Simpson and his partner, Dennis Nichols, founded the Sound Column. Simpson bought out Nichols in 1976 and then added Clive Romney as a partner. Their band played at events and business gatherings, and they were hired by the Salt Lake Chamber of Commerce to do promotions, and they began to do radio and TV commercials and corporate themes. "Corporate music was more of a fine art than it is now," he says.

Among their clients was the Utah Stars basketball team, and they did national campaigns for Piccadilly Fish and Chips, Century 21 and others.

They had a recording studio, a record label, a talent agency — one of their successes was putting a country singer named Dave Lemmon on the Billboard charts, the first national attention for a Utah production, Simpson says. "It was a fun, exciting time, with a small group of musicians working hard together. It was innovative in its time. Today, it's the only way to do business."

Simpson had another goal when he moved to Utah. "Like any Mormon who comes here, I wanted to make music for the church. I thought it would be a great client." The church, however, was not particularly interested. "That's when I fashioned the motto that has served me well and is what I teach my students: Train yourself to a national and world standard, then turn to the values that you care about."

He continued to hone his skills, and one day the phone rang. "The church was calling me." In the early 1980s, he says, the church was wanting to explore more pop styles in its youth music. "In the '80s and '90s, we were on the A-list of people making music for seminary programs, movies and videos." He also wrote music and songs for a number of Promised Valley Playhouse productions.

The Sound Column survives — now back in a home office. "We still manage a small catalog of songs," says Simpson.

But his life took a new direction in 1984, when he was asked to join Brigham Young University.

Simpson has a three-pronged assignment at BYU. He is general manager of the Tantara record label, he works with the university's touring groups, and he teaches and oversees two majors — sound recording technology and media music.

The Tantara label was started in 1993 and has grown to include a catalog of some 60 titles, mostly classical, choral and jazz. "The main requirement is that there is some connection to BYU, either composer or artist."

Simpson works with two main touring groups: the Young Ambassadors and the Living Legends (formerly the Lamanite Generation). Both have traveled the world. The Young Ambassadors will be going to China next year at the specific request of the Chinese government, he says.