In the 1980s, he worked with many UK artists including The Smiths,[2] Depeche Mode,[3] Eurythmics,[4] Soft Cell,[5] Jimmy Page[6][7] and The Associates.

[13] Ashworth's work came to prominence in the 1980s when he worked with pop bands such as Dead or Alive, Soft Cell, Eurythmics and The Associates; rock artists such as The Clash, The Ramones,[14] The Cult, Tina Turner, Julian Cope and The The; post-punk band PIL with John Lydon; 1980s-era New Romantic performers Visage and Steve Strange; and established artists such as Bryan Ferry.

[15][16] Ashworth's images have been used on album and single covers of the artists he has photographed, including Adam & The Ants’ Kings of the Wild Frontier,[17] The Associates’ Sulk,[18] Soft Cell's Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret,[19] Frankie Goes to Hollywood's Welcome to the Pleasuredome,[20] Visage's debut album Visage[21] and Eurythmics' Touch.

In 1980, Ashworth - using the pseudonym Triash - as briefly a member of the band The The with Matt Johnson, appearing on the single "Controversial Subject" as drummer and vocalist.

The ubiquity of Ashworth’s photographic work with music artists in the eighties led to him being mentioned in Mari Wilson’s UK Top 10 hit song[35] ‘Just What I Always Wanted’ [36][16] (The lyrics also namecheck the song's writer, Teddy Johns, though 'Teddy' is often misheard as 'Tenney')[37] “I've got a mink from Paris, a ring from Rome A whole new wardrobe in my home A tune from Teddy, an Ashworth snap These are the landmarks on my map I've got just what I always wanted” Contributor