Nashville, Tenn. (March 28, 2025) — Sony Music Publishing Nashville honors iconic country star Jeannie Seely this Women’s History Month by bringing three reimagined songs to fans through collaborations with rising female country artists. The series, which launched on March 14 with “Let’s Get Together” featuring Mae Estes, continues throughout the month with the release of “Who Needs You” with Hannah Dasher and Tiera Kennedy (which dropped last Friday) and with “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand)” with Madeline Edwards arriving today, March 28.Seely, a Grand Ole Opry legend known as ‘Miss Country Soul,’ has performed 5,397 times on the Opry stage throughout her 57-year tenure. Her expansive career as a songwriter and performer began with her 1966 hit “Don’t Touch Me” and continues to endure today, cementing her legacy as an influential mentor for female artists at the Opry and beyond.
“What an honor to be a part of this exciting new Sony Music Publishing production with Chelsea Kent,” says Seely. ”It is one thing to have your old copyrights reinvented in a fresh light, but yet another to be included on the recordings as well! It has been a joy to work with some of the brightest and most talented young artists and musicians who are leading our industry into the future.”
“We are honored to represent Jeannie Seely and her incredible catalog of songs,” explains Rusty Gaston, CEO, Sony Music Publishing Nashville. “She is a genre-defining artist and songwriter who has continued to be one of the greatest mentors across multiple generations of country music. This project showcases our team’s unique ability to bring value to our songwriters in innovative ways, and we are grateful for Jeannie’s partnership on these exciting new releases.”
Newly recorded by Estes, the project’s first release, “Let’s Get Together,” is an unreleased song written by Seely and Glen Campbell. Discovered by SMP catalog expert Dale Bobo in Sony Music Publishing Nashville’s tape room, this hidden gem has been revitalized through modern technology by engineer Jason Hall, enabling a new artist to join the recording.
The second release, “Who Needs You,” is a fun and rowdy track that’s already an Opry favorite and is perfect for a girls’ night out. Solely written by Seely and recorded at Sony Tree Studio A, the track features Seely, Dasher and Kennedy and is produced by multi-year ACM Electric Guitar Player of the Year Rob McNelley.
The final installment arrives today with “Anyone Who Knows What Love Is (Will Understand),” which features Seely and Opry Next inductee Edwards. Co-produced by Edwards and McNelley, the release brings a fresh perspective to the iconic R&B hit.
About Jeannie Seely
Early in Jeannie Seely’s career, music industry professionals praised her soul-inspired vocals, which resulted in her being named “Miss Country Soul” – a title still used today. In 2019, Seely was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts from Lincoln Memorial University for her many groundbreaking accomplishments in the music industry. Born and raised in northwestern Pennsylvania, Seely received the “Most Promising Female Artist” award in 1964 from the Country and Western Academy (later becoming the Academy of Country Music). A year later, Seely moved to Nashville, where she signed with Monument Records, and her chart-topping hit “Don’t Touch Me” resulted in her becoming only the third female country artist to receive a Grammy Award. After receiving the “Most Promising New Artist” awards from Cashbox, Record World, and Billboard, Seely appeared on Billboard’s country singles chart for 13 consecutive years. On September 16, 1967, she was inducted as a world-famous Grand Ole Opry member. She was the first Pennsylvania native to become an Opry member and later became the first female to regularly host Opry segments. Widely recognized for changing the image of female country performers, she became the first person to wear a mini-skirt on the Opry stage. Seely formed one of the most successful duets and road shows in country music history with fellow Opry member Jack Greene. In 2022, the Grand Ole Opry honored her for the most performances in the Opry’s history, a record that will almost certainly remain intact forever. A BMI-awarded songwriter, Seely’s songs have been recorded by Country Music Hall of Fame members, including Dottie West, Merle Haggard, Connie Smith, Ray Price, Willie Nelson, Faron Young, Ernest Tubb, Little Jimmy Dickens, and Hank Williams Jr. – as well as by artists ranging from Irma Thomas (the “Soul Queen of New Orleans”) to Rhonda Vincent (the “Queen of Bluegrass”), from Chris LeDoux to Moe Bandy, and from Boys II Men to Seal. The star of significant stage productions including Always, Patsy Cline, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, and several others, Seely has served as a radio disc jockey on her own Armed Forces Network, traveled on military tours throughout Europe and Asia, and published her book titled Pieces Of A Puzzled Mind. Recordings by Seely have spanned seven decades, from her Top 10 Billboard album The Seely Style to her Curb Records album An American Classic, which includes her third duet with friend Willie Nelson. She appeared in Willie’s movie Honeysuckle Rose and sang on the platinum soundtrack album. In 2018, she began hosting her weekly show, “Sundays with Seely,” on the Willie’s Roadhouse channel of SiriusXM. In 2018, she was inducted into the Music City Walk of Fame, representing all music genres. At the inaugural Influencing Women Awards Gala in 2019, the first “Standing Ovation Award” was presented to Seely, and her name was added to the annual award. In 2022 , she was recognized on the nationally televised Country Music Association (CMA) Awards Show, in 2023 she received the CMA’s prestigious Joe Talbot Award, and in 2024 she was honored by SOURCE with the esteemed Jo Walker-Meador Lifetime Achievement Award. Following Seely’s 5,381st performance on the Grand Ole Opry in September 2024, the “Jeannie Seely Interchange” was dedicated at the Briley Parkway exit to the Grand Ole Opry House.
For more information on Jeannie Seely, visit jeannieseely.com.
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