Jeannie Seely and Dottie West were famous friends in country music decades before Chris Young and Kane Brown turned the phrase into a multi-week No. 1 hit.
West recorded Seeley’s song “Suffer Time” in 1966. Nearly 60 years later, Seeley wanted to re-record a song he had written, and Seeley released a new version of “Suffer Time” on July 19.
At 84, Jeannie Seely is the oldest woman working in country music. With decades of experience in the genre, she has decades of memories to draw from. Some of her favorite songs feature Dottie West. On the day of the release of “Suffertime,” Seely shared some of her favorite classic country music memories with American Songwriter magazine.
Jeannie Seely says boredom leads to mayhem
“We spent a lot of time together, and I think everyone’s imaginations came up with tricks to play on each other, jokes, and things to do to break the monotony and entertain ourselves,” she said. “Those are some of my favorite memories from my time on the road. A lot of my favorite memories are with Dottie West. Dottie and I were very close, and we exchanged clothes and accessories.”
Seeley couldn’t wait for the bus to stop.
Some of Seeley’s favorite times date back to package shows starring Bill Anderson, Jim Ed Brown, Helen Cornelius, Del Reeves and Jan Howard.
“I went there by bus,” Seeley recalls. “The old package shows would usually have the biggest headliner of the day, then a strong supporting act, and then a new act at the end. Usually a bluegrass or gospel group would close out the show. I loved those shows. But when we got to the venue, the bus driver couldn’t stop the bus, the brakes hit, and everyone got off the bus and ran to other buses to meet their friends, and I just laughed.”
When Jeannie Seely wore a tablecloth on stage
Seely remembers playing a fair in Florida with Del Reeves. As Reeves sang his hit “Girl on a Billboard,” Seely wrapped herself in a white paper tablecloth and walked on stage behind Reeves. The audience erupted in laughter, Seely said.
“I was walking on stage behind him and the whole audience was laughing,” Seeley said. “He couldn’t see me. Every time he turned one way I’d be behind him so he couldn’t see me, and when he turned the other way I’d step back.”
Reeves didn’t notice her until she crossed the stage.
The Dirty Business of Identity Theft
Years ago, tour buses had signs on the front showing which artists were on board, and when West’s bus got dirty or broke down, Seely would put his own name on it.
“It was always something fun,” Seely said. “She was like, ‘I didn’t want it to seem like it was me.'”
Retribution is severe
West may have put Seely’s name on a filthy bus, but one night in Illinois, Seely took West’s microphone and walked out onstage to sing the first song. The two were playing at different venues, and after Seely’s show ended, she headed out to West’s second set at the Flame Club. Seely walked in through the back door and asked West’s guitar player what the first song was; he replied, “Night Train to Memphis.”
“When they announced it, I reached over and took Dottie’s microphone and came out on stage to sing ‘Night Train to Memphis,'” Seeley said. “The audience said, ‘You’re not Dottie West.’ Everybody was cheering, and then the applause got quieter and quieter, and I said, ‘Wait a minute, that’s not Dottie.’ So I said, ‘Oh, excuse me. Yes, you were expecting Dottie West,’ and I reintroduced her. We had a lot of fun.”
