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Marilyn Jeanne Seely, known professionally as Jeannie Seely, was born on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania. She began performing on local radio and television shows at age 11 and moved to California after high school to pursue a music career. Seely's breakthrough came with her songwriting, including "Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)", recorded by Irma Thomas in 1964. She signed with Challenge Records and released her first singles before moving to Nashville in 1965. Her career took off with the release of "Don't Touch Me" on Monument Records in 1966, which reached Number 1 on the US country charts. Seely followed this success with several more top-10 and -20 songs, including "A Wanderin' Man" (1967) and "I'll Love You More (Than You'll Need)" (1968). She formed a duet partnership with Jack Greene, and their highest-charting single was "Wish I Didn't Have to Miss You" in 1969. Seely continued her solo career with popular singles like "Can I Sleep in Your Arms" (1973) and "Lucky Ladies" (1974). After a brief hiatus due to a car accident, she resumed her career with appearances in the film Honeysuckle Rose and various stage plays. She became the first female host of the Grand Ole Opry and released several albums, including Life's Highway (2003) and An American Classic (2020). Seely passed away on August 1, 2025.
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