State song ofGeorgia | |
| Lyrics | Stuart Gorrell (1901–1963), 1930 |
|---|---|
| Music | Hoagy Carmichael (1899–1981), 1930 |
| Published | December 22, 1930; 94 years ago (1930-12-22)Southern Music Publishing Co., Inc.[1] |
| Adopted | 1979; 46 years ago (1979) |
| "Georgia on My Mind" | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Single byHoagy Carmichael and his Orchestra | |
| Language | English |
| B-side | "One Night in Havana" |
| Released | 1930 (1930) |
| Recorded | September 15, 1930 |
| Studio | RCA Victor,New York City |
| Genre | Traditional pop |
| Label | Victor |
| Composer | Hoagy Carmichael |
| Lyricist | Stuart Gorrell |
"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written byHoagy Carmichael andStuart Gorrell, and first recorded that same year by Carmichael at theRCA Victor Studios at 155 East 24th Street in New York City. The song has been most often associated with singerRay Charles, who was a native of theU.S. state of Georgia inThe South of the United States, and recorded it for his 1960 albumThe Genius Hits the Road.
In 1979, the State of Georgia through itsGeneral Assembly of Georgia (state legislature), designated Charles' version the officialstate song.[2][3] The song has become part of theGreat American Songbook tradition.[4][5]
"Georgia on My Mind" has been inducted into theGrammy Hall of Fame twice. The first induction was in 1993 for the 1960 recording on the ABC-Paramount label by Charles. The second induction happened in 2014 for the earlier 1930 recording on theRCA Victor label by Carmichael and His Orchestra.[6]
The original 1930 composition will enter the American public domain on January 1, 2026.[a]
It is generally asserted that composerHoagy Carmichael wrote the song about his sister, Georgia.[7][8] However, Carmichael wrote in his memoirSometimes I Wonder that saxophonistFrankie Trumbauer suggested he should write a song called "Georgia", stating that no one ever lost anything writing about the "South" - never mentioning his sister.
Trumbauer even gave him the first two words, "Georgia, Georgia...", which Carmichael ended up using while working later on the song with his roommate,Stuart Gorrell. Gorrell's name was absent from the copyright application papers submitted to theU.S. Copyright Office, but Carmichael sent him royalty checks afterwards anyway.[4]
Carmichael first recorded "Georgia on My Mind", withBix Beiderbecke oncornet, in New York City on September 15, 1930.[4]
All four had no connection to the state of Georgia. Trumbauer was from Illinois, Carmichael and Gorrell were both from Indiana, and Beiderbecke was from Iowa.[9]
| "Georgia on My Mind" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 | ||||
| Single byRay Charles | ||||
| from the albumThe Genius Hits the Road | ||||
| B-side | "Carry Me Back to Old Virginny" | |||
| Released | September 1960 (1960-09) | |||
| Recorded | May 1960 | |||
| Genre | ||||
| Length | 3:35 | |||
| Label | ABC-Paramount (USA) Stateside (UK) | |||
| Composer | Hoagy Carmichael | |||
| Lyricist | Stuart Gorrell | |||
| Producer | Sid Feller | |||
| Ray Charles singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Over the coming years, the song would be recorded by many artists: Louis Armstrong, Coleman Hawkins, Mildred Bailey. Decades later it would be recorded by "swing" artists like Fats Waller, Django Reinhart, and Ethel Waters and "big bands" like Artie Shaw and Glen Miller.
It was not till 1960 (30 years after its release), Ray Charles recorded his version of the song that went to No. 1 on theBillboard magazineHot 100.[4][12] Charles' hit rendition would become the most widely-known version of the tune from this time on.[13][4][14][15] Charles being born in Albany, Georgia along with his stellar performance, likely cemented the Georgia state connection.[9]
| Chart (1960–1961) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| Belgium (Ultratop 50 Wallonia)[16] | 47 |
| UK Singles (OCC)[17] | 24 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[18] | 1 |
| Chart (2013) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| France (SNEP)[19] | 117 |
In 1977,Robert Grossman, James Picker and Craig Whitaker created aclay animation short,Jimmy the C, in which U.S. PresidentJimmy Carter sings in Ray Charles' version of the song.[20][21][22]
In 1979, the song was designated the State Song of Georgia, and Charles was invited to perform it at the state capitol.[3][13]
The TV seriesDesigning Women used an instrumental version of "Georgia on My Mind" as its opening theme. During the opening credits of the show'ssixth season in 1991, Charles performed his version of the song live on piano while the show's main cast (Dixie Carter,Annie Potts,Julia Duffy,Jan Hooks andMeshach Taylor) watched him.
In 2003,Rolling Stone magazine named the Ray Charles version of "Georgia on My Mind" the44th greatest song of all time.[4][14]
The original lyrics, including the commonly excised introductory verse, are in theGeorgia Code under license.[2][3]
In 1962, famed jazz singerElla Fitzgerald released a rendition of the song, produced byNorman Granz, on the albumElla Swings Gently with Nelson.[23]
| "Georgia on My Mind" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single bythe Band | ||||
| B-side | "The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down" | |||
| Released | November 1976 | |||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | Capitol | |||
| Composer | Hoagy Carmichael | |||
| Lyricist | Stuart Gorrell | |||
| Producer | The Band | |||
| The Band singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
The song was a standard at performances byRonnie Hawkins and The Hawks,[4] where it was sung by pianistRichard Manuel after 1964. When The Hawks broke up and formedThe Band, they kept the song in their repertoire. They recorded a studio version of the song forJimmy Carter's presidential bid in 1976. It was released as a single that year as well as on their 1977 albumIslands.[24]
| "Georgia on My Mind" | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Single byWillie Nelson | ||||
| from the albumStardust | ||||
| B-side | "On the Sunny Side of the Street" | |||
| Released | March 25, 1978 | |||
| Recorded | 1977 | |||
| Genre | Country | |||
| Length | 3:55 | |||
| Label | Columbia | |||
| Composer | Hoagy Carmichael | |||
| Lyricist | Stuart Gorrell | |||
| Producer | Sid Feller | |||
| Willie Nelson singles chronology | ||||
| ||||
Willie Nelson recorded the song onStardust, his 1978 album of standards.[4] It was released as single, peaked at No. 1 for a single week, and ranked for sixteen weeks on Billboard’s country charts.[25] Nelson's version won him a Grammy Award in 1979 at the 21st Annual Grammy Awards for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.[26]
| Chart (1978) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| USHot Country Songs (Billboard)[27] | 1 |
| USBillboard Hot 100[28] | 84 |
| CanadianRPM Country Tracks | 1 |
| CanadianRPM Top Singles | 86 |
| CanadianRPM Adult Contemporary Tracks | 16 |
| Studio albums | |
|---|---|
| Posthumous studio creations | |
| Live albums | |
| Notable compilations | |
| Billboard Hot 100 top 10 singles | |
| OtherBillboard Charts #1 singles | |
| Grammy Awarded Works (not included above) | |
| See also | |
