Wellington & Company
Wellington & Company Band and Show was based in
Lanham, MD. The group consisted of Kenneth Gross,
Theresa Havard, David Wells, Maretta Brooks, Jerome
Petty, Aronda Stovall, Tennyson Price, John Ford, Keith
Barrett, William Smith, Paul Smith, Dean Cavanaugh,
Robert Frye, Ray Disney, Alina Lee, Wanda Russell
and a host of other talented musicians, depending on
the event. Wellington & Company was a group of
musicians, dancers, and entertainers, which carried a
wealth of supporters.
Wellington & Company played whatever the customer
wanted to hear. Their genre of song repertoire included
soul, funk, rhythm and blues, big band, pop, country,
classical, adult contemporary, smooth jazz, Christian,
gospel, disco, standards, oldie but goodies, rock, and
bluegrass. They would take requests from the floor and
play the song before the event was over. They would
also allow the audience to join them on stage, playing
an instrument, singing a song or dancing. The group
became known for their ability to please the crowd.
Wellington & Company was very successful. Ironically,
Wellington & Company did not perform in their
hometown very often, preferring to travel the east coast
from New York to Georgia.
The band became a favorite of alumni and social
organizations. The John H. Porter Chapter of the
Tuskegee Airmen in Dover, Delaware was one of the
first organizations to hire the group.
Wellington and Company has reorganized with new
members to form AKAThisIsUs. Stay tuned for
Wellington & Company's reunion as AKAThisIsUS,
coming soon!