Hawthorn “King Wellington” Quashie

Hawthorn "King Wellington" Quashie hails from James Street, Goodwood, Tobago. A former police officer who always loved music, he eventually made it hos loge long pursuit. This prolific writer and musician, first began recording and performing under the moniker Cisco Kid in the 60's and by the 70's placed King before his middle name to reinvent himself as King Wellington. King is known as one of several artists who were experimenting with new sounds during the era in which soca developed as a genre and in his case he sought to fusing calypso with American soul music, emphasizing the role of the drums in particular. As a Tobagonian he belaboured the challenges to be welcomed, respected and honoured nationally. The year when his hit Steel and Brass was not recognized as Road March because he was deemed a 'non-national' was pivotal in his choice to remain abroad to pursue life and music. Notwithstanding, though he has lived in the United States since the 70's, he returned home annually to release new music, even venturing into soca parang with the hit "Fire One" and collaborating with Shurwayne Winchester who remade the King Wellington original 'The Quelvis.' King Wellington was also involved in the Trinbago Unified Calypso Organisation (TUCO) as member and Kaiso House Calypso Tent Manager for a few seasons. In 2019 at the TUCO Calypso History Month Gala, King Wellington received the long and distinguished service to calypso award. In the US, King Wellington has also been flying the calyspo music flag high through his band King Wellington and The Earth Peeples. He performs a mix of calypso, soca and reggae at private events and since 1995, every single pre-pandemic Sunday during the summer months he and his band were the resident entertainment at Flynn's on Fire Island, Long Island , New York. The pandemic slowed performance down a bit, but at 84 he is still performing throughout the New York Tri-State area with his band and as recent as August 2022 he and his band opened up for Jimmy Buffet.