Cherry Green

Cherry Green remains one of the most fascinating footnotes in reggae history -- an original member of the Wailers, the group that later evolved into Bob Marley's backing unit, she joined with fellow vocalist Beverly Kelso to contribute the haunting falsetto harmonies that galvanized their first hit, "Simmer Down." Born Ermine Ortense Bramwell in the impoverished Kingston district known as Trenchtown on August 22, 1943, she was given her nickname thanks to her light complexion, dubbed "red" in Jamaican parlance. Her half-brother Carlton's surname was Green, and as she later tol...