Jeri Southern's First LP, Plus Reupped Singles

The work of that superb singer Jeri Southern was one of my first priorities when I started this blog almost 12 years ago. Relatively early on, I transferred two sets of Southern singles that had not been reissued.

Today I am offering reuploads of those sets along with a new transfer of Southern's first LP, a 10-incher from 1954. The latter is by request from vocal connoisseur John Morris, who wasn't happy with the sound of the commercial transfer he had in hand.

I hope this one pleases him. My own copy of the LP was not in perfect condition, although the results are good, I think, with the quality of the sound not affected too much by some occasional background rustle.

What's important is that Southern's smoky, confidential vocals come through well, along with her own piano accompaniment. Guitarist Dave Barbour and a bassist are on the date as well; supposedly there is a drummer, too, but I don't hear any evidence of him or her. Barbour is fine - he had a great deal of experience with accompanying the vocals of his former wife, Peggy Lee - but he wasn't really needed.

1954 Billboard ad

Southern chose her songs well. All are moody, with the exception of Ray Noble's "The Very Thought of You." Several betray a sense of alienation well suited to Southern's cool but intense approach. "Miss Johnson Phoned Again Today" is a third-person narrative similar but preferable to "Miss Otis Regrets." "Just in Fun" and "(I'm in Love with) The Honorable Mr. So-and-So" are scenes of unrequited and furtive love, respectively. She even includes one out-and-out art song, "Cabin" by Paul Bowles and Tennessee Williams, in which the singer takes the role of an omniscient narrator. The cover notes say "Cabin" was at the time popular with the cabaret set, but I don't recall anyone else recording it.

Warm, Intimate Songs in the Jeri Southern Style was later subsumed in a 12-inch LP called Southern Hospitality, which also included four other songs that Southern recorded with Dave Barbour in 1957.

Jeri Southern Singles

My first post of Jeri Southern singles was almost exactly 10 years ago. It included eight titles from 1955-57 that had not been reissued. I believe that is no longer true, but some of you might be interested in that group and its companion collection, which contained 11 songs dating from 1952-57.

Let me note that the Decca pressings were often not very good - even though almost all of these 45s came from old store stock. Also, my transferring skills back then were not as well refined as today. So while I have remastered all these recordings, there remains some mild background noise, hopefully not enough to spoil some exceptional readings that are very much of a piece with the LP above. The songs include "Don't Explain," "The Man That Got Away," "Bells Are Ringing," "How Did He Look" and "Do I Love You Because You're Beautiful," among other gems.

The first collection can be found here. The second collection is here.