"Miss Country Soul"

On the night of September 16, 1967, Jeannie Seely marked an important milestone in her music career by joining the world-famous Grand Ole Opry. The distinctive-voiced lady referred to as "Miss Country Soul" became the first - and to date, the only - Pennsylvania native to become an Opry member.

Today Jeannie makes clear that it's still a thrill and an honor each time she performs on the Opry stage. "I feel very fortunate to be part of the Opry tradition," the Grammy-winning singer says, "and I truly am indebted to all the wonderful fans that have supported me over the years."

Jeannie Seely is among a select group of country artists who have scored No. 1 hits as a solo artist, as a duet partner and as a songwriter.

Born on July 6, 1940, in Titusville, Pennsylvania - the town where the world's very first oil well was drilled in 1859 - Jeannie grew up as the youngest of Leo and Irene Seely's four children. The family's two-story farmhouse still stands along a dirt road outside of nearby Townville, a community of about 300 folks located in the northwestern corner of the Keystone State.