Primarily identified with country music, Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning song "Don't Touch Me" (1966).

[4] Born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania, Seely had an early interest in country music, regularly appearing on local radio and television stations.

This included appeares in the Willie Nelson film Honeysuckle Rose and acted in several stage plays, opening a Nashville bar and becoming the first female to host the Grand Ole Opry.

Seely has since continued to work the Grand Ole Opry and became a regular host of a weekly radio program on Sirius XM's Willie's Roadhouse broadcast.

[10] She then briefly held a job at a bank in Beverly Hills, California but realized she wanted to get more involved in the music business, prompting her to obtain a secretarial position at Imperial Records for half the pay.

[19] According to her website, Seely embarked on a US west coast tour to promote the singles, leading to her meeting songwriter Hank Cochran.

Now traveling as part of Porter Wagoner's road show, Seely received a phone call from Cochran while performing in Rochester, New York.

[3][27] Now a popular concert attraction, Seely was replaced by Dolly Parton in Porter Wagoner's road and television show.

[22] The success of "Don't Touch Me" also brought Seely the Best Female Country Vocal Performance accolade at the 9th Annual Grammy Awards.

[40] She also became the host of a 30-minute radio segment on the American Armed Forces Network that attracted four million listeners[42] and according to Billboard, made her the first female military disc jockey.

[28] It was then featured on their 1970 studio album of duet recordings[34] Greene and Seely then formed a road show that routinely played venues across North America and Europe,[46][45] including New York City's Madison Square Garden and London's Wembley Arena.

[47] The Greene-Seely duo had two more top 20 singles on the US and Canadian RPM country charts through 1973: "Much Oblige" and "What in the World Has Gone Wrong with Our Love".

[1] Her solo releases through 1972 ("Tell Me Again", "You Don't Understand Him Like I Do", "Alright I'll Sign the Papers", "Pride" and "Farm in Pennsyltucky") reached lower-peaking positions on the US country chart.

[24] Yet, she found success writing Faron Young's single "Leavin' and Sayin' Goodbye", which made the country top ten in 1972.

[50] A reworked version of a traditional folk ballad,[51] "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" reached the top ten on both the US and Canadian country charts[24][48] and became her highest-peaking single in the US since 1970.

[1] Consisting of spiritual holiday songs, the album was first released by the Power Pak label, but later re-released under the title Golden Christmas in 2007.

[72] Bob Mitchell of the Louisville Music News wrote, "Overall, this recording lacks the earthy intensity and drive that characterizes authentic traditional Bluegrass.

[75] Seely then performed Nashville's production of the sexually-themed The Vagina Monologues alongside fellow country artists Kathy Mattea and Pam Tillis.

[77][78] As the 2000s continued, Seely recalled on her website playing shows at the Dollywood theme park, as well as in Ireland and on country music cruises.

[79] In 2010, Seely's Nashville home was destroyed in the 2010 Tennessee floods but she resumed her career, beginning with an Opry performance shortly after the natural disaster occurred.

[89] Tom Netherland of the Bristol Herald Courier found the album cemented Seely as a significant female country artist[90] while Markos Papadatos of Digital Journal gave the project an "A" rating.

[91] After receiving praise from singing a cover of Dottie West's "Suffertime" on the Opry, Seely went into RCA Studio B to record her own version of the song.

"You know, it sounds like a cliche, but it's true that your perspective changes when you have a close call, what you took for granted you come to appreciate more,"[96] In 2024, Seely was hospitalized in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania after suffering from "acute diverticulitis" and "dehydration" on a trip to her home town.

Her first marriage was to her songwriter Hank Cochran,[98] [99] whom she officially wed on June 15, 1969 in Renfro Valley, Kentucky in a church ceremony.

[106] Seely continued to live in the farmhouse until the early 1990s when she decided to move to a smaller cottage home, located on the Cumberland River in Nashville.

[16] A year later, Seely cancelled several engagements after Ward was rushed to the hospital shortly before she was scheduled to make a Grand Ole Opry appearance.

[113][3] Writers Robert K. Oermann and Mary A. Bufwack wrote, "Jeannie's husky cigarette-stained voice moaned with such agony"[7] In reference to her nickname, Ken Burns of PBS called her singing "big heart" and "emotion-packed".

[51] Seely was influenced by country music from an early age, beginning with an interest in the Grand Ole Opry broadcasts.

"From her success as a songwriter to her popularity as a duet partner to her influence as a solo artist, Seely's work has impacted generations of country, Americana and bluegrass performers," Horton commented.

[116] Seely was also among the first female artists to wear other contemporary fashion items, including go-go boots, pantsuits and denim jeans.