Michael Jerome

Michael Jerome (Moore), born in Wichita, Kansas, is an American rock musician and drummer. Jerome is a former member of the Toadies (1990–91), Course of Empire (1994–1998), and James Hall's band Pleasure Club (2001-2005). He was also a member of the Saginaw, Texas band Pop Poppins (1988-1998). Jerome played on Charlie Musselwhite's 2004 release Sanctuary, and has also toured and recorded with Blind Boys of Alabama, John Cale (2005-2012), Richard Thompson (1999-present), and many others.

Jerome joined the Louisiana-based band, Better Than Ezra in 2009, following the departure of the band's drummer of 15 years, Travis McNabb. McNabb had amicably left Better Than Ezra in February 2009 in order to tour fulltime with Sugarland. Better Than Ezra's 2009 album, Paper Empire, marked Jerome's recording debut with the band.

By the age of 32, Jerome’s touring and recording experiences have included Grammy-Award winning releases by The Blind Boys of Alabama (“Spirit of the Century” and “Go Tell it On the Mountain”) as well as Charlie Musselwhite’s Grammy-nominated album, “One Night in America.” As commanding as Jerome’s higher-profile recordings may be within the gospel, blues and folk traditions, some of his earlier recording experiences helped lay the groundwork for the emerging modern rock and hip-hop scenes in the mid-Nineties, having played with electro-metal outfit, Course of Empire; Cottonmouth, Texas, which mixed hip-hop, jazz, and funk beats into its spoken-word performance; and alt-rock/pop bands like The Toadies and Pop Poppins.

Whether drawing his inspiration from the "in-your-face" energy of Seventies punk rock, jazz’s dynamic rhythms, or the soulfulness of the blues, it’s Jerome’s unique ability to adapt effortlessly to an artist’s given style and his graceful execution that really gets people moving.

"One of my earliest memories of exploration was whacking on the keys of my mother's baby grand piano with rhythm sticks until bits of original ivory had noticeably and successfully been chipped away... I was 3 years old... Seemed like the right thing to do at the time... Been Slammin' Ever Since!!! Onward and Upward MY FRIENDS!!!"