Valerie Simpson

Valerie Simpson has been an important songwriter for more than four decades. She and her longtime songwriting partner and husband, Nickolas Ashford, scored their first hit in 1966 with Ray Charles' recording of their "Let's Go Get Stoned." They subsequently became staff writers (and producers) for Motown, creating such song classics as "Ain't Nothin' Like the Real Thing," "You're All I Need to Get By," "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and "Reach Out and Touch (Somebody's Hand)," among many others. The duo was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2002. Valerie Simpson has served on the Board of Directors of The ASCAP Foundation since 1997.