Who says Jeannie Seely can’t be funny and then sing a heartbreaker ballad?
“The best thing always is to do what your own heart tells you.” Before Jeannie Seely sank her teeth into future husband Hank Cochran’s empowering “Don’t Touch Me” and watched it rise to the top echelon of Billboard’s Hot Country Singles in 1966 and nab a Grammy thanks to her unerring determination, the Pennsylvania-raised blonde wrestled with the edict of a high-ranking music executive. He insisted that Seely, a natural-born, quick-witted entertainer, ditch the jokes and focus squarely on her singing if she wanted fans to keep buying her records. Seely acquiesced temporarily but ultimately stuck with her guns.
“Miss Country Soul” was asked to join the Grand Ole Opry a year later, prevailed when aghast Opry management decried her penchant for mini-skirts, and has amassed a record-shattering 5,200-plus appearances there. She still composes, drops new records, introduces rising artists, and hosts Sundays with Seely on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse. Ahead of Seely stepping back into the hallowed circle of the “Mother Church” to mine jewels from her extensive catalog, make way for an exclusive conversation.
The Jeannie Seely Interview
I really got a kick outta seeing you sport the black T-shirt that read, “55 years on the Opry and all I got was this lousy…
