Junior Braithwaite: Age 50 | Cause Of Death: GUNSHOT
(Died: June 2, 1999)
Junior Braithwaite, one of the original members of Bob Marley’s seminal reggae group the Wailers, was murdered Wednesday (June 2, 1999) night in the home of a fellow musician in Kingston, Jamaica.
One of two men who were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the incident, Braithwaite had recently returned to his homeland after living in Chicago for more than 20 years.
Police are investigating the case.The death marks the second Wailer homicide, following the fatal shooting of co-founding member Peter Tosh at his Kingston home in 1987.
Braithwaite was a member of the original Wailers, formed in Kingston in the early 1960s with Marley, Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Beverly Kelso. He sang on the 1965 hit “It Hurts To Be Alone.”
Though he left the group in 1966, he had reportedly come back to his Caribbean homeland in hopes of reviving his singing career. His death leaves only Wailer and Kelso as surviving members of the original quintet. [Bob Marley died of brain, lung and liver cancer in 1981].~ Stephen Peters
Obituary
Original Wailer Junior Braithwaite Murdered In Jamaica
Junior Braithwaite, one of the original members of Bob Marley’s seminal reggae group the Wailers, was murdered Wednesday (June 2) night in the home of a fellow musician in Kingston, Jamaica.
One of two men who were shot and killed by unidentified gunmen in the incident, Braithwaite had recently returned to his homeland after living in Chicago for more than 20 years. Police are investigating the case.
The death marks the second Wailer homicide, following the fatal shooting of co-founding member Peter Tosh at his Kingston home in 1987.
Braithwaite was a member of the original Wailers, formed in Kingston in the early 1960s with Marley, Tosh, Bunny Wailer, and Beverly Kelso. He sang on the 1965 hit “It Hurts To Be Alone.”
Though he left the group in 1966, he had reportedly come back to his Caribbean homeland in hopes of reviving his singing career. His death leaves only Wailer and Kelso as surviving members of the original quintet. Marley died of cancer in 1981.
Junior Braithwaite, An Original Wailer, Shot And Killed
Jamaican police say they have no suspects in fatal shooting of early Bob Marley bandmate.
Contributing Editor Christopher O’Connor reports:
One of the five original members of Bob Marley’s seminal reggae band, the Wailers, became the second member of the quintet to be killed, when he and another man were fatally shot Wednesday in Kingston, Jamaica, according to local police.
Investigators said Junior Braithwaite “was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Braithwaite, who was 52, died around 6:45 p.m. of a single gunshot wound to the head, according to Cpl. Roland Layne, a spokesperson for Kingston police. Layne said two men attacked Braithwaite and his friend, Laurence Scott, at Scott’s house on Rosend Avenue in Kingston. Scott was killed, too.
Layne said no arrests have been made in the shooting and no suspects have been identified. He said police believe the motive was connected to guns the assailants thought were being kept at Scott’s home. Police were involved in a shootout with another man at the same address in May; that man, whom Layne did not identify, was killed and police recovered firearms at the time, he said.
Braithwaite had no involvement with the guns, according to Layne. “He was just visiting his friend,” the corporal said. “He was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
Braithwaite sang lead on an early Wailers single, “It Hurts to Be Alone,” which was a hit in Jamaica; but he left the group in 1966. The remaining lineup — singers Marley, Peter Tosh (born Winston Hubert MacIntosh) and Neville O’Reilly “Bunny” Livingstone (who later became Bunny Wailer) — formed the core of what is generally considered to be the most important group in reggae’s history and the one that gained the music worldwide popularity with such songs as “Stir It Up,” “I Shot the Sheriff” and “Keep on Moving.”
Tosh was killed inside his home in Jamaica in 1987. Marley, who emerged as the driving force of the group — which eventually was renamed Bob Marley and the Wailers — died of cancer in 1981.
Lem Oppenheimer, vice president of Easy Star Records, an independent New York record label that specializes in roots reggae, said the group in its original form was much different than the later, more popular version.
“Generally, it was a different sound having five members,” Oppenheimer said. “The harmonies were much stronger at that point. They were doing a lot more ska back then.”
Braithwaite and another original member, Beverly Kelso, left the group around the same time. Although Braithwaite never released solo albums and, according to the Associated Press, lived in Chicago, removed from the music business, for 20 years, he sang back-up vocals on tracks by Marley and by Tosh throughout the 1970s.
“The Wailers were always a tight-knit group,” Oppenheimer said. “He was considered one of them, even after he left the group.”
Another Wailer killed * Industry mourns shooting of Junior Braithwaite
BY BASIL WALTERS Observer staff reporter
The music industry was last night still mourning Wednesday night’s killing of Junior Braithwaite, a founding member of the famous Wailing Wailers.
Braithwaite, who along with fellow musician, Lawrence “Chakka” Scott, was shot dead by gunmen in Duhaney Park, was described by his colleagues as a “decent” and “humble” man.
Braithwaite and five other people — Robert (Bob) Nesta Marley, Neville O’Riley Livingston (Bunny Wailer), Peter (Winston Hubert) McIntosh, Beverley Kelso and Cherry Smith — started the Wailin Wailers. He was the third member of that immensely talented group to have died and the second to be killed by gunmen. The first was McIntosh (Peter Tosh) who was gunned down in his home in 1987, while Marley fell to cancer in 1981.
Musical connoisseur and broadcaster, Bunny Goodison, reflecting on the singer’s death, said: “In a lot of developing countries, they treat their cultural icons and sporting personalities with a level of respect and endearment. But in Jamaica, we get so decadent that we say a guy is just a guy.”
His feelings were echoed by veteran musician, Johnny “Dizzy” Moore who said: “I’m sad to hear. The gun thing has got terribly out of hand, but mi nuh know how dem a go bell the cat. It gone too far.”
Braithwaite’s death now leaves three surviving members of the original group. Bunny Wailer, Kelso and Smith.
Constantine Lawrence, affectionately known as “Vision”, also did a stint with the Wailers, but he was not a foundation member.
Braithwaite will best be remembered for his lead vocals on the Wailers’ 1965 breakthrough hit, It Hurts To Be Alone, which he recorded at the tender age of 14. It became his signature tune of the four of the Wailers tunes on which he was featured as lead vocalist. The other three are Habits, Straight And Narrow Way and How Many Times.
He is the third member of the music fraternity to have died within the past two weeks.
The other two were Augustus Pablo and music promoter, Gavin Sharpe. A frequent question being asked since Braithwaite’s death is, “why he was not more well known?”
This is due to the fact that, like Kelso and Smith, he migrated in 1966 to live with family and relatives in Chicago. After that, the group became Bob Marley and the Wailers, consisting of Marley, Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer.
Braithwaite last performed in Jamaica on Heineken Startime in May of 1997 at the Countryside Club.
On that occasion, in the tradition of his musical roots, Braithwaite came away with his reputation intact as the audience could not get enough of him.
President of the Jamaica Federation of Musicians, Desmond Young, paid tribute to Braithwaite thus: “It’s just unfortunate that he came home with a dream, after spending time aboard, but the dream never really connected. As one of the original Wailers he wanted to get back in the groove, but that was not to be. Condolences to his family and close associates. We all mourn with them.”
Michael Barnett from MKB, promoters of Heineken Startime, described Braithwaite as a harmless soul who was always positive. He said he was making efforts to have Braithwaite do an album with Kingston Music, but because the singer wanted to do some Wailers stuff, locating the appropriate publishers thwarted the project.
“He was never down, always positive. It’s really unfortunate to see three of the original Wailers die so tragically. It’s a tremendous loss,” Barnett said.
Junior Lincoln, one of the pioneers in the development of sound systems in Jamaica, expressed shock and sadness at the killing, while veteran sound system disc jockey and recording artiste, the legendary King Stitt said: “Junior was a decent man. I never heard him in any war yet. He was just a humble and a quiet person. Musically, he had something going. He left the Wailers and came back hoping to restart his career. Just a pity he got cut down.”
John Alexander, manager of the female singing quartet, Fourth Street Sister, recalled that last summer Braithwaite was working on an unfinished project with that group. “A very humble person trying hard to make a comeback. To see a man like that not recognised and die this way is sad,” said Alexander.
Singer, Ken Boothe, apparently overcome with emotion, said: “The Jamaican people lack compassion.”
Biography
Remember Your Fallen Brother: The Life Of Junior Braithwaite
Franklin Delano Alexander Braithwaite, better known as Junior Braithwaite, was born April 4, 1949 in Kingston, Jamaica. On June 2, 1999, at the age of only 50 years old, three cowardly gunmen took his life. Most people think that Bob Marley founded The Wailers, but in fact Junior was a co-founder of the band, along with Peter Tosh and Bunny Wailer. When Braithwaite was just a young teenager, as were all of his bandmates, The Wailers released their first single in December 1963, “Simmer Down.” The band at the time featured Bob Marley, Bunny Wailer, Peter Tosh, Beverly Kelso and Junior himself.
According to Roger Steffens, who interviewed Braithwaite in 1985, Junior was only in the group for eight months and only sang lead on such songs as, “Habits,” “Straight and Narrow Way,” “Don’t Ever Leave Me,” and “It Hurts To Be Alone.” Braithwaite had arguably the best voice in The Wailers as stated by Studio One’s Coxson Dodd, “Braithwaite had the best voice in the group when they first came to me.”
Junior Braithwaite left The Wailers in late August of 1964 and moved to America trying to pursue a medical career. Years later, Bob Marley discussed the early Wailers’ days and commented that, “Junior [Braithwaite] used to sing high. It’s just nowadays that I’m beginning to realize that he sounded like one of the Jackson Five. When he left we had to look for a sound that Bunny, Peter and me could manage.”
Roger Steffens adds that, Junior “lived primarily in Chicago and southern Wisconsin for the next 20 years, but returned to Jamaica in 1984 at the request of former partner Bunny Wailer, who enlisted him in his ‘Never Ending Wailers’ recording project.”
In 1985, while reflecting back with Roger Steffens about the Wailing Wailer songs, Junior commented, “All of them have their own characteristics, all the tunes. They have different things to say, and a new inspiration come each day, and so I’m saying all of them is appreciated. I consider all of them a blessing or gifts from the Most High, Jah Rastafari.”
The songs featured on the “Never Ending Wailers” album become that much more crucial because this was some of the last recorded work that Junior ever did. One song in particular, “Together Again” refers to this historic reunion of The Wailers and calls on the need to “Remember your fallen brother, who has accomplished his task.” Who could have known that within years of this song, two of its singers would be gone – Peter Tosh and now Junior Braithwaite.
In 1986 Bunny Wailer performed his first United States tour ever, including his August 16th performance at Madison Square Garden in New York City. It was here that saw the reunion of the remaining Wailers (minus Peter Tosh who was unavailable for the concert), including Bunny along with Junior Braithwaite and Vision Walker on the song “Together Again.” There were plans for a possible full Wailers reunion tour which never materialized because of the death of Peter Tosh in 1987. Imagine what this reunited Wailers would have been like to see in person, truly amazing!
Junior Braithwaite attempted to make a solo comeback of sorts, with his May 1997 performance (see a picture of this concert on main page) at the Heineken Startime held in the Countryside Club in Jamaica. According to the Jamaica Observer, Junior had been working on a project with the all-female group Fourth Street Sister, which remains unreleased.
The Jamaica Observer captured some reactions to Junior’s death by some legendary Jamaican musicians, including King Stitt who was quoted as saying, “Junior was a decent man. I never heard him in any war yet. He was just a humble and a quiet person. Musically, he had something going. He left the Wailers and came back hoping to restart his career. Just a pity he got cut down.” As Wailers-ologist and fan Matthew Smith rightly put it, “Junior’s death is just the latest in a line of tragic events that have followed The Wailers since the assassination attempt on Bob and Rita in 1976. Carly [drummer Carlton Barrett], Peter [Tosh], Fam and Carly’s [Barrett] father, and now Junior have all been senselessy murdered by the very brothers they have spent their lives singing about and using their music to help.”
In Roger’s interview, Junior gave his views on life and reggae music, “Well, it’s [reggae] about truth and rights, it’s not about cars and women. It’s a more spiritually – because, you see, the whole purpose of creation is that Jah, every man is equal under the sun. And if I’m oppressed, well, I’m just the voice of the people then. But I don’t sing about oppression all the time, I sing about love, because that’s a part of life too, and about family, and about the joys and the woes. It’s like what a poet would do with his poem, he write about ever facet of life on every level. You have gladness, sadness, whatever. So to me it’s not really a war against no one in particular. It’s about truth and rights and whoever the cap fits has to wear it, man. I don’t have any animosity towards or against anyone. I love – because love is the greatest thing. Love, yeah, is the key to even eternal life.”
Junior’s death cuts short a career that was never fully realized, but fans can take comfort in knowing that the songs that he did sing on will live on forever!
Many thanks to Roger Steffens for…research that he has tirelessly collected!
