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.[2] Shirley remained 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[2] and was a co-founder of the popular 1980s group Fastway.[3] Shirley co-wrote Fastway's biggest hit, "Say What You Will".[4]
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.[1] They performed with a fluid line-up for ten years before disbanding. During this period, Shirley also worked as a disc jockey at WNCX, a classic rock station in Cleveland, Ohio.[5] In 1997, he was fired by WNCX and pleaded guilty to drug abuse after money went missing in a charity drive called “30 Days in the Hole.”[6]
Shirley returned to the UK in 1999. In 2000 he reformed Humble Pie with their original bassist Greg Ridley and another former band member, guitarist and vocalist Bobby Tench.[1] They recorded Humble Pie's eleventh studio album Back on Track (2002), and he also appeared in a memorial concert for former Humble Pie bandmate Steve Marriott.[7] More recently he has performed with the Deborah Bonham Band and played on her album Duchess.[8]
Shirley, Jerry and Cohan, Tim. Best Seat in the House: Drumming in the '70s with Marriott, Frampton, and Humble Pie. Rebeats Press (2011). ISBN978-1-888408-13-3. This memoir of his has gone on to sell extremely well and its first edition has almost sold out. It is still available as an e-book.
