After a long run in the country music industry, how old is Jeannie Seely now, and how is she doing?
Well, the now 81-year-old artist is hipper than ever with her own Sunday night SiriusXM show and frequent appearances on the Opry. Jeannie Seely’s age never really restricted her lifestyle. Not only that, but despite starting her career way back in 1966, her emotion-packed voice, salty wisecracks, and nonconformist trail never lost their charm. In fact, even some of the youngest fans of the genre value her music as a touchstone that connects the past of country music to its present.
Who is Jeannie Seely?
RELATED: 15 Jeannie Seely Songs That Inspired A Generation of Country Women
Marilyn Jeanne Seely is the youngest of four kids, a petite blonde born on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania to a banjo-playing father and a music-lover mother. And so, it just made sense how she was never a stranger to her work as a country music artist. By the time she was 16, she was already appearing on Erie television station WICU. Before that, she also had a regular stint on the local radio station WMGW.
When did Jeannie Seely hit her first break?
At 21, she, along with three girlfriends, ventured to Los Angeles. There she started her career deejaying, writing songs recorded by the likes of Connie Smith and Dottie West, and recording for Challenge Records. And in an unexpected turnaround, she met songwriter Hank Cochran who encouraged her to bring herself to Nashville. In 1965, she turned up with $50 and a Ford Falcon in front of Cochran, signed a record deal with Monument Records, and cut her debut and first-ever hit song “Don’t Touch Me.”
That song won her a prestigious GRAMMY award, led to a string of hits until the late ‘70s, and earned her the nickname “Miss Country Soul.” She also got her chance to perform on the Grand Ole Opry, where she appeared in a miniskirt – a style common to the era yet a bold preference on stage – an undeniable proof of her being a woman of her time.
Did Jeannie Seely ever go on a career hiatus?
Yes.
In 1977, Jeannie Seely, unfortunately, sustained several injuries due to a car accident. During her recovery and in the years that followed her accident, she took on a more diverse approach appearing in films just like in Honeysuckle with Willie Nelson, acting in stage plays, and performing in concerts. She also hosted the Grand Ole Opry and even set history to be the first-ever female to do so. Aside from that, Seely also wrote a book titled Pieces of a Puzzled Mind.
She went back to recording albums in 1990.
Jeannie Seely’s Marriages: How many times did Jeannie Seely marry?
Jeanie Seely and Hank Cochran turned from colleagues to lovers, and in 1969, the couple tied the knot. Sadly, the pair’s marriage did not last forever, and they officially filed for divorce in 1981, but a report revealed that the two already lived separately several years prior to the divorce. Nevertheless, the two remained friendly over the years until Cochran passed away in 2010 due to cancer.
While a connection ended for Jeannie Seely that year, another blossomed. Seely married Gene Ward, a Nashville attorney, and they lived in a home alongside Cumberland River. Eight years later in 2018, they were put through a challenge when Jeannie Seely’s husband Ward became sick. But instead of breaking them apart, they only became closer. A year later, the couple renewed their vows at sea.
Where is Jeannie Seely now?
At her age, country singers usually go and rest, but she was unlike all of them. Just last year in 2020, she released her studio album An American Classic, which was issued on Curb Records. Aside from that, she still consistently hosts the Grand Ole Opry, and she also hosts a weekly radio program on Sirius XM.
What is Jeannie Seely’s net worth?
Running over five decades worth of singing career, Jeannie Seely’s net worth is now estimated to be at $1.4 million. Unsurprisingly, she is also part of the very small group of country artists who achieved the feat of having a number one hit as a soloist, duet partner, and songwriter.
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