Jazz-influenced singer and pianist Jeri Southern studied at the Notre Dame Academy, Omaha, and later played piano at several venues in Chicago in the late-'40s, where she supported stars such as Anita O’Day. Southern was then signed to Decca Records, scoring with "You Better Go Now" (1951) and "Joey" (1954). Her wistful version of "When I Fall In Love" established her in the U.K., where she also had a chart hit with "Fire Down Below" (1957). She then switched to Capitol Records and made the acclaimed JERI SOUTHERN MEETS COLE PORTER. She retired from performing in the mid-'60s to become a vocal and piano coach, before moving to Hollywood to assist the film composer Hugo Friedhofer.