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.