Ramona L. Brooks (January 8, 1951 – June 2, 2014) was an American singer and actress. A member of

Lady Flash Lady Flash was an American trio of singers whose members were Reparata Mazzola, Monica Pege (stage name: Monica Burruss), and Debra Byrd. They were the featured backup group for Barry Manilow from 1974–1979 and released one hit of their own, 197 ...

, Barry Manilow's backup group, she sang on his 1975 Album ''

Tryin' to Get the Feeling ''Tryin' to Get the Feeling'' is the third studio album by singer-songwriter Barry Manilow, released in 1975. It features the title track, " Tryin' to Get the Feeling Again", together with other hits including "New York City Rhythm", "Bandstan ...

''. She also performed on Lizzy Mercier Descloux's 1979 album ''

Press Color ''Press Color'' is the debut album of French no wave singer, Lizzy Mercier Descloux. The album has received some critical acclaim, being called "the real thing" by '' Uncut'' magazine. Track listing All songs written by Lizzy Mercier Descloux un ...

''. Tom Spahn was her vocal coach. Her 1977 solo singl
''Skinnydippin''
hit 94 on what is now the

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertis ...

Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs The Hot R&B/Hip-Hop Songs chart ranks the most popular R&B and hip hop songs in the United States and is published weekly by '' Billboard''. Rankings are based on a measure of radio airplay, sales data, and streaming activity. The chart had 100 ...

chart, an
''I Don't Want You Back''
reached 55 on the U.S.

Dance Club Songs The Dance Club Songs (also known as National Disco Action, Hot Dance/Disco Club Play, and Hot Dance Club Play) was a chart published weekly between 1976 and 2020 by ''Billboard'' magazine. It used club disc jockeys set lists to determine the mos ...

chart in 1981. On Broadway, she appeared with

Doug Henning Douglas James Henning (May 3, 1947 – February 7, 2000) was a Canadian magician, illusionist, escape artist and politician. Early life Henning was born in the Fort Garry district of Winnipeg, Manitoba. Henning became interested in magi ...

in ''

The Magic Show ''The Magic Show'' is a one-act musical with music and lyrics by Stephen Schwartz and a book by Bob Randall. It starred magician Doug Henning. Produced by Edgar Lansbury, Joseph Beruh, and Ivan Reitman, it opened on Broadway on May 28, 1974 a ...

'' at the

Cort Theater The James Earl Jones Theatre, originally the Cort Theatre, is a Broadway theater at 138 West 48th Street, between Seventh Avenue and Sixth Avenue, in the Theater District of Midtown Manhattan in New York City, New York, U.S. It was built in ...

, and with

Billy Dee Williams William December Williams Jr. (born April 6, 1937) is an American retired actor, novelist and painter. He has appeared in over 100 films and television roles over six decades. He is best known for portraying Lando Calrissian in the ''Star Wars ...

in ''I Have a Dream'', at the Ambassador Theater in 1976. Her brief movie career included appearing as "Hooker #1" in the 1980

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

vehicle The First Deadly Sin and as "Hooker #2" in 1983's ''Vigilante''. Her brother Paul Stubblefield was the drummer for the 1970s Cleveland Jazz/Funk group Sounds of Unity and Love, her cousin is Hammond organ player

Ike Stubblefield Isaac Larry Stubblefield (June 7, 1952 – June 20, 2021) was an American musician, who performed with a wide array of artists on Hammond B3 organ. Musical career Born in Toledo, Ohio, Stubblefield started his career in 1968 playing keyboar ...

. She died of cancer in a hospice facility in Oregon.

References

External links

*
Ramona Brooks in Top Songs, Musicvf.com
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Brooks, Ramona 1951 births 2014 deaths Actresses from Toledo, Ohio American women singers American stage actresses Singers from Ohio 21st-century American women