Jeri Southern (born Genevieve Lillian Hering, August 5, 1926 – August 4, 1991) was an American jazz singer and pianist.

Early years

Born Genevieve Lillian Hering in Royal, Nebraska, United States, Southern was the granddaughter of a German pig farmer who came to the United States in 1879. He built a flour mill in Royal, Nebraska. Her father ran the mill but lost it after the stock market crash of 1929. He then began operating an elevator of the Royal Farmers Union. Her secondary education came at Notre Dame Academy in Omaha, Nebraska, with vocal lessons added to her other classes. She began playing piano at age three and at age six began studying classical piano. She studied piano and voice at

Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart (Nebraska) Duchesne Academy of the Sacred Heart, located at 3601 Burt Street in the Midtown area of Omaha, Nebraska, United States, is a Catholic, college-preparatory high school for girls run by the Religious of the Sacred Heart. The institution previou ...

, where she became interested in jazz.

Career

After beginning her career at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha, she joined a United States Navy recruiting tour during World War II. In the late 1940s, she worked in clubs in Chicago where she once played piano for Anita O'Day. During this period, she became known for her singing, particularly for her renditions of torch songs. Southern signed a contract with

Decca Records Decca Records is a British record label established in 1929 by Edward Lewis (Decca), Edward Lewis. Its U.S. label was established in late 1934 by Lewis, Jack Kapp, American Decca's first president, and Milton Rackmil, who later became American ...

in 1951 and became known both for

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

and jazz. She was the first to record " When I Fall in Love", accompanied by the song's composer, Victor Young and his orchestra with lyrics by Edward Heyman, in April 1952. In 1955, her recording of "An Occasional Man" reached number 89 on the ''

Billboard A billboard (also called a hoarding in the UK and many other parts of the world) is a large outdoor advertising structure (a billing board), typically found in high-traffic areas such as alongside busy roads. Billboards present large advertise ...

'' magazine pop chart. She sang in films and in 1957 had a hit with "Fire Down Below". The song peaked at number 22 on the UK Singles Chart in June 1957. After joining

Capitol Records Capitol Records, LLC (known legally as Capitol Records, Inc. until 2007) is an American record label distributed by Universal Music Group through its Capitol Music Group imprint. It was founded as the first West Coast-based record label of note ...

, she had success with interpretations of

Cole Porter Cole Albert Porter (June 9, 1891 – October 15, 1964) was an American composer and songwriter. Many of his songs became standards noted for their witty, urbane lyrics, and many of his scores found success on Broadway and in film. Born to ...

songs arranged by

Billy May Edward William May Jr. (November 10, 1916 – January 22, 2004) was an American composer, arranger and trumpeter. He composed film and television music for ''The Green Hornet'' (1966), ''The Mod Squad'' (1968), ''Batman'' (with '' Batgirl'' them ...

Personal life

Southern's marriage to jazz and pop musician Bill Holman ended in divorce. Her only child, Kathryn King, said Southern stopped performing because of its negative psychological effect. In a 2010 newspaper article, King talked about Southern's shyness, saying she had "a paralyzing case of performance anxiety. Just contemplating performing made her enormously anxious and depressed."

Death

Southern died of a heart attack in Los Angeles, California, in 1991 at the age of 64, a day before her 65th birthday. Although the cause of death was a heart attack, Southern was diabetic and had been diagnosed with double pneumonia.

Discography

* ''Warm Intimate Songs in the Jeri Southern Style'' with Dave Barbour (Decca, 1954) * ''The Southern Style'' (Decca, 1955) * ''You Better Go Now'' (Decca, 1956) * ''When Your Heart's on Fire'' (Decca, 1957) * ''Jeri Gently Jumps'' (Decca, 1957) * ''Jeri Southern Meets Johnny Smith'' (Roulette, 1958) * ''A Prelude to a Kiss'' (Decca, 1958) * ''Southern Breeze'' (Roulette, 1958) * ''Coffee, Cigarettes & Memories'' (Roulette, 1958) * ''Southern Hospitality'' (Decca, 1958) * ''Jeri Southern Meets Cole Porter'' (Capitol, 1959) * ''Jeri Southern at the Crescendo'' (Capitol, 1960) * '' The Dream's on Jeri'' (Jasmine, 1998) * ''The Very Thought of You: The Decca Years: 1951–1957'' (GRP, 1999) * '' Southern Hospitality/Jeri Gently Jumps'' (MCA, 1999) * '' Romance in the Dark'' (Delta Music, 2009) * ''The Complete Roulette and Capitol Recordings'' (Fresh Sound, 2014) * ''Jeri Southern Blue Note, Chicago, March 1956'' (Uptown Records, 2016)

As guest

* Shorty Rogers, ''The Shorty Rogers Quintet'' (Studio West, 1990)

Bibliography

References

External links

Jeri Southern recordings
at the

Discography of American Historical Recordings The Discography of American Historical Recordings (DAHR) is a database of master recordings made by American record companies during the 78rpm era. The DAHR provides some of these original recordings, free of charge, via audio streaming, along with ...

. {{DEFAULTSORT:Southern, Jeri 1926 births 1991 deaths Jazz musicians from Nebraska Musicians from Omaha, Nebraska Singers from Nebraska 20th-century American pianists 20th-century American singers 20th-century American women singers American women jazz singers American jazz pianists American jazz singers Traditional pop music singers Capitol Records artists Decca Records artists Roulette Records artists Deaths from pneumonia in California People from Antelope County, Nebraska Deaths from diabetes 20th-century women pianists