Jerry Jerome played in dance bands to pay his fees as a medical student. After accepting Harry Reser's invitation to play in the Clicquot Club Eskimos (1935) he gave up studying to become a full-time musician, and made his first recording with Reser in 1936. He played clarinet and tenor saxophone with Glenn Miller (1936-7), with whom he also recorded, before working as a tenor saxophonist with Red Norvo (1937-8). He was a member of the house band of the New York radio station WNEW until 1938, when he replaced Bud Freeman in Benny Goodman's band.

Jerome made several recordings with Lionel Hampton (1939-40) and performed with Artie Shaw (1940-41), appearing with his band in the film Second Chorus (1940). He then worked in radio and television as a music director and conductor (NBC, 1942-6; ABC TV, 1949; WPIX TV, 1950-54) and in the artists and repertory department of Apollo Records (1946-8); he also established a successful business as a writer of advertising jingles. After retiring to Florida he continued to play at jazz concerts and festivals into the 1980s. A collection of his scores and other materials is held in the American Heritage Center at the University of Wyoming in Laramie.

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