Bring It to Jerome

Bo Diddley recorded two songs on the same day in July 1955 at the Universal Recording Corporation studio in Chicago: “Pretty Thing” and “Bring It to Jerome.” The latter was released as the B-side of the single, but it sounds unlike anything else on the radio at the time. The song doesn’t follow the traditional blues pattern: the rhythm speeds up in a pattern that seems to break free from the beat, and Bo Diddley’s guitar sounds sharper, as if each note had a sharp, snappy strike. Jerome Green, the musician playing the maracas, provides a rhythmic counterpoint that’s not just accompaniment—it’s part of the main hook. The recording sounds like something that was put together quickly, without any polish, and that gives it a sense of urgency not often found in Checker Records singles from that era.

The track was released as a B-side in November of that year, but it wasn’t until 1963 that the song crossed the Atlantic and entered the British singles chart. In the United States, “Bring It to Jerome” failed to chart, but it remained one of those songs that musicians of the era saved to play live. Bo Diddley always said he wrote the lyrics on the spot, with help from Willie Dixon, who would whisper the verses to him between takes. The record was initially released without clear credits, and it wasn’t until years later that Dixon’s collaboration on the composition was acknowledged. The original version lasts two and a half minutes—just the right length for a song that wastes no time on introductions: it kicks off with the guitar and maracas setting the beat, and gets straight to the point.