Jerome Green

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Jerome Green
Born1934 (1934)
Origin
Maracas
Years activec. 1950–1964
LabelsChess

Jerome Green (c. 1934 – c. 1973) was an American percussionist and occasional lyricist and vocalist, known for playing

maracas and acting as Bo Diddley
's foil in his performances and on his recordings in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Biography

Green grew up in Chicago, and was a neighbor of Ellas McDaniel, later known as Bo Diddley, who was older by a few years. According to some sources, Green played

black-eyed peas.[3]

Bo Diddley said: "I taught Jerome how to play those maracas... They gave.. the unique sound, that jungle-type rhythm feel..".[4] Referring to himself, Green, and bassist Roosevelt Jackson, he commented: "We used to be three dudes going down the street with a washtub, a little raggedy guitar and another cat with maracas... We would go into the club and we would stand right by the front door because we weren’t old enough to be in there. We would play for people and pass the hat....".[3]

When Bo Diddley first recorded for

R&B chart.[5] Green continued to perform as a member of Bo Diddley's band, in performances and on recordings, and toured with him until the early 1960s.[6] He also played maracas on Chess label recordings by Chuck Berry – including his first recording, "Maybellene"[3][7] – Billy Boy Arnold, Billy Stewart, and Willie Dixon, among others.[1]

Green also contributed lyrics and vocals to some of Bo Diddley's recordings. He is credited with writing "Bring It to Jerome", the

signifying".[9]

Green's performances on maracas, often using two or more in each hand, were an influence on 1960s

Life, Richards said: "I took over the job of being Jerome's roadie for some reason. We liked each other a lot, and he was great fun... There'd be this cry backstage, Anyone seen Jerome? And I'd say, I bet I know where he is. He'll be in the nearest pub from backstage.... I'd zip round to the pub nearest to the backstage and there'd be Jerome and he'd be talking to the locals and they'd all be buying him drinks because they didn't often meet a six-foot black man from Chicago...".[11]

Green played and recorded with Bo Diddley until late 1964, when he married and decided to cease performing. He died in or around 1973,[1] according to some sources in New York City.[2]

References

  1. ^ a b c Eder, Bruce. "Biography of Jerome Green". AllMusic. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  2. ^ a b c David Blakey, "Bring It To Jerome...", Bo Diddley - The Originator. Retrieved 4 June 2020
  3. ^ a b c Strauss, Neil (August 25, 2005). "The Indestructible Beat of Bo Diddley". Rolling Stone. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  4. ISBN 978-0571129393
    .
  5. ^ Komara, Ed. ""Bo Diddley" and "I'm a Man" (1955)" (PDF). Library of Congress. Retrieved 4 June 2020.
  6. ^ "Bo Diddley - His Best", Album Liner Notes Archived 2011-09-16 at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved 4 June 2020
  7. ^ "Jerome Green" The Chuck Berry Database. Retrieved 4 June 2020
  8. ^ "Bring It to Jerome", On the Flip-Side, June 14, 2010. Retrieved 4 June 2020
  9. ISBN 978-0199895403
    .
  10. ^ Eric Weisbard (ed., Listen Again: A Momentary History of Pop Music, Duke University Press, 2007, p.90
  11. ^ Keith Richards, Life, Phoenix Books, 2010, p.151
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