Pianist and torch-jazz singer Jeri Southern recorded half a dozen albums for Decca in the 1950s, scoring hits with songs such as “When I Fall in Love,” “Joey,” and “You Better Go Now.” Her intimate, near-speaking approach to vocals won her a following, but shyness and increasing difficulty with public performances drove her to an early retirement at the age of 36 in 1961. We’ll hear selections from her Decca LPs and singles, as well as her late-1950s albums for Capitol and Roulette.
Music Heard On This Episode
Miss D.D.
Mary Lou Williams — Black Christ of the Andes (Smithsonian Folkways, 1964)
