Jerome Deupree

Jerome Deupree
Jerome Deupree playing with Vapors of Morphine in Buenos Aires, Argentina (2014)
Background information
Born	(1956-11-09) November 9, 1956 (age 60) Cincinnati, Ohio, United States
Genres	Rock, jazz, blues-rock, alternative rock
Occupation(s)	Musician
Instruments	Drums
Years active	1972–present
Associated acts	Humans, Either/Orchestra, Morphine, Bourbon Princess, Joe Morris, The Coots, Vapors of Morphine

Jerome Deupree (born November 9, 1956 in Cincinnati, Ohio) is an American musician, based in Massachusetts. He is best known as the original drummer in the alternative rock band Morphine.

Deupree started playing drums at the age of six, with the help of his two older brothers. In the early 1970s he formed a band with his brother Jesse. After high school, he moved to Bloomington, Indiana, where he got to record for the first time. After a few years he again relocated to Santa Cruz, California, where he played with Humans, who toured with Squeeze and opened for Patti Smith and Iggy Pop.

In 1981 he moved to Boston, and has lived there since. His early Boston projects included a stint in Either/Orchestra.

In the late 1980s, songwriter Mark Sandman suggested that the two jam with saxophone player Dana Colley. As Morphine, the three composed material and performed throughout the East Coast, including shows in New York. They also recorded at Q Division Studios and The Outpost. In 1991 Deupree was forced to leave the project temporarily due to pain in his hand. Billy Conway took his place during that period.

He returned to the band in 1992 and has played on the debut album Good. The band also toured through California. Although the project was successful, Deupree had personal differences with Sandman, and he decided to leave the band at the end of 1992.

Soon after that, Sandman called him and asked him to take part in a demo session that ended up being the band's second album, Cure for Pain.

In 1998 he made some appearances with Morphine, playing along with drummer Conway, shortly before Sandman died while performing in Italy in 1999, ending the band suddenly.