Country music legend and Grammy winner Jeannie Seely has passed away at the age of 85.
The singer had a number of hits, including Don’t Touch Me, which she won a Grammy for at the age of 26 in 1967. Sely was introduced in 1959, and he was one of the youngest people to receive a Grammy, and he did so for a while before going on to become one of the youngest.
The musician from Titusville, Pennsylvania, was renowned for her distinctive vocal style and earned the nickname “Miss Country Soul” for decades after her success lasted for decades. Seely was a pioneer of country music for women, known for her spirited nonconformity, and for a number of undeniable hits in the 1960s and 1970s.
Seely appeared on nearly 5,400 episodes of Grand Ole Opry, a much-loved live country music radio show in the US, over the course of her more than six decades of career. Following Seely’s passing on Friday due to complications from an intestinal infection, Saturday’s Grand Ole Opry show will be dedicated to her.
The singer, who had a number of country hits in the 1960s and 1970s, including three Top 10 hits on the now-dubbed Billboard’s top country songs chart, Don’t Touch Me, I’ll Love You More (Than You Need), and Can I Sleep In Your Arms?, an adaptation of the folk song Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?, was Don Murry Grubbs, the star’s publicist.
However, Seely, who was nominated for numerous other Grammy Awards, had a bit of a rebellious streak, known for wearing a miniskirt on stage when it was still forbidden. Her glittering success came at a time when country music demanded a certain level of subservience from female singers, which has had a significant impact on contemporary artists like Shania Twain and Sheryl Crow.
Seely, who had two emergency procedures, multiple back surgeries, and 11 days spent in the ICU, made it known in May that she was recovering. Additionally, she developed pneumonia.
The singer said, “Rehab is pretty difficult, but each day is looking brighter, and last night I saw a light at the end of the tunnel.” I was aware that it was mine because it was neon. The unsinkable Seely is reversing her course.
Seely was raised in Townville and was born in Titusville in July 1940, about two hours north of Pittsburgh. Her mother sang and her father played the banjo, and she immediately fell in love with country music. She performed on local television as a child and sang on local radio. She began her career in Los Angeles in her early 20s, working for Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood.
Seely continued to record and write. She then signed with Monument Records and sang on Porter Wagoner’s show. Soon afterward, Hank Cochran’s crossover ballad Don’t Touch Me would be her greatest hit. Seely won the song’s best country and western vocal performance in the female category, earning her first and only Grammy award.
Cochran and Seely were married in 1969 but split up in 1979. Since sadly married to Gene Ward, who passed away last year.
In her final years, Seely continued to record albums, perform, and host shows. She frequently appeared on country music programming. Her songs have been listened to by everyone from Ernest Tubb to Ray Price and Connie Smith to Grandpa Jones and Little Jimmy Dickens, and are regarded as classics.
Seely continued to be active in country music. She’s hosted the weekly Sunday’s with Seely on Willie Nelson’s Roadhouse SiriusXM channel since 2018 and has hosted Seely’s weekly Sunday shows. She was also inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame that year.
She joined Grand Ole Opry in 1967, the year she received her Grammy. The soulful singer-songwriter recorded at the famed RCA Studio B and released her most recent song in July 2024, a cover of Dottie West’s “Suffertime.” She gave it a year earlier at the Opry.
