Cherry Smith was a backing vocalist for the original Wailers from 1963 to 1966.

Smith was also called Cherry Green (her half-brother Carlton had that surname), but was born Ermine Ortense Bramwell in the Trench Town district of Kingston

Kingston, Jamaica

Kingston is the capital and largest city of Jamaica, located on the southeastern coast of the island. It faces a natural harbour protected by the Palisadoes, a long sand spit which connects the town of Port Royal and the Norman Manley International Airport to the rest of the island...

. She was nicknamed "Cherry" as a girl due to her light complexion. According to Bob Marley

Bob Marley

Robert Nesta "Bob" Marley, OM was a Jamaican singer-songwriter and musician. He was the rhythm guitarist and lead singer for the ska, rocksteady and reggae band Bob Marley & The Wailers...

's official website Bunny Wailer

Bunny Wailer

Bunny Wailer, , also known as Bunny Livingston and affectionately as Jah B, is a singer songwriter and percussionist and was an original member of reggae group The Wailers along with Bob Marley and Peter Tosh...

 and Beverley Kelso

Beverley Kelso

Beverley Kelso is a Jamaican singer. She was a backing vocalist, and one of the founding members of The Wailers . The death of Junior Braithwaite in 1999 and the death of Cherry Smith in 2008 left Kelso and Bunny Wailer as the only surviving founding members of the Wailers Beverley Kelso is a...

 are the only surviving members of the original Wailers, after Smith's death. However, it did not list Smith as an official member of the group. Smith was with the group for over two years and took part in their audition for Clement "Coxsone" Dodd in 1963, but as she had a full-time job and a child to support, she was unable to attend the group's first recording session, and was replaced by Kelso.

Smith continued to contribute to recording sessions and sang backing vocals

Backing vocalist

A backing vocalist or backing singer is a singer who provides vocal harmony with the lead vocalist or other backing vocalists...

 on several of the later Wailers recordings including:

• "Lonesome Feeling"
• "There She Goes"
• "What's New Pussycat"
• "Let The Lord Be Seen In You"

She left the group in late 1966, and moved to Miami, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

 in 1969 to work as a nurse

Nursing

Nursing is a healthcare profession focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life from conception to death....

. She moved around the United States, finally settling in West Palm Beach, Florida.

She died in Miami, Florida

Florida

Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...

in 2008, aged 65. She is survived by her husband, a daughter, a brother and a granddaughter.