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 1-25 of 58 records)
| Company | Matrix No. | Size | First Recording Date | Title | Primary Performer | Description | Role | Audio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Decca | NA 15394 | 1/2/1969 | Until my dreams come true | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15395 | 1/2/1969 | Just out of reach | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15396 | 1/2/1969 | Yours love | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15397 | 1/2/1969 | Walking after midnight | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15398 | 1/3/1969 | How big a fire | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15399 | 1/3/1969 | Wichita lineman | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15400 | 1/3/1969 | I'll be better off | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15404 | 1/4/1969 | With pen in hand | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15405 | 1/4/1969 | Just enough to start me dreamin' | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15406 | 1/4/1969 | Too far gone | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15407 | 1/4/1969 | So was he | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15553 | 4/14/1969 | Out loud | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15554 | 4/14/1969 | What kind of bird is that | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15555 | 4/14/1969 | Each time | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15563 | 4/16/1969 | Hungry eyes | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15564 | 4/16/1969 | Margie's at the Lincoln Park | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15565 | 4/16/1969 | I'm afraid I lied | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15570 | 4/22/1969 | All I want is you | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15571 | 4/22/1969 | Between the king and I | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15572 | 4/22/1969 | Singing my song | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15615 | 5/20/1969 | Faded love (Fool No.1 ; Hang your head in shame ; Tomorrow never comes ; Crazy) | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15616 | 5/20/1969 | Have you found it yet | Jeannie Seely | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15628 | 6/3/1969 | Willingly | Jack Greene | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15629 | 6/3/1969 | Our chain of love | Jack Greene | vocalist | |||
| Decca | NA 15630 | 6/3/1969 | How can our chattin' be wrong? | Jack Greene | vocalist |
Citation
Discography of American Historical Recordings, s.v. "Seely, Jeannie," accessed December 30, 2025, http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/342955.
Seely, Jeannie. (2025). In Discography of American Historical Recordings. Retrieved December 30, 2025, from http://adp.library.ucsb.edu/names/342955.
"Seely, Jeannie." Discography of American Historical Recordings. UC Santa Barbara Library, 2025. Web. 30 December 2025.
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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