country music icon Jeannie Seely, known for her trailblazing spirit and enduring career, has passed away.The news was confirmed by her team, who stated, “The unsinkable Seely is working her way back.”
Born in July 1940 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Seely’s roots in country music were planted early. Raised in nearby townville, her passion for the genre was nurtured by her mother’s singing and her father’s banjo playing. Her talent was evident from a young age, as she performed on local radio and television programs. In her early twenties, Seely relocated to Los Angeles, seeking to launch her music career and taking a position with Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood.
Her journey continued to Nashville, where she appeared on Porter Wagoner’s show and secured a recording contract with Monument Records. Her signature song,the crossover ballad “Don’t Touch Me,” penned by Hank Cochran,became her greatest hit and earned her a Grammy Award for best female country performance,her first and only. Seely and Cochran were married in 1969 and later divorced in 1979.
Seely carved a unique path in country music, challenging the era’s expectations of female artists. She was recognized as a rebel, famously wearing a miniskirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage at a time when such attire was considered taboo. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she achieved important chart success, with three Top 10 hits on the country charts: “Don’t Touch Me,” “I’ll Love You More (Than You Need)” in 1967, and “Can I Sleep In Your Arms?” in 1973, a song adapted from “Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?”.
In the decades that followed, Seely remained an active presence in country music, releasing albums, performing, and hosting. Her classic songs have been covered by a wide array of artists, including Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Connie Smith, Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, and Little jimmy Dickens. Since 2018, she hosted the weekly program “Sundays with Seely” on Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Roadhouse SiriusXM channel, and in the same year, she was honored with induction into the Music City Walk of Fame.
Seely’s dedication to the Grand Ole opry was profound; she joined the prestigious institution in 1967 and made nearly 5,400 appearances. The Grand Ole Opry announced that Saturday’s show woudl be dedicated in her honor.
Her most recent musical contribution was released in july 2024, a rendition of Dottie West’s “Suffertime,” recorded at the historic RCA Studio B. She had previously performed this song on the Opry the year prior.
