Nashville, Tenn. (July 23, 2024) — “Suffertime,” a new single by GRAMMY Award-winning vocalist and Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely, is available now for download and streaming on digital platforms. Released last Friday, July 19, “Suffertime” was created at historic RCA Studio B. The audio recording is accompanied by a music video (exclusively premiered by People.com) as well as a 40-minute documentary, both available now on Seely’s YouTube channel.
As the oldest actively working female in country music and with recordings spanning seven decades, Seely continues her roles as a songwriter and producer and as a host of her weekly “Sundays with Seely” SiriusXM show. Additionally, she continues to entertain on the Grand Ole Opry where she has made more performances than any other artist in the Opry’s history.
Seely’s first Nashville recording session was held at RCA Studio B. With “Suffertime,” Seely established a new record for the vocalist with the longest timespan (59 years) between recording sessions at the historic studio on Music Row.
“I was told a long time ago that you can’t hide a great song and I think that is true,” explains Seely. “I accidentally came upon one of my favorite songs that Dottie and Bill West wrote which Dottie recorded as an album cut in 1966. We pulled it down to country blues and then decided to record it at historic RCA Studio B where Dottie herself recorded. The reaction from the fans for our live performances has been fantastic, so we hope you like it as much as we do! And a special thank you is extended to RCA Studio B and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum!”
Seely requested that her “Suffertime” recording be produced by fellow Opry member Steve Wariner, a GRAMMY, CMA, and ACM Award-winning singer and songwriter. GRAMMY and ACM Award-winning Julian King was the lead engineer assisted by Studio B’s Diana Walsh and Carly Flatau.
“What a lucky guy,” exclaims Wariner. “First, being asked by country music legend Jeannie Seely, ‘Miss Country Soul,’ to produce her track – you could stop right there. But how amazing for the song to be one written and originally recorded by my mentor, boss, and dear friend Dottie West, and then to record it at the world-famous RCA Studio B with great musicians, super engineers and Jeannie’s awesome interpretation. So very proud to be part of this, as the historical threads running through it are so heartwarming! I can’t stop smiling thinking about it!”
Musicians on “Suffertime” include Country Music Hall of Fame members Charlie McCoy (harmonica) and Eddie Bayers (drums), along with Randy Hart (piano and session leader), Danny Davis (bass), Dug Grieves (guitar), Eddy Dunlap (steel guitar), and Ryan Joseph (fiddle). Backing vocals were provided by Opry singers Marty Slayton, Mica Roberts, Rod Fletcher, and Tony King.
Stream / download “Suffertime”HERE.
About Jeannie Seely
Early in her career, Jeannie Seely’s soul-inspired vocals were praised by music industry professionals and resulted Seely being named “Miss Country Soul,” a title still used today. Ken Burns of PBS called Seely’s voice “emotion packed” in a biography of her music. In 2019 Seely added the title of “Doctor” to her name when she was awarded an honorary Doctor of Arts from Lincoln Memorial University for her many groundbreaking accomplishments in the music industry and her support and encouragement of new talent. After moving from her home state of Pennsylvania to California, 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 Seely becoming only the third female country artist to receive a Grammy Award. Seely received Most Promising New Artist awards from Cashbox, Record World, and Billboard, and went on to score records on Billboard’s country singles chart for 13 consecutive years. On September 16, 1967, Seely was inducted as a member of the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. She was the first Pennsylvania native to become an Opry member, and then later became the first female to regularly host Opry segments. Widely recognized for changing the image of female country performers, Seely became the first person to wear a mini skirt on the Opry stage. Seely made history again in 2022 by being named the artist with the most performances in the Grand Ole Opry’s history. To date she has performed over 5,300 times. 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,” and from Boys II Men to Seal. Seely’s composition titled “Yours” was named “Song of the Year” at the 2022 Arkansas Country Music Awards. The star of major stage productions including Always, Patsy Cline, The Best Little Whorehouse In Texas, and several others, Seely also appeared in the movie Changing Hearts. Seely has served as a radio disc jockey on her own Armed Forces Network, traveled on military tours throughout Europe and Asia, published her own book titled Pieces Of A Puzzled Mind, and received her own “Star” in the Music City Walk of Fame which represents all genres of music. Seely’s recordings 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. Seely appeared in Nelson’s movie Honeysuckle Rose and sang on the platinum soundtrack album. In 2018 Seely began hosting her own weekly show “Sundays with Seely” on the Willie’s Roadhouse channel of SiriusXM. At the inaugural Influencing Women Awards Gala in 2019, Seely was presented the first “Standing Ovation Award,” and then Seely’s name was added to the award. In 2022, she was recognized on the nationally-televised Country Music Association (CMA) Awards Show, and in 2023 she received the CMA’s prestigious Joe Talbot Award. This August, she will be honored by SOURCE with the esteemed Jo Walker-Meador Lifetime Achievement Award.
For more information on Jeannie Seely, visit jeannieseely.com.
About RCA Studio B
Historic RCA Studio B is among the most significant recording spaces in the world. The studio was the incubator for hit after hit in the country and pop markets, and it’s where many artists — including Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Roy Orbison, the Everly Brothers, Jim Reeves, Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson, Charley Pride, Connie Smith, Dottie West, Floyd Cramer, and others — made some of their most important records. It was also the home base for Country Music Hall of Fame member Chet Atkins, a virtuoso guitarist and influential record producer. Built in 1957, RCA Studio B became known as a birthplace for the “Nashville Sound,” a style of country music characterized by smooth instrumentation, background vocals, and string sections that helped establish Nashville as an international recording center. Significantly, RCA Studio B is where the “Nashville number system” — a shorthand notation for a song’s chord progressions using numbers and symbols instead of notes — was refined by Country Music Hall of Fame members Neil Matthews of the Jordanaires and Charlie McCoy. Preservation of historic RCA Studio B is made possible through a partnership between the Mike Curb Family Foundation and the Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum. In 2002, the foundation philanthropically purchased historic RCA Studio B, making it possible for the Museum to provide studio tours in support of its educational mission.
