Who Is Still Alive From Motown Supergroup the Commodores?
The Commodores started at Tuskegee Institute in Alabama in the late ’60s and went on to become one of Motown’s biggest groups of the ’70s and ’80s. You probably know their wedding reception classic “Brick House” or their ballads like “Easy,” “Three Times a Lady,” “Sail On,” and “Still.” They are one of those rare bands that excel in R&B, pop and adult contemporary.
The Commodores are still touring today, but the lineup looks quite different from how it used to be. The classic lineup most fans remember included Lionel Richie, William “WAK” King, Walter “Clyde” Orange, Thomas McClary, Ronald LaPread and Milan Williams. While the group has changed members many times over the years, let’s find out who from the Commodores is still with us today, and is Richie actually part of their current tour?
William “WAK” King
William “WAK” King, 77, remains one of the most important links between the current touring Commodores and the group’s original roots. King was part of the classic lineup that came out of Tuskegee Institute and went on to become one of Motown’s biggest groups. King played trumpet and helped shape the band’s sound during their early years. He is also part of the current public-facing Commodores lineup.
Walter “Clyde” Orange
Walter “Clyde” Orange, 79, is one of the most recognizable voices in Commodores history. While Richie sang many of the group’s biggest ballads, Orange gave the band one of its most famous funk moments with “Brick House.” Orange was also a major part of the group’s post-Richie years. He co-wrote “Nightshift,” the 1985 tribute to Marvin Gaye and Jackie Wilson that became one of the Commodores’ biggest later hits and won the group a Grammy Award.
Lionel Richie
Fathom Events/Everett Collection
Lionel Richie, 76, is not part of the Commodores’ current tour. Richie left the group in 1982 to pursue a solo career, and that career quickly turned him into one of the biggest stars of the ’80s. Richie still performs Commodores songs during his own concerts, but his current tour dates are separate from the Commodores. His 2026 tour is with Earth, Wind & Fire, while the Commodores continue touring as their own act.
Richie’s last clearly documented onstage reunion with Commodores bandmates happened at the 2009 Essence Music Festival in New Orleans. During Richie’s set, former Commodores Thomas McClary and Ronald LaPread joined him onstage for several Commodores songs.
Thomas McClary
Thomas McClary, 75, was the Commodores’ original guitarist and helped shape the band’s sound before they became Motown stars. McClary was part of the lineup during the era of “Machine Gun,” “Easy,” “Brick House,” “Three Times a Lady,” and many of the group’s other best-known songs. McClary eventually left the Commodores after the group’s classic Richie-era run. He later worked on other music projects and was part of a few partial reunions with Richie and other former Commodores. However, a full classic lineup reunion never came together before Williams died in 2006.
Ronald LaPread
Ronald LaPread, 75, played bass during the Commodores’ classic era and was part of the lineup that helped turn the group into one of the biggest funk, soul, and R&B acts of the ’70s and early ’80s. He is not part of the current touring lineup, but he did take part in at least one later onstage reunion with Richie and McClary.
J.D. Nicholas
J.D. Nicholas, 74, was not part of the original Richie-era lineup. Nicholas joined the Commodores after Richie left and became an important part of the group’s next chapter. Before joining the Commodores, he had been a member of Heatwave. Nicholas was with the group during the “Nightshift” era, when the Commodores proved they could still have a major hit after Richie’s departure.
In Memoriam
Everett Collection
Milan Williams
Williams, the group’s longtime keyboardist, died on July 9, 2006, at age 58. Williams helped shape the band’s sound during its biggest years.
Sheldon Reynolds
Reynolds joined the group after McClary’s departure and played guitar with the Commodores before becoming closely associated with Earth, Wind & Fire. He died on May 23, 2023, at age 63.
Who is in the Commodores now?
The current Commodores lineup is led by original member William “WAK” King, along with Brent Carter, Cody Orange and Colin Orange. Cody and Colin are the sons of longtime Commodores member Walter “Clyde” Orange, which gives the current group another family connection to the band’s history.
Remind 
Pop Music Legends
August 2017
Dedicated to the sights, sounds and stories of the golden age of pop.
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