NEW YORK – Jeannie Seely, the soulful country music singer behind such standards like “Don’t Touch Me,” has died. She was 85.
Her publicist, Don Murry Grubbs, said she died Friday after succumbing to complications from an intestinal infection.
Known as “Miss Country Soul” due to her distinct vocal style, Seely was a pioneer for women in country music, acclaimed for her spirited nonconformity and a series of notable hits in the ‘60s and ’70s.
Her second husband, Gene Ward, passed away in December. In May, Seely disclosed that she was recuperating after undergoing several back surgeries, two emergency operations, and spending 11 days in the ICU. She additionally experienced a bout of pneumonia.
“Rehabilitation is quite challenging, but each day appears brighter and last night, I noticed a light at the end of the tunnel. And it was neon, so I knew it was mine!” she noted in a statement at the time. “The unsinkable Seely is making her comeback.”
Seely was born in July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania, approximately two hours north of Pittsburgh, and grew up in nearby Townville. She developed a passion for country music early on; her mother sang, and her father played the banjo. As a child, she sang on local radio shows and appeared on local television. In her early 20s, she relocated to Los Angeles to launch a career, securing a job with Liberty and Imperial Records in Hollywood.
She continued writing and recording. Her next stop was Nashville: She performed on Porter Wagoner’s show and landed a contract with Monument Records. Her biggest hit would follow shortly: “Don’t Touch Me,” a crossover ballad penned by Hank Cochran. The song won Seely her first and only Grammy Award, for best country & western vocal performance in the female category.
Cochran and Seely were married in 1969 and divorced in 1979.
Seely defied conventions in her career — in an era when country music demanded a form of submission from its female performers, Seely stood out as a bit of a rebel, recognized for wearing a miniskirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage when it was still considered controversial.
And she had a number of country hits in the ‘60s and ’70s, including three Top 10 hits on what is now known as Billboard’s hot country songs chart: “Don’t Touch Me,” 1967’s “I’ll Love You More (Than You Need)” and 1973’s “Can I Sleep In Your Arms?”, adapted from the folk song “Can I Sleep In Your Barn Tonight Mister?”
In the years since, Seely continued to release albums, perform, and host, regularly appearing on country music programming. Her songs are considered classics, and have been recorded by everyone from Merle Haggard, Ray Price and Connie Smith to Ernest Tubb, Grandpa Jones, and Little Jimmy Dickens.
And Seely never stopped working in country music. Since 2018, she’s hosted the weekly “Sunday’s with Seely” on Willie Nelson’s Willie’s Roadhouse SiriusXM channel. That same year, she was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame.
She appeared nearly 5,400 times at the Grand Ole Opry, which she has been a member of since 1967. Grubbs said Saturday’s Grand Ole Opry show would be dedicated to Seely.
She released her latest song in July 2024, a cover of Dottie West’s “Suffertime,” recorded at the world-renowned RCA Studio B. She performed it at the Opry the year before.
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