Sister Charmaine, one of the flood of female deejays who emerged during the 1980’s, died January 5 in Boston.
Fellow deejay Lady Ann, her friend of 31 years, said she died while at work. No cause of death has been given.
The 53 year-old artist, born Charmaine McKenzie, was best known for risque songs like Glammity and Granny Advice, both produced by Winston Riley.
Another big hit for her was Wake Up, produced by King Jammy’s.
Sister Charmaine was originally from Trench Town in Kingston but had been a longtime resident of The Bronx.
Lady Ann said they first met at a dance by the Metromedia sound system in Kingston and had “been good friends ever since”.
Along with Sister Nancy, Lady G, Shelly Thunder, Lady Mackerel (later Macka Diamond), Sister Charmaine and Lady Ann led a female burst that challenged the male-dominated dancehall arena 35 years ago.
They continued to do live shows such as the 2019 Lady Ann Birthday Bash in Brooklyn and a Super Cat event in Queens last year.
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