Gene Watson's Peers: Jeannie Seely
Gene Watson's peers within the country music
industry believe in the sheer talent of this unassuming man from east Texas,
so much so that Gene is regarded by many of them as 'the singer's singer' -
and rightly so!
All of Gene's Peers who were contacted in 2005 were most
gracious with their time & words. It is here, within this special part of
gene-watson.com, that you have an opportunity to read
a quote from Jeannie Seely, which
she submitted to this site on
Thursday 5 May 2005.
Sean Brady would like to take this opportunity to say 'thank you' to
Jeannie Seely who has
made a special contribution to a unique part of this online 'celebration of
a Lone Star Hero'.
Jeannie Seely
This quote was submitted on Thursday 5 May 2005
'As I have said many times when I have had the honour
of introducing Gene on stage at the Grand Ole Opry, he truly is a singer's
singer!
Not only does he have one of the most unique, true voices in our business,
he delivers the song with so much emotion that you feel exactly what the
songwriter was trying to tell you, and you can understand every word.
Other than that, I don't like him much! I'm also proud to call him my
friend'.
Thank you, Jeannie Seely, for your
support of Gene Watson.
About Jeannie Seely...
Jeannie Seely, on the night of 16
September 1967, marked an important milestone in her music career by joining
the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. The distinctive-voiced lady referred to as
'Miss Country Soul' became the first and, to date, the only Pennsylvania
native to become an Opry member.
Jeannie Seely is among a select group of country artists who have scored No.
1 hits as a solo artist, as a duet partner, and as a songwriter.
Born on 6 July 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania – the town where the
world’s very first oil well was drilled in 1859 – Jeannie grew up as the
youngest of Leo & Irene Seely's four children. The family's two-story
farmhouse still stands along a dirt road outside of nearby Townville, a
community of about 300 folks located in the north-western corner of the
state.
Jeannie's interest in music was influenced strongly by her parents; Leo Seely worked hard on the family's farm
& at a Titusville steel mill, but
found time on weekends to play the banjo & call local square dances, while Irene Seely
would sing with her daughter every Saturday morning while the two baked
bread together.
When she was barely tall enough to reach the dial on her family's big Philco
console radio, Jeannie was tuning in the Grand Ole Opry on station WSM 650AM.
At the age of eleven, she began singing for a Saturday morning radio show on Meadville
station WMGW & by the time she was sixteen, Jeannie was performing on television station WICU in
Erie.
At Hillbilly Park, Jeannie had the opportunity to see performers like Bill
Monroe & Ralph Stanley, as well as Josh Graves who played on her 'Life’s
Highway' album. She also obtained autographed photos of stars like Jean Shepard,
Little Jimmy Dickens, and Wilma Lee & Stoney Cooper.
A cheerleader, majorette & honour student while attending Townville High
School, Jeannie sang at local amateur contests & began performing at
weekend dances throughout north-western Pennsylvania.
Following high school graduation in 1958, Jeannie worked for three years at
a Titusville bank. Initially hired as a stenographer, she was later promoted
to a secretarial position for the bank's auditor.
During this period, Jeannie continued her education by completing night
classes (in subjects like business finance & law) that were conducted by the American Institute of Banking in Oil
City. Both the local &
national American Institute of Banking organisations have since made Jeannie
an honorary lifetime member for her efforts in promoting the name & spirit
of the organisation.
At the age of twenty-one, Jeannie packed everything she could into her car, shipped the
rest to 'General Delivery, Los Angeles' & headed west. She initially took
a job at a Beverly Hills bank, but left it after a year to take a
secretarial position for half the money at Liberty & Imperial Records in
Hollywood.
With a foot in the door of the music business, she began writing songs for
Four Star Music & became a regular act, along with an unknown Glen
Campbell, on the 'Hollywood Jamboree' television series. Rhythm and blues
artist Irma Thomas recorded a composition by Jeannie titled 'Anyone who
knows what love is' & scored a national pop hit with it.
Jeannie Seely's song-writing led to her own recording contract on Challenge
Records. A couple of regional hits & a West Coast tour resulted, but
unfortunately she received no national attention. A young songwriter
visiting California named Hank Cochran was impressed with Jeannie's talent
& suggested she move to Nashville. Jeannie, however, didn't think she was
ready.
Upon the encouragement of singer Dottie West who recorded one of her songs,
Jeannie finally took Hank Cochran's advice & moved to Nashville in the
fall of 1965. Within a month, Porter Wagoner hired her to
replace Norma Jean as the female singer for his road show & syndicated
television series.
Initially turned down by every record label in town, Jeannie finally got the
big break she needed when a recording contract was offered by Monument
Records. She went in a recording studio & recorded a
Hank Cochran ballad titled
'Don't touch me' on Saturday 12 March 1966.
Within only a few weeks, the song debuted on the country music charts where
it stayed for over five months. Although it held at the No.2 position for
three weeks on Billboard, the record actually went to No. 1 on all the other
major charts, including Cashbox & Record World; it was also a crossover
hit on the national pop charts.
Today 'Don't touch me' is considered a standard in country music.
Jeannie's
recording of the song is ranked at No.97 in the book 'Heartaches by the Number: Country Music's 500 Greatest Singles' written by David Cantwell
& Bill Friskics-Warren. The book, released in 2003, was published by the
Vanderbilt University Press & the Country Music Foundation Press.
'Don’t touch me' is also included in 'The Stories Behind Country Music’s
All-Time Greatest 100 Songs' written by Ace Collins & published by
Boulevard Books. The author wrote, 'Cochran’s 'Don’t touch me' has stood
the test of time like few other works. Hauntingly beautiful, poetry set to
meter, this composition merits particular praise for the exquisite manner in
which it relates its story of love, doubt & commitment'.
The book describes how Buck Owens (RIP) desperately wanted the song that Jeannie
ultimately recorded & made a hit. Country versions of 'Don’t touch me'
have been recorded by Don Gibson, Tammy Wynette, George Jones, Lorrie
Morgan, Ray Price, Lynn Anderson, Eddy Arnold, Barbara Mandrell, Roy Clark,
Jack Greene & Dottie West, but none were
charted singles.
In June 1966, Jeannie Seely was invited to make her first guest appearance on
the Grand Ole Opry. She received 'Most Promising New Artist' awards in 1966
from all the national trade publications including Billboard, Cashbox &
Record World, as well as from polls of country music fans & radio DJs
across the US.
On 2 March 1967, the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences honoured
Jeannie Seely with the 1966 Grammy Award for the 'Best Country Vocal Performance
by a Female'. Edging out friends & fellow nominees Loretta Lynn ('Don’t
come home a drinkin'), Dottie West ('Would you hold it against me'),
Connie
Smith (“Ain’t had no loving') & Jan Howard ('Evil on your mind'), Jeannie Seely became only the third female country artist to receive the coveted
Grammy. She accepted her award from Chet Atkins.
With a successful breakthrough hit, Jeannie found herself travelling from
coast to coast for concert appearances. The new demands forced her to leave
Porter Wagoner's show - today Jeannie jokes that she was replaced by Dolly
Parton because Dolly’s ‘hits’ were bigger. New opportunities for Jeannie included many concert
& television
appearances with the legendary Ernest Tubb.
In March 1967, Jeannie Seely saw the release of 'Thanks Hank' (Monument
Records, 1967), an album that included her rendition of
Hank Cochran's 'Don't you ever get tired (of
hurting me)'; Gene Watson recorded 'Don't you ever get tired (of hurting
me)' & included the track on 'In a Perfect World'
(Shanachie Records, 2007).
In September 1967, Jeannie fulfilled her lifelong dream by joining the
Grand Ole Opry. Known throughout her career as an individualist, as well as for her
infectious humour, Jeannie Seely is widely recognised for changing the image
of female country performers; she is also credited with being the
first woman to wear a mini-skirt on the Grand Ole Opry stage.
When at home, Jeannie made frequent guest appearances on television shows
like 'Hee Haw' & 'That Nashville Music'. On 22 March 1970, Jeannie was a
featured guest on 'Glen Campbell's Goodtime Hour'.
Working with distinguished producers like Fred Foster & Owen Bradley,
Jeannie recorded more than a dozen albums & over two
dozen singles on the Monument, Decca, MCA & Columbia labels.
Jeannie placed singles on Billboard's national country music charts for 13
consecutive years from 1966 through 1978. Among her over two dozen hits were
'It's only love', 'A wanderin' man', 'I'll love you more', 'He can
be mine',
'Welcome home to nothing', 'Little things' & 'When it's over'.
A 1969 duet recorded with fellow Opry member Jack
Greene titled 'Wish I didn't have to miss you' went to No.1 on the
charts & launched one of the most successful duos & road shows in
country music history.
Nominated for numerous Country Music Association (CMA) & Grammy awards,
Jack
Greene & Jeannie Seely toured together for over ten years, performing
everywhere from New York's Madison Square Garden to London's Wembley Arena.
In 1973, Jeannie transformed the hobo lament 'Can I Sleep in your barn
tonight mister?' into the top ten hit 'Can I sleep in your arms?'. In
1974, she adapted the Appalachian ballad 'Come all you fair & tender ladies' into another hit single titled
'Lucky ladies'.
A long list of artists, including Dottie West, Norma Jean, Tex Williams,
Lorrie Morgan, Jack
Greene, Connie Smith &
Doyle Lawson have recorded
compositions written by Jeannie. In 1972, Faron Young took 'Leavin’ &
sayin’ goodbye' to the No.1 position, earning Jeannie a BMI Songwriter’s
Award.
In addition to Faron Young, other Country Music Hall of Fame members who
have recorded Jeannie’s songs include Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Willie
Nelson & Ernest Tubb.
For several years, Jeannie was married to Hank Cochran, the writer of such
songs as 'Make the world go away', 'She’s got you', 'I fall to pieces', 'The
chair' & 'Ocean front property'. The marriage - the first & only for
Jeannie but the fourth for Hank - finally ended in divorce.
In 1977, Jeannie's career almost ended abruptly when she was
involved in a near fatal automobile accident that left her with serious
multiple injuries. It was with the help &
support of best friend Dottie West that Jeannie was able to recover & get
back on her feet. Ironically, Dottie's death in 1991 was due to injuries she suffered in an
automobile accident while en route to the Grand Ole Opry.
In 1995, Jeannie served as a
consultant for the CBS television movie about Dottie’s life titled 'Big
Dreams & Broken Hearts: The Dottie West Story' & Jeannie was portrayed
in the movie by actress Cathy Worthington.
In the early 1980s, Jeannie performed as the opening act for friend Willie
Nelson's concert dates across the country. She also appeared in Willie's
successful 'Honeysuckle Rose' movie & sang on the soundtrack recording, a
contribution which earned her a platinum album.
Jeannie became the first female artist to regularly host half-hour segments
of the Grand Ole Opry. Those hosting duties actually began in 1985 when she
was called upon as a last minute replacement for Del Reeves, the scheduled
host, who was caught in a rare Nashville snowstorm.
Fellow country music artist Lorrie Morgan recorded Jeannie's 'I've enjoyed
as much of this as I can stand' & included the track on her 'Shakin'
Things Up' album in 1997; Lorrie has credited Jeannie as being a major influence in her
career & often refers to the Opry cohort as her 'second mom'.
In 2000, Jeannie Seely was inducted into the North American Country Music Hall of Fame.
In 2003 she
was honoured with induction into the George D. Hay Music Hall of Fame, located
in Mammoth Spring, Arkansas & it was also in 2003 that Jeannie received the 2003 Legend Award
from Bluebird Country News.
In the fall of 2003, Jeannie Seely released her own acoustic & bluegrass project
on OMS Records titled 'Life’s Highway'; the album featured musicians Josh
Graves, Glen Duncan, Steve Wariner, Jesse McReynolds & Buck White - as
well as harmony vocals from Charlie Louvin, the Osborne Brothers & the
Whites.
Visit Jeannie Seely's Official Site