writer she placed 16 songs on the R&B and pop charts. \\xa0Her compositions have been recorded by a long list of artists, including James Brown, The Coasters, The Shirelles, Joe Cocker, Styx, Humble Pie, Joan Osborne, Ronnie Milsap, John Mayer, and others.'