Rocketman

A tribute to Jeremiah and Carlton – By Henry Mamulu

Right before Jeremiah and Carlton found the big times in the car business, they both were gypsies drivers on Staten Island, Park Hill. This was a business now recognized by the Borough of Staten Island that was established by Bon Jallah, Ian Sheriff, Jeremiah, Carlton,  Bill Martin, Terry Brown and Vanshield Togbayahn. At this time Jerry and Carlton shared an apartment with Terry and I.

One night right before we left for a gig on Long Island, I heard noises in the bathroom. I opened the door and there was Jeremiah bouncing up and down saying, “Who you rootin’ for Jeh, Jeh, I can’t hear you Jeh,Jeh”. I asked him “what’s going on man”? He said, “I am psyching myself up”. Throughout his ailment I would call and sing on his voicemail. “Who you rootin’ for Jeh Jeh, I can’t hear you Jeh Jeh”.  That same night we couldn’t get Carlton to wake up from sleep. He had worked every waking hour that week, seven days straight and his body and mind needed the rest. Jeremiah told me what to do to get him up. I took a handful of coins, shook them close to his ear, and he shot up saying, “where the gig at”?. The kid was getting used to the sound of money.

An incident occured that established the legend of “Jeremiah” in New York. Jerry was a cab driver and student at Staten Island Community College. Between school fees and bills, his registration or insurance lapsed. That same day George Gbenyon came to town and we wanted him on the island. Jerry went and picked up G.George . Hurrying back to present G.George to the boys, Jerry went through the light. A police chase ensued. Jerry,  afraid of trouble, drove to the Base, The Cab station. He  jumped out of the car and hid under another.

Police arrived. Surrounded G. George with a shotgun pointed at his head. The Police dog found Jerry under the car and the police got him. After checking them out they found nothing and so asked Jerry, “why did you run”? He replied in the most perfect accent. “I am from South Africa, when we see the cops we know we are dead”. The police laughed so hard and the first African they got to know was Jeremiah . That opened the door for all of us to become friends with Police officers. Later, Sulimah Tunis was driving using someone’s car. The police pulled him over and called him Maima Kamokai. Tunis answered “yes”. 

Monrovia had seen many Popular High School Boys, the mid sixties had the original Batman and Robin, the basketball Tandem of Bruce William and William Ward. Bruce  silky smooth passes to the dead eye Bill. The late sixties saw out of C.W.A The Woochers. Amara Freeman, Joachim Acolatse, Reginald Goodrige, Edwin Jerome Cooper and Lowell Wesley who opened Peyton Place. Students came from all over the world to dance there. B. W  Harris had Jimi Yhap and Julius Boikai Fahnbulleh, we saw Jimmy McCritty and Amos Sloan play ball at MC. I lived through all but there was nothing like 10 Speed and Brown Shoes, Jeremiah and Carlton.

The previous eras did not have the level of competition Jerry and Carlton faced. These two were students at Cathedral School where the most handsome boy was Ericson Miller and the girls let him know it. Madison was graduating into Kadafi to evolve into Mad Dog on the purse of Mona and every Oldma available. His gang included Anthony A. ‘Thogwa’ Thogba. Hutchins was becoming Eddy World as his basketball skills enamored his class “Cocha”. He had his own following Jr. Gibson, fresh from Cape Palmas, Eddie ‘Black Sambo” Dula who started getting drunk from 7th grade. This group was called ‘Survivors” or ‘Surver’ for short and also included Boikai Kierwood. They only sold Eddy World to girls ”who Pa had shop so they could drink free”. ‘Black Sambo’, a real dirty way pekin will ask for change after they finish all the liquor on a school night. 

Cephas was Benson and Vanshield his sidekick. Joyce Sackor was turning into All NBA with her finger rolls, Angie was starting to grow that bungar that will become her greatest asset in basketball. She shook it, defenses dropped. There was Theola, Annete, and Everline Farley leading the way as floor general. Chistine was developing that shot from the corner as Nadi Nah came to America on Thursday and was  back on Monday. But nobody touched 10 Speed and Brown Shoes, the children had news, charisma and students and parents loved them. They were clean and Jeremiah was the undisputed King.

Oh do not get it twisted, Siena, Mamu. Ophelia, Decontee, Fonati, the Brapohs, and Easy Like Sunday Morning Chuku were stars in their own right. Most popular girl in Monrovia was perhaps Sadaitu, Madonna was becoming a traffic jam but Anette Anthony already was. There were the Sharp Sisters and then there was Cash Madam Mona.  

Jeremiah was most of all funny, a natural comedian who everyone loved and gave opportunities to. Carlton, his thing was hustling the money. Jerry would come to America for a week, buy some cheap stuff, tie, belts sneakers, t-shirts that Carlton would turn in a major business selling everything 30% of the original cost at the next basketball game while Jerry kept them laughing. The perfect scam, Jerry made you laugh while Carlton picked your pockets. All legitimate. They were young, good students, better looking, Jerry with his pop eyes, Carlton curly hair and button nose, lady killers who made their own money, the world was at their feet and they were not 20 years old. Talk about ‘born to win’.

I met Jeremiah in 1978 one week after Sister Rose Gabriel’s tragic accident coming back from Gala festivities in Buchanan. Jerry was a six grader and his class was across the street in the Parish House away from the main Cathedral Campus. His mates included Theo Dennis, dux, Chatwanie, sal,  C. Prick, Claren Jones,  Herman Blumnthal, Rudi Belinazzo, Jerry Lagama,  Gabriel Lama, Louse Lama, Thelma Cruso,  Angie George, Babe Ora,  Selcon Bedell,  Christiana Nathan, Domayoh Wilson. Audrey and Laureen Kromah, Nick Andrews, Vanshield  and teaching these kids became the beginning of my career in Education. Even then, Jeremiah was the king.

It was with this group that I began to coach Nick, C. Prick,   Blumenthal,  Clarence, Van, Jerry how to play basketball. Jeremiah became a flashy point guard, better even than Andrew Clark but lacked stamina. His game lasted 10 minutes flat. But that was enough time for him to woo the crowd.

He met Carlton in 10th grade after Jeremiah came back to Cathedral from a stint at St. Patrick’s. It was like they knew each other from birth. 

Fast forward Cathedral School hosted its Gala celebration on Staten Island in 1988. The basketball team was Jeremiah Nagbe PG, The Wicked Lu SG, Ericson Miller c, Vanshield SF, Carlton Carr PF. After beating two teams because of the brilliance of Jeh Jeh, we met Zion in the finals. Zion had Abu Williams, Morale Walker, Peter Kpahn. Moses Hook, and Grisby. Zion had Barrolle.

Abu Williams had become a Super STAR, defeating Nigeria in Liberia on a nasty dunk. Morale Walker College Player of the Year at a school where he , Kpahn and Abu starred at. Cathedral, we had 500 of our girls chanting “who you rootin for”.

That day belonged to Cathedral as we kept Abu practically scoreless in the second half. It was the finest hour of Carlton, a man no one considered a Great Baller but that day it was as if he danced slow dance with the Great Abu. He kept his head on Abu’s chest and everywhere he went Carlton followed, denying him the ball, ”keeping greatest of its blocks”…

Jerry came down with the ball, he did his famous spin like Iverson, saw the streaking Vanshield heading for the hole, flipped a no look pass towards Van.  Out of the blue in slow motion I saw a hand that pushed the ball away.  The body that followed the hand was Abu, and he was already down court. As he laid it up the whistle sounded. We had a one point lead at this point but that basket ensured Zion the cup. I went on to win MVP that day and the following season the title went to Fish. That was the last time I played with 10 Speed and Brown Shoes. 

Many years later, I had relocated to Newark and needed a job. Carlton and Jeremiah took me to Autoland, one mile of used and new cars. This place was huge. There was Ian Sheriff, an aggressive salesman, Chauncey Gibson, smooth as silk, Jeremiah making people laugh while he made them buy cars, Carlton Carr racking it up and growing in the Finance Department.

Jerry and his sister Batico had always been close. In Monrovia, he brought her around, vacation time. She was a mission girl. Well she got married to “Roger Moore”, Aaron Davies and Jeremiah spared no expense for his darling baby sister. I remember he and Calton walking in with the drinks of those days, Moet and Chrystal. Henny flowed like water for it was on that day as common as water from a well.  

I would meet them in Liberia 2016 but so much had changed. We greeted each other with “Who you rootin’ for”. I miss those days. Hang in there Carlton. You will see your friend again at the appointed time. Be strong, be blessed. Too Black Too Strong.