Ramona Brooks

Ramona Brooks (Jan. 8, 1951 - June 2, 2014) was a Soul singer and session vocalist. She was a member of Barry Manilow's [a=Lady Flash (2)] but she was replaced by Monica Burruss before they recorded their sole album. Before performing with Manilow, Ramona appeared in two off-Broadway productions and a summer stock company of Hair. She made her Broadway debut in 1976, with a part in I Have A Dream, which starred Billy Dee Williams as Martin Luther King, Jr. She later had a leading role in The Magic Show, which starred Doug Henning. In 1978, Ramona recorded her one and only self-titled solo album featuring the single "Skinnydippin." In 1980, she released the 12-inch dance single "I Don't Want You Back," which remains to this day an underground classic. In recent years, Ramona was battling Cancer and, on June 2, 2014, passed away at Heartland Hospice in Oregon.