New York, NY, November 7, 2007: The Board of Directors of the American Society of Composers, Authors and Publishers (ASCAP) has elected songwriter and recording artist Valerie Simpson, a Director, it was announced today by ASCAP President and Chairman Marilyn Bergman.
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.
Commenting on Simpson's election, Marilyn Bergman said, "I am delighted to welcome Valerie Simpson, a legend of Pop and R&B songwriting, to the ASCAP Board of Directors. Over the course of many years, she and Nick Ashford have been very active in ASCAP affairs, and I know Val will provide the Board with valuable insight and a fresh perspective."
About ASCAP
Established in 1914, ASCAP is the first and leading U.S. Performing Rights Organization representing the world's largest repertory totaling over 8.5 million copyrighted musical works of every style and genre from more than 300,000 songwriter, composer and music publisher members. ASCAP has representation arrangements with over 90 music rights organizations such that the ASCAP repertory is represented in nearly every country around the world. ASCAP protects the rights of its members and foreign affiliates by licensing the public performances of their copyrighted works and distributing royalties based upon surveyed performances. ASCAP is the only American Performing Rights Organization owned and governed by its writer and publisher members.
www.ascap.com
