“Miss Country Soul” and Opry Legend Jeannie Seely Has Died

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photo: Cyndi Hornsby

With the loss of Jeannie Seely, country music doesn’t just lose a singer, songwriter, and performer. It loses one of the most venerable, most beloved, and most important ties to country music’s enduring legacy, one of the most revered women to ever grace the genre, and one of the most accomplished and constant voices of the Grand Ole Opry for the better part of a century. “Miss Country Soul,” and the modern era’s mother of the Opry passed on August 1st at the age of 85.

Before Miss Seely took her final bow, she made an incredible 5,397 appearances on the Grand Ole Opry—a record that might never be eclipsed. At the time of her death, she was considered the oldest living woman in country music with an active career. An actor, an author, a DJ, an a natural Master of Ceremonies wherever she appeared, Jeannie Seely’s legacy stretched well beyond the Opry and country music. But it’s within that country community that she worked so hard to keep so close-knit where her passing is felt the most.

Jeannie Seely’s first home was in Titusville, Pennsylvania, where she was born July 6th, 1940. Via a Philco console radio that looked more like a piece of furniture than an electronic device, Seely would first hear the magic sounds of The Grand Ole Opry beaming in from Nashville’s WSM, and fell fast in love with the music. By age 11, she began performing on a local radio show via WMGW. But the age of 16, she’d moved to early TV with appearances on WICU in Erie, PA.

Early on, Seely was able to share the stage and meet artists such as Bill Monroe, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Jean Shepard, but saw it as a fantasy that she would ever get to perform on the Grand Ole Opry beside them. A cheerleader in high school, after she graduated, she worked for local companies in secretarial positions, but at the age of 21, decided to point her nose toward Los Angeles. Eventually she took a job at Liberty and Imperial Records as a secretary. From there, she started writing songs for others, and performing with another up-and-coming act in Glen Campbell on the Hollywood Jamboree.

In 1964, Jeannie Seely was named the “Most Promising Female Artist” by the West Coast-centric Country and Western Academy, which later became known as the ACM Awards. Then in 1966, she released her big breakout single, “Don’t Touch Me.” It was her soulful voice unique to the country airwaves that earned her the name “Miss Country Soul,” and launched her career into the mainstream.


Though Seely would regularly enjoy occasional hits well into the late ’70s, it really wasn’t her chart success where she made her biggest impact. Becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry on September 16, 1967, it began a partnership that would be one of the most significant in the country music’s institution’s long history. Seely became the first woman to regularly hosts segments on Opry shows. She wore the first mini-skirt on the Opry stage, helping to usher the show into a new era. Soon, Seely and the Opry became synonymous with each other.

Though she had other signature songs such as 1967’s “I’ll Love You More (Than You Need),” “Can I Sleep In Your Arms” and “Lucky Ladies” (1973), it was really hearing Seely’s voice in Opry broadcasts where many country music fans found favor with Miss Country Soul. Seely also found success in partnership with Jack Greene, hitting #2 with “Wish I Didn’t Have To Miss You” (1969), “Much Oblige,” (1971), and “What in the World Has Gone Wrong With Our Love” (1972).

A big portion of Jeannie Seely’s legacy that’s often overlooked was her work as a songwriter. Songs written or co-written by Seely were recorded by Merle Haggard, Willie Nelson, Ernest Tubb, Faron Young, Little Jimmy Dickens, Connie Smith, Hank Williams Jr., Ray Price, Chris LeDoux, and more. She was also married to songwriting legend Hank Cochran from 1969 to 1979.

Jeannie Seely’s acting career was also of note, including in stage productions of Patsy Cline and The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas. She also appeared in the Willie Nelson film Honeysuckle Rose, and sang on the soundtrack.

When visiting Nashville and the Grand Ole Opry, you’ll see little markers all around the city in tribute to Jeannie Seely, speaking to her legacy. The off ramp to the Grand Ole Opry on Briley Parkway is affectionately known as the Jeannie Seely Interchange. She’s commemorated on the Music City Walk of Fame. Studio Space at the SAG-AFTRA office on Music Row is named after her.

But it’s on the Grand Ole Opry stage where most memories will lead back to whenever remembering Jeannie Seely. This is where her legacy shined, and where she became a legend in country music, getting to perform next to the legends before her like Bill Monroe, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Jean Shepard.

Along with funeral plans in the works, the Grand Ole Opry has announced that the Saturday presentation on August 2nd will be dedicated to its most prolific performer, segment host, and beloved family member.

Jeannie Seely is gone. But the contributions she made to the Opry, to Nashville, and to the women of country music will live on through her memory.

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