Jeri Southern

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Jeri Southern (born August 5, 1926 at Royal , Nebraska , † August 4, 1991 in Los Angeles , California ; actually Genevieve Lillian Hering ) was an American jazz singer and pianist .

Live and act

Jeri Southern began playing the piano at the age of three and initially studied classical piano and singing in Omaha , Nebraska, but gave up her plans to become a concert pianist and opted for jazz. Early in her career she played in hotels and with a US Navy recruiting group. In the late 1940s she worked in Chicago clubs, such as the Hi Note Club, where she also began singing. There she accompanied Anita O'Day , Carmen McRae and others. She became known for her style of torch songs .

In 1951 she signed a record deal with Decca Records and became better known in both popular music and jazz. The 1950s were the high point of her career; In 1951, Southern had her first hit, which she took over from Billie Holiday , You Better Go Now . During this time she also sang in several films; hits like Joey and When I Fall in Love followed . In 1957 she had a top 30 hit with Fire Down Below , the title track of the film of the same name. She moved to Capitol Records in the late 1950s and enjoyed success with her interpretations of Cole Porter tracks with arrangements by Billy May . Finally she changed the record company again, went to "Roulette Records" and recorded albums with Marty Paich and Johnny Smith .

In 1962, when her success waned, she gave up her gigs and worked more in the background in Hollywood , including Jack Lemmon , Charlie Cochran and Steve Allen . During this time she lived and worked with the composer Hugo Friedlander . In 1972 she wrote the textbook Interpreting Popular Music at the Keyboard .

She named Frank Sinatra as her greatest influence .

Selection discography

  • The Very Thought of You - The Decca Years 1951-1957 (GRP compilation)
  • Jeri Southern and the Johnny Smith Quartet: Johnny Smith metts Jeri Southern (Roulette, Fresh Sound Records, ca.1959 )
  • Jeri Southern with the Marty Paich Orchestra: Southern Breeze (Roulette, Fresh Sound Records, 1959)
  • Jeri Southern and the Lennie Hayton Orchestra: Coffee, Cigarettes and Memories (Roulette, Fresh Sound Records, ca.1959)
  • Jeri Southern and the Dick Hazard Quartet: Misty Blue (Blue Note, compilation, 1959)
  • Jeri Southern meets Cole Porter with Billy May and His Orchestra (Capitol T1173)
  • Jeri Southern made a (recorded) brief appearance on Charlie Haden's album Haunted Heart from 1990

literature

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Southern, Jeri
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Herring, Genevieve Lillian (real name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American jazz pianist and singer
DATE OF BIRTH August 5, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH near Royal , Nebraska , USA
DATE OF DEATH 4th August 1991
Place of death Los Angeles , California , USA