Star Valley resident and award winning composer Jeff Lippencott stepped into the SVI Radio studio on Wednesday, August 13 to discuss composing the Semiquincentennial theme song for the Cheyenne Symphony Orchestra and the State of Wyoming.

Along with orchestra compositions, Lippencott is also known for composing the iconic theme song for television shows such as Shark Tank, The Biggest Loser, American Idol, Who Wants To Be a Millionaire and more.

(0:00) Looking forward to talking with Jeff Lippincott this morning. (0:04) We’ve been trying to touch base with Jeff all summer, (0:07) but it is summer, (0:08) and that means schedules are all over the place. (0:10) And Jeff, I’m excited we were finally able to connect.
(0:12) How are you today? (0:13) I’m doing great. (0:14) Thanks for having me in, dude. (0:15) Absolutely.
I really appreciate it. (0:16) Jeff Lippincott is an award-winning composer, (0:20) and he’s done all kinds of great compositions (0:24) for the video industry and television shows (0:28) and all kinds of other great things. (0:30) You have a great YouTube channel (0:31) with some of your work on there as well.
(0:34) Jeff, just tell us maybe some of the things you’ve done, (0:37) because you’ve written some theme songs for some shows (0:39) I think people are gonna recognize. (0:40) Yeah, you know, it’s been a great run. (0:43) I was in Nashville originally until 2002, (0:45) and then I sort of wrapped up my Nashville career (0:47) and moved to L.A., (0:48) and immediately got sucked into the TV world.
(0:52) I went actually originally to score films, (0:55) but I wound up getting hooked up with a Mark Burnett, (0:57) who was sort of the king of reality. (1:00) He had Survivor on the air at the time (1:02) and got a break on The Apprentice with Donald Trump, (1:05) and then everything just sort of shot out from there. (1:07) Biggest Loser, Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, (1:10) American Idol, Shark Tank, (1:12) probably a hundred-some-odd different shows (1:14) I’ve done over the course of the last 15 or 20 years.
(1:17) So it’s been a really great run. (1:18) So when we see those shows, (1:20) and you mentioned Shark Tank, that one’s still going. (1:22) Oh, yeah.
(1:22) I mean, you wrote the songs for those. (1:25) Yeah, you talk about the themes, you know, (1:27) it’s kind of funny because iconic themes, (1:30) Shark Tank has become, the Tank Walk has become (1:32) a little, people sing it to me in airports or something. (1:34) They’re like, you do Shark Tank? (1:35) Oh, dun-dun-dun-dun-dun-dun, you know, (1:38) so it’s kind of funny.
(1:38) It’s even in my Tesla as the lockout, (1:40) the lockout theme, you know, you could access it. (1:43) So it’s like, oh, I’ll use that as my lockout theme. (1:45) I love that.
(1:46) So how does one compose a television show theme song? (1:49) Okay, so it’s guesswork. (1:50) It’s literally a guess, (1:53) because typically the producers and the directors (1:55) or whoever, they don’t know what they want really. (1:59) So it’s basically, I want to hear the theme, (2:03) I’ll know it when I hear it.
(2:04) Like, okay, so then you’re riding into the mist, (2:06) you know, it’s just like, you just hope that it works. (2:08) And so similar, not the theme, (2:12) but Biggest Loser was one of those, (2:13) like, what does it sound when a really large person (2:16) gets on a scale? (2:17) And we had to go back and write that, (2:18) like, what does that sound like? (2:19) You know, it only sounds like what it sounds like (2:21) after you’ve watched the show for 10 years. (2:23) Now it’s iconic, right? (2:25) And so write me an iconic theme.
(2:28) So with Shark Tank, it was, you know, we don’t want Jaws. (2:31) Okay, because that’s too, like, on the nose, (2:33) and of course we’d get sued. (2:35) But we want something that sounds like Sharky (2:39) and sounds, I mean, how do you even come up with that? (2:41) It’s just a guess, (2:43) and it only becomes iconic when it’s iconic.
(2:46) Well, you’ve managed to pull it off (2:47) time and time again, though. (2:48) Yeah, it’s been fortunate. (2:50) Outside of television shows, (2:52) you’ve also done a lot of other composing, (2:55) orchestra-type music, and tell us more about that.
(2:58) Well, you know, my background in Nashville was orchestra. (3:01) I worked a lot with, (3:03) did a lot of background orchestra stuff on records (3:05) for Shania Twain and Tricia Yearwood and Faith Hill (3:08) and did these things with the Nashville Symphony. (3:09) But yeah, so my, sort of my core base is orchestra, (3:13) and in my free time, as all composers do, not really, (3:17) I write symphonies and these other things.
(3:19) So yeah, I sort of play around with choral stuff (3:22) and symphony stuff and always trying to expand (3:25) the palette of my interests in music. (3:29) I have other interests. (3:30) I like to hunt and do these other things, (3:32) but as far as music goes, yeah, (3:33) I stretch the bounds a little bit (3:35) and move outside of my TV world.
(3:37) I think it’s good for my TV music. (3:38) So you’ve been living in Lincoln County (3:40) in the Star Valley area for a handful of years now. (3:42) Correct, correct.
(3:43) The state of Wyoming catches wind that, (3:45) hey, we have Jeff Lippincott living inside our boundaries, (3:47) and they reach out to you for the 250th. (3:50) Well, you know, it was sort of that way, yeah. (3:53) You know, it was more, I have a cello concerto (3:56) that I’ve been trying to get placed, (3:59) and wonderful Grammy-winning cellist, Zool Bailey, (4:03) hooked onto it with me about five or six years ago, (4:06) and like, we gotta get this performed, (4:07) and he had a relationship with Cheyenne.
(4:10) And we’ve been looking for four or five years. (4:12) COVID was a little bit of a stop down for me (4:13) because I had just finished this cello concerto (4:15) right before COVID. (4:17) And then he hooked up with Cheyenne.
(4:19) He says, you know, you should go up there and talk to them. (4:20) I think they’d be really interested. (4:22) They’re really an up-and-coming orchestra, I know.
(4:24) I mean, Cheyenne is really actually starting (4:25) to become a burgeoning thing (4:27) as far as classical music and what they do. (4:30) And so I went up there and talked to them about it, (4:33) and during lunch, we were just talking (4:35) and throwing ideas around, and they said, (4:37) hey, would you be interested in a composer-in-residence? (4:40) Sure, you know, great. (4:41) We’re actually really looking for something for the 250th.
(4:45) Do you have any ideas? (4:46) I said, actually, I’ve been working on something (4:48) for about 10 years. (4:50) It’s not, you know, I haven’t really totally vetted it yet. (4:52) And then they said, well, this works perfectly (4:56) because our board, you know, whatever the hierarchy there is, (4:59) we’re really looking for a Wyoming-based composer.
(5:02) We want someone that’s a resident. (5:03) I said, well, I’m a resident. (5:05) So it all worked, you know, (5:06) it really fell into place very quickly.
(5:10) And I think I’m their first composer-in-residence, actually. (5:13) So, yeah. (5:13) And so this is going to be performed (5:15) by the symphony in Cheyenne, it sounds like.
(5:18) Correct, so what we’re doing is, (5:20) we’re doing a premier performance, (5:22) sort of a, you know, a cold run on it in April, (5:25) and then the 4th of July in the Capitol. (5:28) You know, we’re still to be decided on. (5:32) I know that the governor had voiced interest.
(5:34) There’s a narrator part, and there’s some stuff, (5:37) and Senator Lemus has put forth her, you know, (5:41) like she’d be willing to do it (5:42) if her schedule fits, which would be wonderful. (5:44) Or we get someone else, whoever. (5:47) Gary Sinise is actually gonna do (5:48) the narration on the recording.
(5:50) So we’re recording all of this in November, (5:52) so there’s a product to purchase. (5:55) And there’s been some national interest. (5:58) You know, I don’t know how far that’s gonna go.
(5:59) I know President Trump and Doug Burgum (6:03) are doing a big push for the 250th. (6:06) You know, I’m sure there’s other stuff in the plans, (6:08) but for the state of Wyoming, we’re really, (6:10) the Cheyenne Symphony really wanted to put forth (6:13) this is our thing. (6:14) We wanna plant our stake in the ground.
(6:17) We wanna, I’m pretty sure there’s a committee here (6:20) in Wyoming, too, like the government’s gotta, (6:22) I think it’s in Cheyenne that there’s a committee (6:24) that’s really focused on this 250th, so really big deal. (6:28) So this will obviously be owned by the symphony (6:31) and everything, but is it going to be available? (6:35) I mean, where else would we hear this (6:37) outside of the symphony performance? (6:39) So you’ll be able to buy the recording, okay? (6:42) So that’ll be, and it’ll be streaming and all that other, (6:45) and I think the concert will be streamed as well. (6:48) And then the intention is that this goes out (6:52) not only to local, so the middle section, (6:55) it’s hard to explain, is a choral piece (6:57) that can be spit out really to high school choirs (7:00) could be able to do it.
(7:01) It could be done as a standalone piece as well. (7:03) So, and the text from that is from John Quincy Adams. (7:09) So there is a pullout section in the middle (7:12) that can be done locally with choirs and orchestras, (7:15) and we’re hoping to sort of between April and July (7:17) sort of maybe spit that out to the public.
(7:19) Very neat, very neat. (7:20) Jeff Lippincott in studio this morning. (7:22) He’s a composer living in Star Valley (7:24) and helping write the 250th anniversary theme (7:26) for the state of Wyoming.
(7:29) It’s so, has it really sunk in yet (7:31) that this is what you’re doing? (7:33) It’s super exciting. (7:33) I mean, it’s called American Patriot Hymn, (7:37) and it’s been on my table, on my desk for 12 years. (7:40) Typically, I’m gonna write it (7:41) and put it in the drawer type of thing, (7:43) like a just one-time thing, (7:44) but this is sort of work has evolved, (7:46) and I’m so excited to get this out there (7:49) and to have this timing has worked perfectly.
(7:53) Like I said, it’s been in the process for 10 or 12 years, (7:55) but who knows? (7:55) Who knew that the 250 would roll up (7:57) and then Cheyenne Symphony and Senator, (8:00) Senator Dillon was trying to get on board and just helping, (8:03) and there’s just so many people that are involved behind it (8:05) that it’s real exciting. (8:07) Absolutely. (8:07) Well, we look forward to hearing it.
(8:09) So you said about November. (8:11) So November, the recording will be recorded. (8:12) It will be released probably January, February.
(8:14) First performance is in April, (8:16) and then the premier premier is July 4th (8:18) in the Capitol in Cheyenne. (8:19) Absolutely, very cool. (8:21) And it’s all based right here in Lincoln County.
(8:23) Correct, and University of Wyoming (8:24) is gonna sing the choir part, so we’re all in. (8:28) All right, Jeff Lippincott in studio this morning. (8:30) Jeff, we’ll touch base again, (8:32) I’m sure as we get closer to the release.
(8:34) I hope you’ll have me back. (8:35) Absolutely, absolutely. (8:36) We need you to write a theme song for our show now.
(8:39) I’m ready. (8:39) I’m ready, just give me a piano. (8:41) Just make it, just give me something iconic, Jeff.
(8:43) Just give me something iconic. (8:44) It’s only iconic until it’s iconic. (8:47) You can have that one, by the way.
(8:49) Oh, you got it. (8:50) Jeff Lippincott, Star Valley resident, (8:51) writing the theme song for the state of Wyoming (8:54) in the upcoming 250th celebration (8:56) on the anniversary of the signing (8:57) of the direct declaration of independence. (8:59) Jeff, thank you so much.
(9:00) Thanks, Steve. (9:00) It’s all part of the weekday wake up this morning (9:02) on the SBI Radio Network.