page_title: Jeannie Seely
section_title: Personal life
hierarchical_section_title: Jeannie Seely / Personal life
caption_attribution_description: English: Hank Cochran depicted on a publicity picture for Ekko Records
context_page_description: Marilyn Jeanne Seely is an American country music singer, songwriter, and record producer. She also has several acting credits and published a book. Seely found success with the Grammy Award-winning hit "Don't Touch Me". Her soul-inspired vocal delivery was praised by music professionals, who gave her the nickname of "Miss Country Soul". Seely is also known for her membership and presence on the Grand Ole Opry, where she has been active for over 50 years.
  Seely was born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania. Developing an early interest in country music, she performed regularly on local radio and television stations. Following high school graduation, she worked at a local bank before moving to southern California. It was on the west coast where she rediscovered country music. Originally a secretary at Imperial Records, she soon was writing songs for the company as well. Many of these songs would be recorded by other artists. In 1965, she signed her own recording contract with Challenge Records. Seely then moved to Nashville, Tennessee to pursue a recording career. In Nashville, Seely's "Don't Touch Me" was released on Monument Records and was a major hit single.
context_section_description: Seely has been married twice. In 1969, she married her Nashville songwriter Hank Cochran. Seely respected Cochran's songwriting and legacy to the country music in community. In a 2012 interview, she spoke of Cochran's impact. "Hank was one of the writers who laid the groundwork for Music City, for writing songs that encompassed any genre of music. When you think of his songs, they could be written today," she commented. According to a 1981 article, the pair began to live separately from one another several years prior to divorcing. In 1981, the couple officially filed for divorce, but continued to remain friendly over the years. In 2010, Cochran passed away from cancer at the age of 74.
  In 2010, Seely married Nashville attorney Gene Ward. The couple live together in a home alongside the Cumberland River in Nashville. In 2018, Seely cancelled several engagements after Ward became ill. Ward was rushed to the hospital shortly before Seely was scheduled to make a Grand Ole Opry appearance. She later posted updates about Ward's condition on her social media sites. "His vitals are holding pretty steady and his breathing is much improved. Still can’t have water, which is heart wrenching to hear him ask. Has days and nights turned around so he’s resting right now," she wrote. Ward recovered from the illness and the couple renewed their wedding vows in 2019. The couple renewed their vows at sea on a country music cruise. She later spoke about the ceremony. "The reason Gene and I wanted to renew our vows is because first of all, we can...I thought it might be nice for them [her fans] to see Gene standing up there looking so sharp in his suit," Seely commented.
  Seely's home was destroyed in the 2010 Tennessee floods. As the water started to rise in her neighborhood, Seely and her husband escaped in a pickup truck, leaving valuables behind. Seely lost most possessions in her home after three feet of water had damaged the inside. "You can either laugh about it or you can cry, and I don't feel like crying," she said in a performance shortly after losing her home. Seely credited the help of local volunteers with putting her home back together a year later. "Just about that time, there was a group of young people from Hardin Valley, just this side of Knoxville, who were supposed to go to Jamaica but couldn't because there was too much violence there. So, they came here, and what a difference that group made. Those young people hit this place like a swarm of bees, they were cutting the weeds that were starting to grow, trimming the shrubbery, hauling out trash, digging up where the water had settled in the mulch," she said in a 2011 interview.
caption: Seely was first married to songwriter Hank Cochran. It was Cochran who wrote many of her biggest hits.
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