Jerome Brailey facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Jerome Brailey
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Jerome Bigfoot in NYC
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| Background information | |
| Birth name | Jerome Eugene Brailey |
| Also known as | Jerome Bigfoot Brailey, Jerome Bigfoot |
| Born | August 20, 1950 (age 75) Richmond, Virginia, U.S. |
| Genres | R&B, funk, rock |
| Occupation(s) | Drummer, Songwriter, Producer, Vocalist |
| Instruments | Drums, Percussions, Vocals |
| Years active | 1968–present |
| Labels | Casablanca, Arista, Westbound, Columbia, Rykodisc, P-Vine |
| Associated acts | Parliament-Funkadelic, Mutiny, The Five Stairsteps, The Chambers Brothers, The Unifics |
Jerome Eugene "Bigfoot" Brailey (born August 20, 1950) is a famous American drummer. He is best known for playing with P-Funk, a group that included the bands Parliament and Funkadelic. Jerome Brailey is a member of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He was added to the Hall of Fame in 1997 along with fifteen other members of Parliament-Funkadelic.
Contents
Jerome Brailey's Music Journey
Jerome Brailey started his music career around 1968. He first played with R&B groups like The Unifics and The Five Stairsteps. He also performed with The Chambers Brothers.
Joining P-Funk
George Clinton, a famous funk musician, saw Jerome play. He was very impressed by Jerome's drumming style. In 1975, George Clinton invited Jerome to join the P-Funk group.
While with P-Funk, Jerome helped write one of Parliament's biggest hits. This song was called “Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof off the Sucker)". He also played drums on many other popular songs by Parliament-Funkadelic.
Starting Mutiny
In 1978, Jerome Brailey left P-Funk. He then started working with Glenn Goins, who had also left P-Funk. They began creating music for a funk group called Quazar. Glenn Goins' brother, Kevin Goins, was the singer for Quazar.
Jerome and Glenn planned to form a new band called Mutiny. Sadly, Glenn Goins passed away in 1978 when he was only 24 years old. Jerome finished the Quazar album on his own. After that, he officially started the band Mutiny and signed with Columbia Records.
Mutiny released their first album, “Mutiny on the Mamaship”. They followed it with “Funk Plus The One”. Jerome Brailey produced both albums. He worked with guitarist Donald “Lenny” Holmes and bassist Raymone Carter. These albums sounded a lot like the classic P-Funk style. They were known for having two lead guitars playing at once. Many people liked the quality of these recordings. Mutiny also released other albums like “A Night Out With The Boys” and “Aftershock 2005”.
Jerome's Drumming Style
Jerome is famous for his drumming on hit songs like The Unifics’ “Court of Love”. He also played on The Five Stairsteps’ song “Ooh Child”.
His drum parts from the Parliament song "Do That Stuff" have been used by many modern artists. Famous musicians like Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino, and Westside Boogie have used parts of his drumming in their own songs.
Another Parliament-Funkadelic song, “Tear the Roof off the Sucker (Give Up the Funk)", has also been sampled. Artists like The Sequence, Gerardo, M.C. Hammer, and Snoop Dogg have used parts of this song in their music.
Awards and Recognition
Rolling Stone magazine made a list of “The 100 Greatest Drummers of All Time”. Jerome “Bigfoot” Brailey was chosen as number 68 on this list. He was recognized for his steady kick drum, quick hi-hat, and surprising snare drum patterns.
Jerome also played drums for many other artists. These included Keith Richards, Bill Laswell, and Dave Stewart.
The Mothership was a huge stage prop used by Parliament-Funkadelic. It is now at the Smithsonian's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, DC. It became part of a music exhibit at the museum in 2016.
The Grammy Award Hall Of Fame honors important recordings that are at least 25 years old. In 2018, the song “Flash Light” by Parliament was added to this list of classic recordings.
In 2017, Smith and Hay released two CDs, Jazz and Jazz (Deluxe). Jerome Bigfoot played on many songs on these albums. The Jazz (Deluxe) album became the number one Billboard Jazz album in the country in January 2018.
In December 2018, The Recording Academy announced a special award. The Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award was given to P-Funk members on May 11, 2019. This award recognized their amazing contributions to music.
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame also listed the 50 greatest drummers in the Hall. Jerome Bigfoot was named #48. They noted that his drumming style kept Parliament-Funkadelic connected to the old-school, James Brown-style funk. This style can be heard on songs like "Handcuffs", "Do That Stuff", and "Give Up the Funk (Tear the Roof Off the Sucker)".
Selected Music Albums
Here are some of the albums Jerome Brailey played on or helped create:
Parliament / Funkadelic (1975–1979)
- Parliament: Mothership Connection (1975)
- Funkadelic: Tales of Kidd Funkadelic (1976)
- Parliament: The Clones of Dr. Funkenstein (1976)
- Parliament: Funkentelechy Vs. the Placebo Syndrome (1977)
- Bootsy's Rubber Band: Ahh... The Name Is Bootsy, Baby! (1977)
- Funkadelic: One Nation Under a Groove (1978)
- The Brides of Funkenstein: Funk or Walk (1978)
- Funkadelic: Uncle Jam Wants You (1979)
Mutiny
- Mutiny on the Mamaship (1979)
- Funk Plus the One (1980)
- A Night Out with the Boys (1983)
- Aftershock 2005 (1996)
- Funk Rd. (2013)
Other Notable Albums
- Quazar: Quazar (1978)
- The Five Stairsteps: "O-o-h Child" (1970)
- The Unifics: Sittin In At The Court Of Love (1968)
Collaborations
- Billy Bass Nelson: Out of the Dark (1993)
- Buckethead: Giant Robot (1994)
- Dave Stewart: Greetings from the Gutter (1995)
- James Blood Ulmer: Blue Blood (2001)
- Lucky Peterson: Black Midnight Sun (2003)
- Smith and Hay: Jazz (2017)
- Smith and Hay: Jazz (Deluxe) (2018)
