PRINTER'S NO. 1470
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE RESOLUTION
No.
259
Session of
2017
INTRODUCED BY RAPP, CALTAGIRONE, DiGIROLAMO, DUSH, HENNESSEY,
MACKENZIE, MILLARD, NEILSON, READSHAW, ROZZI, SONNEY, TOOHIL,
VITALI, WARD AND SANKEY, APRIL 18, 2017
INTRODUCED AS NONCONTROVERSIAL RESOLUTION UNDER RULE 35,
APRIL 18, 2017
A RESOLUTION
Honoring Jeannie Seely on her 50th anniversary of being a member
of the Grand Ole Opry.
WHEREAS, Jeannie Seely was born in Titusville, Pennsylvania,
grew up on a farm outside of Townville, Pennsylvania, and was a
precocious talent who went from singing with her mother every
Saturday morning while the two baked bread together to
performing on local radio by 11 years of age and appearing on
local television by 16 years of age; and
WHEREAS, When Ms. Seely was barely tall enough to reach the
dial on her family's Philco console radio she was tuning in to
the Grand Ole Opry on WSM 650 and as a teenager she would sit in
her family's car eating popcorn and listening to the Grand Ole
Opry while her parents played cards with friends; and
WHEREAS, When Ms. Seely was 16, she appeared on WICU, a
television station in Erie, Pennsylvania; and
WHEREAS, After a stint in California Ms. Seely moved to
Nashville, Tennessee, with only $50 and a Ford Falcon to her
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name, however, within a month, Porter Wagoner hired her as the
female singer for his road and television series; and
WHEREAS, Though Ms. Seely was initially turned down by every
record label in town, her big break came when a recording
contract was offered by Monument Records; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Seely recorded her legendary song "Don't Touch
Me" soon after signing her contract, and the song debuted on the
country music charts where it stayed for more than five months;
and
WHEREAS, Ms. Seely was honored with the 1966 Grammy Award for
Best Country and Western Vocal Performance by a Female, edging
out Loretta Lynn, Dottie West, Jan Howard and Connie Smith to
become the third female country artist to receive the coveted
award; and
WHEREAS, Today, "Don't Touch Me" is considered a standard in
country music and Ms. Seely's recording of the song is ranked
No. 97 in the book Heartaches By the Number: Country Music's 500
Greatest Singles and included in the book The Stories Behind
Country Music's All-Time Greatest 100 Songs; and
WHEREAS, Several notable artists across genres have gone on
to record the song, including Tammy Wynette, George Jones and
Etta James; and
WHEREAS, After the success of her debut single, Jeannie Seely
began singing and touring with Jack Greene and the two would
become one of the most successful duos and road shows in country
music history, doing much to promote country music to wider
audiences around the world; and
WHEREAS, On September 16, 1967, Jeannie Seely saw her
childhood dream come true when she became a member of the Grand
Ole Opry; the first Pennsylvania native to be invited to become
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a member, she was also the first female to regularly host Opry
segments; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Seely has penned songs for other artists over
the years, including Merle Haggard, Ray Price, Ernest Tubb and
Lorrie Morgan; and
WHEREAS, Rhythm and blues artist Irma Thomas scored a
national pop hit with Jeannie Seely's song "Anyone Who Knows
What Love Is"; and
WHEREAS, In addition to Ms. Seely's success in the music
industry, she is quite an accomplished actress, appearing in
several major stage productions, including Always, Patsy Cline
and The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas; and
WHEREAS, Ms. Seely also appeared in Willie Nelson's movie
"Honeysuckle Rose" and performed on the film's platinum-selling
soundtrack; and
WHEREAS, On January 13, 2017, Ms. Seely released her 16th
album, Written in Song, which featured 14 songs that were either
written or cowritten by the artist; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives honor Jeannie
Seely on her 50th anniversary of being a member of the Grand Ole
Opry.
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