Valerie Simpson, Exclusive Interview with Berklee College of Music
4,920 views · Published 23 May 2014 · 4:23 · Indexed 6 November 2026
Channel: Berklee College of Music · 2014 · Music
Valerie Simpson talks about performing with Berklee students, the process of learning music, influences, and professionalism. Chosen for an Honorary Doctorate from Berklee College of Music, Valerie Simpson is half of the songwriting, production, and performing entity formerly known as Ashford and Simpson. With her late husband Nick Ashford, she cowrote and produced numerous pop and soul hits for music legends such as Diana Ross, Marvin Gaye, Whitney Houston, and Chaka Khan, including "Ain't No Mountain High Enough," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," and "I'm Every Woman," to name just a few. As performers, Ashford and Simpson's best known songs include "Solid (As a Rock)" and "Found a Cure." The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Simpson recently released her first solo album, 2012's Dinosaurs Are Coming Back, and was featured on Oprah's Next Chapter. As a member of the ASCAP Foundation Board, she established the Reach Out and Touch Award, which honors Ashford and helps advance the careers of promising young songwriters. She also owns and runs the Sugar Bar, a popular restaurant and music venue in New York's Upper West Side. Four Ashford and Simpson songs are currently featured in the Broadway hit Motown the Musical. Simpson made her first visit to Berklee last year to perform in Trouble Man, a musicial about the life of Marvin Gaye that was scripted by Berklee students.
