Jerome Benton

Lore & Background

Benton worked closely with The Time behind the scenes in their initial career. During a performance, lead singer Morris Day asked for a mirror. Benton responded by ripping a mirror out of the club's restroom and bringing it on stage for Day to comb his hair. Following the performance, Benton joined the band as a comedic foil to Day, and provided additional backing vocals and percussion. Benton appeared in the 1984 film Purple Rain with the rest of The Time and assumed the role of Morris Day's bodyguard and valet. The chemistry between Day and Benton was well received. Although The Time soon dissolved after Day started pursuing a solo career, Prince retained Benton, as well as Jellybean Johnson and Paul Peterson for the short-lived project The Family. In 1986, Benton appeared in the music video for Janet Jackson's 'Control' along with Terry Lewis and Jimmy Jam. In January 2018, Benton joined Terry Lewis in support of Super Bowl Live in Minneapolis. Jerome was featured in several performances including fDeluxe The Family, The Time, Morris Day & The Time and Sheila E. Benton returned to Minneapolis in support of the PRN Alumni Foundation in April 2019. The event featured a performance from Ingrid Chavez with an Author's panel featuring Chris Riemenschneider, Jim Walsh, Allen Beaulieu, Tamar Davis & Duane Tudahl.

In Their Own Story

The stage lights cut to a single amber spot. The sequencer hums its low pulse beneath the silence. Jerome steps forward, no microphone stand—just the handheld, close to his lips, eyes half-closed as if the melody is already living in his chest. The band locks in: a snappy kick, a snare crack, a bass line that walks like it knows a secret. He breathes, and the first note comes out round and warm, sliding into the pocket like a key into a lock. The crowd exhales. For four minutes, the arena is just a room where one voice and eleven musicians agree on the same heartbeat. Then the lights flood white, the tempo doubles, and he's dancing, grinning, pulling the audience back into the machine. The NPG doesn't play songs so much as they open doors, and tonight the door is wide.

Reader's Guide

Jerome Benton is best known as a dancer, percussionist, and backing vocalist for The Time. He also performed with the short-lived project The Family and appeared in Prince's films Purple Rain, Under the Cherry Moon, and Graffiti Bridge.

Did You Know?

• He once ripped a mirror out of a club's restroom and brought it on stage for Morris Day to comb his hair.
• He appeared in the music video for Janet Jackson's 'Control' in 1986.