1. Primarily identified with country music, Jeannie Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning song "Don't Touch Me".
82 Facts About Jeannie Seely
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Jeannie Seely's soul-inspired vocal delivery gave her the nickname of "Miss Country Soul".
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Jeannie Seely has been a member of and performer on the Grand Ole Opry, having appeared more times on the program than any other performer.
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Jeannie Seely followed it with several more top ten and 20 songs, including "A Wanderin' Man" and "I'll Love You More ".
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Jeannie Seely then formed a duet musical partnership with Jack Greene and they began collaborating together in the late 1960s.
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Jeannie Seely has since continued to work the Grand Ole Opry and became a regular host of a weekly radio program on Sirius XM's Willie's Roadhouse broadcast.
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Marilyn Jeanne Jeannie Seely was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania, but raised on a farm near Townville, Pennsylvania.
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Jeannie Seely was the youngest of four children born to Irene and Leo Jeannie Seely.
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Jeannie Seely's father was a farmer and worked at the Titusville Steel Mill.
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Jeannie Seely's mother was a homemaker, but enjoyed singing around the house.
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At age 11, Jeannie Seely started performing on WMGW's local radio show in Meadville, Pennsylvania and began performing on a local television show in Erie, Pennsylvania.
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Jeannie Seely attended Townville High School where she was a cheerleader and an honors student.
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In high school, Jeannie Seely was teased for singing country music and being poor.
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Jeannie Seely took night courses at the American Banking Institute.
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In 1961, Jeannie Seely left for California in her MGA Roadster convertible.
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Jeannie Seely appeared on a local California television program titled Hollywood Jamboree.
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Jeannie Seely's songwriting led to her signing a recording contract with the California-based Challenge Records.
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Jeannie Seely's first recording sessions were held in 1964 at RCA Studio B in Nashville, Tennessee.
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Dottie West encouraged a Nashville move and in 1965, Jeannie Seely officially left California.
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Jeannie Seely then arrived at the 1965 DJ Convention in Nashville where she saw Cochran again.
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Jeannie Seely was then hired as Norma Jean's replacement on Porter Wagoner's television series during the same period.
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Now traveling as part of Porter Wagoner's road show, Jeannie Seely received a phone call from Cochran while performing in Rochester, New York.
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Cochran performed the first verse for her on the phone and Jeannie Seely agreed to hearing the remainder of the song in-person.
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Cochran then flew to Rochester where he played her the remaining verses and Jeannie Seely decided to record it.
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Cochran then brought Jeannie Seely to Foster's Nashville office and he signed her to a contract with Monument.
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Now a popular concert attraction, Jeannie Seely was replaced by Dolly Parton in Porter Wagoner's road and television show.
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Jeannie Seely was later invited to become a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1967.
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In 1969, Jeannie Seely signed with Decca Records and began recording alongside producer Owen Bradley.
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Jeannie Seely agreed to a tour of eastern Asia in January 1969 where she performed at US military bases for a total of six-weeks.
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Jeannie Seely became the host of a 30-minute radio segment on the American Armed Forces Network that attracted four million listeners and according to Billboard, made her the first female military disc jockey.
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The Greene-Jeannie Seely duo had two more top 20 singles on the US and Canadian RPM country charts through 1973: "Much Oblige" and "What in the World Has Gone Wrong with Our Love".
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Greene and Jeannie Seely were nominated four times for the Country Music Association's "Vocal Duo of the Year" award between 1972 and 1975.
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Jeannie Seely then moved to Columbia Records in 1977 where she was produced by Chuck Glaser.
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Jeannie Seely's songs were again being recorded by other artists during this period.
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Yet, Jeannie Seely did appear alongside Willie Nelson in the soundtrack of the 1980 film Honeysuckle Rose.
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Jeannie Seely started touring alongside Nelson in his "Willie Nelson and Family" show, including at the 1982 Tennessee State Fair.
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Jeannie Seely then dabbled in acting, first appearing in the country music-themed musical, Takin' It Home.
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Jeannie Seely played alongside Lorrie Morgan and Jean Shepard during the show's run.
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Jeannie Seely later appeared in her first straight-acting role for the 1990 production Everybody Loves Opal.
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Jeannie Seely appeared on country music television programs during the 1980s, including interviewing performers on Opry Backstage.
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Jeannie Seely returned to recording with the release of her second eponymous studio album in 1990.
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Jeannie Seely then appeared alongside Stonewall Jackson in the 1993 music video for Confederate Railroad's "Trashy Women".
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Jeannie Seely then released her 1999 studio album called Been There.
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In 2001, Jeannie Seely contributed to Ralph Stanley's studio album Clinch Mountain Sweethearts and followed it with her next studio album in 2003 called Life's Highway.
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Jeannie Seely continued acting, playing the role of Louise Seger in the 2001 musical Always Patsy Cline.
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In 2002, Jeannie Seely played the role of Mrs Jenkins in the film Changing Hearts, which starred Faye Dunaway.
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Jeannie Seely portrayed an older theater actress that wanted to put on a senior citizen version of Grease.
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Yet Through her own label, Jeannie Seely issued her next studio project in 2011 called Vintage Country: Old But Treasured.
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Jeannie Seely maintained a continued presence at the Grand Ole Opry during the 2010s decade by performing and interviewing other artists onstage.
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Jeannie Seely made appearances at Nashville's CMA Music Festival during this period as well.
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Jeannie Seely began hosting the "Dottie West Birthday Bash" in 2016, which is held every October in honor of West and supports the Nashville Musicians Relief Fund.
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In 2018, it was announced that Jeannie Seely would join Willie Nelson's Sirius XM radio series, Willie's Roadhouse.
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Jeannie Seely's segment, titled "Sunday's with Seely" has since aired on the network on Sunday's from noon to 4pm.
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In late 2019, Jeannie Seely announced her next studio offering called An American Classic.
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In June 1977, Jeannie Seely was involved in a car accident in Goodlettsville, Tennessee after her vehicle crashed into a tree.
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Jeannie Seely was admitted to Nashville Memorial Hospital, suffering a fractured jaw, broken ribs, a punctured lung and a collapsed lung.
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Jeannie Seely was reported in "fair condition" and eventually recovered from her injuries.
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Friend Dottie West helped Jeannie Seely following her hospital release, helping her when she was immobile and taking her on car rides for a change in scenery.
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Jeannie Seely later reflected that the accident brought her a new appreciation for life.
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In 2024, Jeannie Seely was hospitalized in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after suffering from "acute diverticulitis" and "dehydration" on a trip to her home town.
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Jeannie Seely was later released and was reportedly "doing well".
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Jeannie Seely later stated that Cochran helped lay "the groundwork" for country music in a 2012 documentary about his life.
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Jeannie Seely continued to live in the farmhouse until the early 1990s when she decided to move to a smaller cottage home, located on the Cumberland River in Nashville.
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Jeannie Seely lost most possessions in her home after three feet of water had damaged the inside.
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Jeannie Seely credited the help of local volunteers with helping to clean up her home which she ultimately moved back into.
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Jeannie Seely married Nashville attorney Gene Ward in 2010 as well.
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Jeannie Seely later posted on social media that Ward's condition improved and he was able to start the recovery process.
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Jeannie Seely was influenced by country music from an early age, beginning with an interest in the Grand Ole Opry broadcasts.
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Jeannie Seely recalled attending outdoor performances venues where country was played, notably Pennsylvania's Hillbilly Park.
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Jeannie Seely kept photographs of country performers she was inspired by, including Little Jimmy Dickens and Jean Shepard.
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Jeannie Seely credited Ernest Tubb, along with pop singers Rosemary Clooney and Patti Page as influences on her music.
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Jeannie Seely has been described as an influential female country artist.
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Jeannie Seely blazed a nonconformist trail from the moment she hit the Opry stage in her mini skirt.
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Jeannie Seely challenged Opry manager Ott Devine, who disliked the idea of her wearing a miniskirt onstage.
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Jeannie Seely was among the first female artists to wear other contemporary fashion items, including go-go boots, pantsuits and denim jeans.
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Jeannie Seely's music has been an influence on other female country artists.
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Lorrie Morgan has considered Jeannie Seely to be influence on her music.
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In recent years, Jeannie Seely has received honors for her accomplishments as a recording artist and writer.
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In 2017, Jeannie Seely celebrated 50 years as a member of the Grand Ole Opry.
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Jeannie Seely was among several women who have since been a member for 50 years.
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In 2018, Jeannie Seely received a star on the Music City Walk of Fame.
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Jeannie Seely was featured in Ken Burns's documentary Country Music in September 2019.