Wade Lawson
Wade Lawson and his father, Wilse, along with Fred Terrell and Elmo Johnson, formed The Dayton Ambassadors southern gospel quartet in 1967. Wade is the only original member of the Dayton Ambassadors actively singing with the quartet today.
Wade and his wife, Sharon, attend the United Baptist Church in Miamisburg, Ohio. Wade is retired from the Dayton Police Department and the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office.
Tom Lawson
Tom Lawson joined The Dayton Ambassadors in 1969, upon returning home from service in the US Army. Tom sings bass with the quartet. Tom and Sharon, his wife, also attend church in Miamisburg, Ohio at the United Baptist Church. Tom and Sharon have two children and thirteen grandchildren.
Tom is a retired Dayton Police detective and is now employed as a death investigator at the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office in Dayton, Ohio.
Michael Ankney
Michael Ankney joined The Dayton Ambassadors in 1993. Michael sings the tenor part for the quartet.
Michael and his wife, Victoria, have two daughters, and reside in Miamisburg, Ohio. Michael is employed as a computer specialist and works at the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Kent Waller
Kent Waller joined The Dayton Ambassadors in 2011 as the baritone singer.
Kent works for Formed Fiber Technologies in Sidney, OH as a packaging engineer. While Kent was in the USAF, and while stationed in San Bernardino, California, he sang with a group called The Oracles.
Kent and his wife Gloria have two children, Jacob and Erica, and the family attends the Greenville Missionary Baptist Church.
Clint Smith
Clinton Smith joined The Dayton Ambassadors in 1979, as the piano player.
Clint, and his wife, Lois, have one son, Chad and reside in West Carrollton. Clint is retired from the Montgomery County Coroner’s Office as the Pathology Supervisor.
Tony Rankin
Tony Rankin began playing the pedal steel guitar for The Dayton Ambassadors in 1998.
Tony and his wife, Denise, attend the First Church of God in Miamisburg. Denise, also travels with the quartet and, in addition to running the sound system, takes care of scheduling the quartet and distributing the quartet’s CD’s and tapes. Tony is retired from the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Dayton.
JB King
JB King joined The Dayton Ambassadors in 1980, to play rhythm guitar.
Although he has not played any other instrument with the quartet, JB is a gifted lead and bass guitarist and mandolin player. JB is also a gospel singer and is occasionally called upon to sing with the quartet. JB and his wife, Virginia, attend the Grace Baptist Church in Trotwood, Ohio. JB is retired from General Motors.
Joseph Lawson
Joe Lawson joined The Dayton Ambassadors in January of 2012, as the bass guitarist for the quartet.
Before joining the group on a full-time basis, Joe assisted us on a number of occasions by filling-in on rhythm guitar as well as the bass guitar. Joe is the grandson of Tom Lawson.
Emily Lawson
Emily plays piano for the quartet on an interim basis. When Emily is not available, her sister Mary also assists us as an interim piano player.
Emily and Mary are the granddaughters of Tom and Sharon Lawson.
Mary Lawson
