Jeannie Seely
Marilyn Jeanne Seely (July 6, 1940 – August 1, 2025) was an American singer, songwriter, record producer, and author. Primarily identified with country music, Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning song "Don't Touch Me" (1966). Her soul-inspired vocal delivery gave her the nickname of "Miss Country Soul". Seely was a member of and performer on the Grand Ole Opry, having appeared more times on the program than any other performer (5,397 appearances dating back to May 1966 and including 57 years as member of the Grand Ole Opry). She was credited with breaking the "Gingham Curtain," the Opry's conservative dress code for performers. Born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania, Seely had an early interest in country music, regularly appearing on local radio and television stations. After high school, she began a career in the banking industry and moved to California. Switching careers, she began writing songs that would be recorded by other artists. After being briefly signed with Challenge Records, she moved to Nashville, Tennessee, to further elevate her country music recording career. In Nashville, Seely's "Don't Touch Me" was released on Monument Records and reached the US country top five. She followed it with several more top-10 and -20 songs, including "A Wanderin' Man" (1967) and "I'll Love You More (Than You'll Need)" (1968). Seely then formed a duet musical partnership with Jack Greene, and they began collaborating together in the late 1960s. Their highest-charting single was 1969's "Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You", and they subsequently toured over the next decade. Her solo career continued with the popular singles "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" (1973) and "Lucky Ladies" (1974). After a car accident in 1977, Seely's career went on a brief hiatus and then resumed new projects. This included her appearances in the Willie Nelson film Honeysuckle Rose and acting in several stage plays, opening a Nashville bar, and becoming the first woman to host the Grand Ole Opry. In the 1990s, Seely returned to recording albums with a 1990 eponymous release, followed by her first album of Christmas music in 1994 called Number One Christmas. Her other releases included the critically acclaimed 2003 album Life's Highway. Her last studio release was 2020's An American Classic, issued on Curb Records. Seely thereafter 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. |
Birth and Death Data: Born July 6, 1940 (Titusville (city of Pennsylvania)), Died August 1, 2025 (Hermitage (section of Metropolitan Nashville, Tennessee) )
Date Range of DAHR Recordings: 1969 - 1972
Roles Represented in DAHR: vocalist
= Recordings are available for online listening.
= Recordings were issued from this master. No recordings issued from other masters.
Recordings (Results 26-50 of 58 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | NA 15686 | 7/28/1969 | Wish I didn't have to miss you | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15687 | 7/28/1969 | Love is no excuse-1 | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15688 | 7/28/1969 | The first day-1 | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15747 | 9/16/1969 | Everybody knows but you and me | Jack Greene | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15748 | 9/16/1969 | Yearning | Jack Greene | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15749 | 9/16/1969 | My tears don't show | Jack Greene | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15827 | 11/13/1969 | I will always | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15828 | 11/13/1969 | Someone I used to know | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15829 | 11/13/1969 | You're mine | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15858 | 12/9/1969 | Another heart for you to break | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15859 | 12/9/1969 | Please be my new love | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16042 | 4/21/1970 | Heart over mind | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16043 | 4/21/1970 | You wouldn't know love | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16044 | 4/21/1970 | The fightin' side of me | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16045 | 4/21/1970 | Is anybody goin' to San Antone | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16119 | 6/18/1970 | Just call me lonesome | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16120 | 6/18/1970 | Tell me again | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16423 | 4/27/1971 | How could you be anything but | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16424 | 4/27/1971 | You don't understand him like I do | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16425 | 4/27/1971 | Alright I'll sign the papers | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16556 | 9/21/1971 | Much obliged | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16557 | 9/21/1971 | Whiskey dirt | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16558 | 9/21/1971 | What in the world has gone wrong with our love | Jack Greene ; Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16645 | 12/30/1971 | Pride | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 16646 | 12/30/1971 | Farm in Pennsyltucky | Jeannie Seely | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Seely, Jeannie," accessed January 6, 2026, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/342955.
Seely, Jeannie. (2026). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/342955.
"Seely, Jeannie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2026. Web. 6 January 2026.
DAHR Persistent Identifier
External Sources
Wikipedia: Jeannie Seely
Discogs: Jeannie Seely
Allmusic: Jeannie Seely
Apple Music: Jeannie Seely
Grove: Jeannie Seely
IMDb: Jeannie Seely
Linked Open Data Sources
LCNAR: Seely, Jeannie - https://id.loc.gov/authorities/names/no98025392
Wikidata: Jeannie Seely - https://www.wikidata.org/entity/Q6172374
VIAF: https://viaf.org/viaf/27261115
MusicBrainz: Jeannie Seely - https://musicbrainz.org/artist/38491b0f-7994-46bc-9b45-80c72d8436d4
ISNI: 0000 0000 4057 6304 - http://www.isni.org/isni/0000000040576304
Fast: https://id.worldcat.org/fast/411076 - https://id.worldcat.org/fast/411076
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