ROOTS of Country Music

The Professional Work of Jeannie Seely                                        

(born Jul. 6, 1940)

Career Highlights

Grand Ole Opry Member -1967

Film, Night Club, Radio & TV

• AustinCity Limits, 4
• Ernest Tubb’s  Midnight Jamboree, 3
• Hee Haw, 4
• Nashville Now, 4
• Pop Goes the Country, 4
• The Johnny Carson Show
• The Johnny Cash Show, 4
• The Porter Wagoner Show, 4
• The Statler Brothers Show, 4

1-Film, 2-Night Club, 3-Radio, 4-TV 

Billboard Chart Data 

• No. 1 Singles: 0
• Top-20 Singles: 9
• Crossover Singles: 0
• Charted Singles: 26
• Chart Years Active: (1966-1977)

Awards

Country Music Association

• Vocal Duo of the Year (with Jack Greene) (1972-1975)

Grammy Award

• Best Female Country Vocal Performance for Don't Touch Me

Career Labels:

• Monument Records(1966-1968)
• Decca Records (1969-1973)
• MCA Records (1973-1976)
• Columbia Records (1977-1978)

Billboard Top-20 Singles

1. Don't Touch Me# 1966
2. It's Only Love
3. A Wanderin' Man
4. I'll Love You More (Than You'll Need) 1967
5. Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You, 1
6. Much Obliged -1971
7. What in the World Has Gone Wrong with Our Love -1972
8. Can I Sleep in Your Arms -1973
9. Lucky Ladies

#-Biggest Chart Single

1-With Jack Greene

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Don't Touch Me: The Jeannie Seely Story

On the night of September 16, 1967, Jeannie Seely marked an important milestone in her music career by joining the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. The distinctive-voiced lady referred to as "Miss Country Soul," makes clear that it's still a thrill and an honor each time she performs on the Opry stage. Jeannie is among a select group of country artists who have scored hits as a solo artist, as a duet partner and as a songwriter.

Born on Saturday 6 July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Jeannie Seely grew up as the youngest of Leo & Irene Seely's four children. Leo worked hard on the family's farm & at a Titusville steel mill, but found time on weekends to play the banjo & call local square dances. Irene would sing with her daughter every Saturday morning while the two baked bread together.

After she graduated high school in 1958, Seely worked in her hometown bank. At age 21, Jeannie moved to California (CA). She started working at a Beverly Hills bank, but left after a year and took a secretarial position with Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood, CA. Seely also at that time worked for Four Star Records, where she began her career as a songwriter. The R&B artist Irma Thomas recorded one of her songs called Anyone Who Knows What Love Is, which became a big pop hit for her.

Seely also appeared as a regular act on the program Hollywood Jamboree with Glen Campbell. Campbell at the time was a rising country music. Finally, Jeannie secured a recording contract of her own with Challenge Records. Songwriter, Hank Cochran was impressed with her talents and advised Jeannie to move to Nashville to peruse a career in country music, but Jeannie didn't think she was ready yet. Upon the encouragement of country singer Dottie West, Jeannie finally took Cochran's advice in 1965 and moved to Nashville, Tennessee.

Initially turned down by every record label in town, Jeannie Seely finally got the big break she needed when she was offered a recording contract with Monument Records. In March, 1966, she went in the recording studio and recorded a Hank Cochran ballad titled, Don't touch Me. Within only a few weeks, the song entered the country music charts where it stayed for over five months. It locked in at Billboard's No.2 position and remained there for three weeks. In March 1967, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences honoured Jeannie with the 1966 Grammy Award for the Best Country Vocal Performance by a Female.

Jeannie placed singles on Billboard's national country music charts for 13 consecutive years from 1966 through 1978. Among her over two dozen hits were It's Only Love (No. 15, 1966), A Wanderin' Man (No. 13, 1966), I'll Love You More (No. 10, 1967), Welcome Home to Nothing (No. 24, 1968) and Can I Sleep In Your Arms (No. 6, 1973).

While moving over to Decca in 1969, Seely teamed up with fellow Country star, Jack Greene and recorded a duet with him titled Wish I didn't Have to Miss You (No. 2, 1969). It went to No.2 on the charts and launched one of the most successful duos and road shows in country music history. Nominated for numerous Country Music Association (CMA) & Grammy awards, Jack Greene and Jeannie Seely toured together for over ten years, performing everywhere from New York's Madison Square Garden to London's Wembley Arena.

A long list of artists including Dottie West, Norma Jean, Tex Williams, Lorrie Morgan, Jack Greene, Connie Smith and Doyle Lawson, have recorded compositions written by Jeannie Seely. In 1972, Faron Young took Leavin' And Sayin' Goodbye to the No. 9 position, earning Jeannie a BMI Songwriter's Award.

In the early 1980s, Ms. Seely continued to record and perform. She served as an opening act for Willie Nelson's road show and also appeared in his film Honeysuckle Rose. Jeannie became the first female artist to regularly host half-hour segments of the Grand Ole Opry. Those hosting duties actually began in 1985 when she was called upon as a last minute replacement for Del Reeves, the scheduled host, who was unable to appear.

In 2000, Jeannie Seely was inducted into the North American Country Music Hall of Fame. Obviously, they honor time-tested talent that the Country Music Hall of Fame ignores.

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Researched, written and compiled by Richard Bell. Roots of Country Music. Oct., 15, 2011.