M.K. Jerome

American songwriter, composer & publisher.
Born July 18, 1893 in New York City, New York, USA.
Died January 8, 1977 (age 83) in Encino, California, USA.

Jerome was educated in high school and in private music study. While in high school, he was a vaudeville pianist and accompanist in film theatres, then became a staff pianist for Waterson, Berlin and Snyder. He came to Hollywood in 1929, and wrote theme songs for early film musicals, staying under contract to Warner Brothers for eighteen years.

In 1911 he founded his own music publishing firm in New York. Joining ASCAP in 1920, his chief musical collaborators included Ted Koehler, Joe Young, Sam Lewis and Jack Scholl, and his popular-song compositions included "Some Sunday Morning", "Just a Baby's Prayer at Twilight", "Old Pal Why Don't You Answer Me?", "San Antonio", "Bright Eyes", "Dream Kisses", "Thru the Courtesy of Love", "My Little Buckaroo", "The Old Apple Tree", "You, You Darlin", "Sweet Dreams, Sweetheart", "The Wish That I Wish Tonight", "Would You Believe Me?", "Bombardier Song", "Mary Dear", and "It's Victory Day" (awarded a Treasury Department Silver Medal). He also wrote the song “Knock on Wood” that is seen and heard in the classic movie Casablanca. Several of Moe’s songs were used for animations and soundies in the 1940's-60's.
In 2023, Jerome's grandson Gary May wrote the biography of the M. K. Jerome, titled The Tunesmith: The Musical Journey of M.K. Jerome.
BMI CAE/IPI#: 15287298.