William King | |
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Born |
Birmingham, Alabama, U.S. | January 30, 1949
Other names | Wak |
Years active | 1968–present |
Spouses | Shirley Hanna-King (
m. 1976) Deborah Walker-King (
m. 2020) |
Children | 4 |
Musical career | |
Genres | |
Occupation(s) |
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Instrument(s) |
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Labels | |
William King (born January 30, 1949) [1] is an American singer, musician and choreographer. He is a founding member of the Commodores, where he plays trumpet, guitar, synthesizer, flute, and congas/ percussion and is the group's choreographer.
King was born in Birmingham, Alabama. After college, he considered playing tennis professionally but decided to continue his career with the Commodores. [1] King was also hired by a digital computer company to write software but gave that up as well to join the band. [2]
King's compositions include " Lady" and "I'm In Love", both of which he co-composed with Harold Hudson and his wife Shirley Hanna-King. The latter was the B side to their single "Janet" which was released in 1985. [3]
King married his songwriting partner and fellow Grammy Award nominee, Shirley Hanna-King in 1976 and they have four children. King is an avid tennis player and has participated in many tournaments.