Born Marilyn Jeanne Seely on July 6, 1940 in Titusville, Pennsylvania, Jeannie Seely was a leading country music female vocalist during the 1960's and 1970's. She began her career in music as a child on local radio stations and venues and in her early twenties headed to Los Angeles to pursue songwriting. She moved to Nashville in 1965 when she began her recording career on Monument Records. Almost immediately she had a major hit with 1966's "Don't Touch Me" which topped the country charts and earned Seely the 1966 Grammy for Best Female Country Vocal Performance. Other notable hits of the period include "It's Only Love" (1966), "I'll Love You More" (1967), and "Welcome Home to Nothing" (1968). Seely switched to Decca Records in 1969 where she enjoyed great success as part of a duet with Jack Greene in addition to her solo work. She also teamed with Greene for one of the most successful road acts in country music during the 1970's and as a duo they earned multiple Country Music Association nominations. Their hits together include "Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You" (1969) and "Much Oblige" (1972). Decca became MCA Records in 1973 and Seely was back near the top of the charts as a soloist with hits like "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" (1973) and "Lucky Ladies" (1974). She recorded for Columbia Records in the late 1970's.

   Seely is reknowned for her heartfelt bluesy vocals earning her the monicker "Miss Country Soul".  

Married and divorced from songwriting legend Hank Cochran, during their marriage the twosome appeared in friend Willie Nelson's film "Honeysuckle Rose" (1980). A member of the Grand Old Opry since 1967, the outspoken Seely was a champion among it's female members for pushing for less patronizing on-stage introductions and allowing the women to wear more contemporary "hip" wardrobes. Later, she successfully got Opry management to drop it's long-standing policy of not allowing women to host the individual Opry segments. The outgoing Seely was a close friend of many of her contemporaries including Dottie West, Tammy Wynette, Skeeter Davis, Jan Howard, Jean Shepard , and was a champion of Lorrie Morgan early in her career. Seely has also appeared in several plays and musicals in the Nashville area and in 2002 acted in the feature film Changing Hearts with Faye Dunaway.