Song of the Day Jan 9

January 9, 2024

This month I’m focusing on some great hits from the 60s.

Today our song is:  Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles

Wikipedia tells us this about the song:

"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and first recorded that same year by Hoagy Carmichael. However, the song has been most often associated with soul singer Ray Charles, who was a native of the U.S. state of Georgia and recorded it for his 1960 album The Genius Hits the Road.

In 1979, the State of Georgia designated Ray Charles' version the official state song. The song has become part of the Great American Songbook tradition.

"Georgia on My Mind" has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame twice. The first induction was in 1993 for the 1960 recording on the ABC-Paramount label by Ray Charles. The second induction happened in 2014 for the 1930 recording on the Victor label by Hoagy Carmichael And His Orchestra.

It has been asserted that Hoagy Carmichael wrote the song about his sister, Georgia. But Carmichael wrote in his second autobiography Sometimes I Wonder that saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer told him he should write a song about the state of Georgia. He jokingly volunteered the first two words, "Georgia, Georgia...", which Carmichael ended up using while working on the song with his roommate, Stuart Gorrell, who wrote the lyrics. Gorrell's name was absent from the copyright, but Carmichael sent him royalty checks anyway.

Carmichael recorded "Georgia on My Mind", with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, in New York City on September 15, 1930.

Enjoy!