Photo Credit: Cyndi Hornsby
GRAMMY® award-winning Grand Ole Opry legend Jeannie Seely to be honored as Grand Marshal in the 38th Annual Donelson Hermitage Christmas Parade presented by Gaylord Opryland’s A Country Christmas. The event takes place on Saturday, Dec 16 at 2 P.M along Donelson Pike between Elm Hill Pike and Fifty Forward/Donelson Bowl.
Seely has been an integral part of the Donelson Hermitage community and participated in the parade for many years, as she and her husband, Gene Ward joined their family on his restored 1935 Howe Fire Truck.
She recently joined Flat River Band in a recording of a new tune for the holidays called “Christmas Time,” a festive original holiday song available now for streaming and download here.
“Although I am as disappointed as everyone else that Brenda Lee has had to cancel her appearance in our Christmas Parade, I am truly honored to step in and serve as Grand Marshal. Those are big-size 2 1/2 shoes to fill! This has been an incredibly busy season for Little Miss Dynamite celebrating her 65th Anniversary of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree” and we wish her well,” shared Jeannie Seely. “Donelson is where I live, work, shop and play and I’m proud to participate in our community activities. See you at the Parade!!!”
Donelson Hermitage Chamber Executive Director, Terri Williams Nutter stated, “We regret that Brenda Lee is unable to attend the Christmas Parade this year, but when we were made aware that she would not be able to serve as Grand Marshal, there was no other person that we would rather reach out to than our very own Grand Ole Opry Legend and Donelson resident, Jeannie Seely! We are so grateful to her.”
Stay in touch with Jeannie Seely on her website and all of her social media platforms Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Stream and download music on Apple Music/iTunes, Spotify, Amazon Music, Pandora, YouTube Music and listen to her on Sundays With Seely on SiriusXM each Sunday at 11 am CDT.
Jeannie Seely and Gene Ward on his restored 1935 Ford Howe Firetruck
About Jeannie Seely
Jeannie Seely’s deep, moving vocals earned her the nickname of “Miss Country Soul,” a title that’s still used today. An esteemed singer, songwriter, producer, actress, author and on-air personality, Seely added another title, “Doctor,” to her resume when she was awarded an honorary Doctorate of Arts from Lincoln Memorial University in 2019. The third female country artist to win a GRAMMY® and the oldest female Grammy-winning artist who is still living. She is among a select group of country artists who have scored No. 1 hits as a solo artist, duet partner and songwriter. On September 16, 1967, Seely fulfilled her lifelong dream of joining the Grand Ole Opry®, becoming the first Pennsylvania native to do so. Nearly 56 years later, Seely makes clear that it’s still a thrill and an honor each time she performs on the world-famous stage, which she has performed over 5300 times. From her 1966 Top 10 Billboard album, The Seely Style, which featured “Don’t Touch Me,” to her self-produced album, Written in Song, consisting entirely of songs she’s written and recorded for more than 10 Country Music Hall of Fame® members, Seely’s recordings have spanned seven decades. Seely first appeared on the Billboard charts in 1966, continued to score entries for 13 consecutive years on various Billboard charts, and as recently as 2022, has had a presence on the MusicRow charts. Seely also garnered a No. 1 on the Record World Country Singles chart in 1971 and a No. 1 on the Bluegrass Today chart in 2019. In his 2003 book, Finding Her Voice: The Saga of Women in Country Music, music critic Robert K. Oermann wrote, “With her chin-out, tough/tender, heart-of-gold manner, Jeannie Seely remains one of Country’s most completely modern female personalities,” and that statement still holds true. With a strong social media following and over four million views on her YouTube channel, Seely continues expanding her international presence as music sales and fans’ messages pour in. She appeared in Willie Nelson’s movie Honeysuckle Rose and sang on the film’s RIAA® platinum-certified soundtrack, and for the past four years, Seely has hosted her own show, Sundays with Seely, on SiriusXM’s Willie’s Roadhouse. She also served as a disc jockey on her own Armed Forces Network Show, which launched after her tour abroad for the troops. She continues to receive letters of appreciation from American soldiers for her support. She is also a fierce advocate for musicians’ rights and takes much pride in her involvement and support for the cause. Nelson, along with Rhonda Vincent, Bill Anderson, Lorrie Morgan, Ray Stevens and many more of her friends, joined Seely for her most recent recording project on Curb Records, An American Classic, which has seen rave reviews and three radio releases. Most recently, Seely recently won the Song of the Year Award at the Arkansas Country Music Awards and was honored with the Mississippi Career Achievement Award at the Mississippi Music Awards. Keep up with all things Jeannie Seely at www.jeannieseely.com.
ABOUT THE DONELSON HERMITAGE CHAMBER OF COMMERCE:
The Donelson-Hermitage Chamber of Commerce was founded in February 1977 with membership consisting of a few business leaders in the community. The Chamber now boasts a membership of nearly 400 businesses, individuals and organizations and is one of the largest and most active organizations in the Greater Nashville area. Our goal is to promote and grow our memberships to ensure that the communities of Donelson and Hermitage remain a great place to live and work.
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