Jerry Shirley | |
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Background information | |
Birth name | Jerry Shirley |
Born | 4 February 1952 |
Origin | Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, England |
Genres | Rock, hard rock |
Occupation(s) | Musician |
Instruments | Drums, percussion, keyboards |
Years active | 1969-present |
Associated acts |
Apostolic Intervention Humble Pie Fastway Waysted |
Jerry Shirley (born 4 February 1952) is an English rock drummer, best known as a member of the band Humble Pie, appearing on all their albums. He is also known for his work with Fastway, Joey Molland from Badfinger, Alexis Korner, Billy Nicholls, Syd Barrett, John Entwistle, Sammy Hagar and Benny Mardones.
Shirley was born in Waltham Cross, Hertfordshire, and began playing drums for the band Apostolic Intervention at an early age. He was later recruited by Steve Marriott to join the then newly formed rock band Humble Pie, when he was seventeen years old. Shirley remained as Humble Pie's drummer for the majority of the group's history and he is the only original member who played on every album. He also worked on Steve Marriott's solo projects, such as Packet of three and was a co-founder of the popular 1980s group Fastway. Shirley co-wrote Fastway's biggest hit, "Say What You Will".
After leaving Fastway, Shirley joined the line up of Waysted and reformed Humble Pie in the United States, with Charlie Huhn as vocalist. Shirley was the only original group member and they were billed as Humble Pie Featuring Jerry Shirley. They performed with a fluid lineup for ten years before disbanding. During this period, Shirley also worked as a disc jockey at WNCX, a classic rock station in Cleveland, Ohio.