ERMINE BRAMWELL, a former member of the Trench Town Wailers, died recently in Miami, Florida.

Wailers archivist Roger Steffens said Bramwell, who was popularly known as Cherry Green or Cherry Smith, died on September 26.

The Wailers' main members were built around Bob Marley, Peter Tosh, Bunny Livingston and Junior Braithwaite. Bramwell replaced Braithwaite in 1964 when he migrated to the United States.

She recorded seven songs with the group for producer Clement 'Coxsone' Dodd's Studio One label including Lonesome Feeling, one of their big hit songs.

Rehearsing for two years

"I first met her and interviewed her in 2003. She was part of an all-night WBAI Midnight Ravers radio special on the early Wailers," Steffens told The Gleaner. "The irony of all of this is that she had been rehearsing with Bunny, Bob, Peter and Junior for nearly two years, when Coxsone finally tapped them for their first Wailers recording," Steffens said.

According to Steffens, Bramwell was scheduled to do harmony vocals on Simmer Down, the 1964 ska song the Wailers recorded for Dodd, but had to sit out the session due to domestic issues.

"Cherry had a child, and had to work to support the baby, so she couldn't go to the Monday morning recording session for Simmer Down," Steffens said. "Stuck with no one to fill out the girl's part of their harmonies, the Wailers turned to Beverly Kelso, a young woman whom they had heard sing that previous Saturday night in a talent contest."

howard.campbell@gleanerjm.com

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Cherry had a child, and had to work to support the baby, so she couldn't go to the Monday morning recording session for Simmer Down

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