AN APPRECIATION : A Truly Unforgettable Voice

The voice of Jeri Southern is a sound that’s hard to forget.

Southern, who died Sunday of pneumonia--a day before her 65th birthday--came up in an era when there was still a place for her kind of low-key artistry. Both as a pianist and a singer, she could be mesmerizing. Everyone from Frank Sinatra on down knew and raved about her.

Her recording heyday was the 1950s, when she made the single “You Better Go Now”--her only real hit--along with the albums “Southern Hospitality,” “Jeri Sings Cole Porter” and “When Your Heart’s on Fire,” which was recently reissued on a Decca CD. As former Times arts editor Charles Champlin recalled: “That smoky sound and that special way with lyrics made her just perfect for intimate clubs. She was one of the true originals.”

Southern, who was from a small town--Royal, Neb.--was a schooled musician with 15 years of classical training, a brilliant composer who planned to have her original work for viola da gamba recorded.

In general, though, Southern did not possess a strong drive toward success. Public appearances were anathema to her. Her shyness led to total withdrawal. By the mid-1960s she was staying home, teaching voice and piano.

A few months ago, she called me to enthuse about a young protege, David Silverman, then singing and playing at the club in Burbank. After seeing him perform, her enthusiasm seemed justified.

“What’s so ironic,” Silverman said yesterday, “is that Jeri had finally decided to go back into the studio to make a piano solo album of songs by Arthur Schwartz. She even had the studio booked.”

Added Mel Torme, another of her fans: “I had enormous admiration for her. She was one of those people like Shirley Horn, Sarah Vaughan and Blossom Dearie. In other words, along with a fine singer we truly lost a wonderful musician.”