Antelope County Museum
410 L Street, Neligh, Nebraska
Jeri Southern
Famous singer was born and grew up in Royal
Jeri Southern, a nationally celebrated torch, pop, and jazz singer, was born in Royal on August 5, 1926. The sixth child of German immigrant descendants, she was named Genevieve Lillian Hering. She began her professional career as a singer and pianist at the Blackstone Hotel in Omaha. After joining a U.S Navy recruiting tour during World War II, she worked in clubs in Chicago.
In 1951, Southern signed a contract with Decca Records. Her recording of “An Occasional Man” reached number 89 on Billboard’s pop chart. Southern also sang in films, and in 1957, her hit “Fire Down Below” from the movie of the same name peaked at number 22 in the United Kingdom. Most of her career was in the 1950s, during which she recorded a number of albums with companies including Decca, Capitol, Delta, Jasmine and Roulette.
According to a 2010 Lincoln Journal-Star interview with jazz promoter Dick LaPalm, Southern was equal to her peers Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Rosemary Clooney, but did not reach their level of fame. In the interview, LaPalm recalled an incident when Frank Sinatra met Southern and told her she was “the best, the very best.”
The article also cites Southern’s only child, Kathryn King, who said Southern was terrified of performing. Her anxiety led to her decision to stop performing in 1962, King said. Her fame likely would have been greater had she not retired early. Her later career focused on teaching, composing and playing piano.
Southern died on August 4, 1991.
Antelope County Historical Society
410 L Street
PO Box 416
Neligh, Nebraska 68756
Website made possible through grants from Humanities Nebraska and the Neligh Economic Development Office.
