Georgia on My Mind

For other uses, see Georgia on My Mind (disambiguation).

Georgia on My Mind

State song of Georgia
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 by Hoagy 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(s)	Hoagy Carmichael
Lyricist(s)	Stuart Gorrell

"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and first recorded that same year by Carmichael at the RCA Victor Studios at 155 East 24th Street in New York City. The song has been most often associated with singer Ray Charles, who was a native of the U.S. state of Georgia in The South of the United States, and recorded it for his 1960 album The Genius Hits the Road .

In 1979, the State of Georgia through its General Assembly of Georgia (state legislature), designated Charles' version the official state song. ^{[2] [3]} The song has become part of the Great American Songbook tradition. ^{[4] [5]}

"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 Charles. The second induction happened in 2014 for the earlier 1930 recording on the RCA Victor label by Carmichael and His Orchestra. ^[6]

The original 1930 composition will enter the American public domain on January 1, 2026. ^[a]

Background and original recording

It is generally asserted that composer Hoagy Carmichael wrote the song about his sister, Georgia. ^{[7] [8]} However, Carmichael wrote in his memoir Sometimes I Wonder that saxophonist Frankie 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 the U.S. Copyright Office, but Carmichael sent him royalty checks afterwards anyway. ^[4]

Carmichael first recorded "Georgia on My Mind", with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, 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]

Ray Charles version and Georgia state connection

"Georgia on My Mind"
Single by Ray Charles
from the album The Genius Hits the Road
B-side	"Carry Me Back to Old Virginny"
Released	September 1960 (1960-09)
Recorded	May 1960
Genre	Soul [10] orchestral pop [10] country [11]
Length	3:35
Label	ABC-Paramount (USA) Stateside (UK)
Composer(s)	Hoagy Carmichael
Lyricist(s)	Stuart Gorrell
Producer(s)	Sid Feller
Ray Charles singles chronology
"Tell the Truth" (1960) "Georgia on My Mind" (1960) "Ruby" (1960)

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 the Billboard magazine Hot 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
US Billboard Hot 100 [18]	1

Chart (2013)	Peak position
France (SNEP) [19]	117

In 1977, Robert Grossman, James Picker and Craig Whitaker created a clay animation short, Jimmy the C , in which U.S. President Jimmy 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 series Designing Women used an instrumental version of "Georgia on My Mind" as its opening theme. During the opening credits of the show's sixth 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 and Meshach Taylor) watched him.

In 2003, Rolling Stone magazine named the Ray Charles version of "Georgia on My Mind" the 44th greatest song of all time. ^{[4] [14]}

The original lyrics, including the commonly excised introductory verse, are in the Georgia Code under license. ^{[2] [3]}

Ella Fitzgerald version

In 1962, famed jazz singer Ella Fitzgerald released a rendition of the song, produced by Norman Granz, on the album Ella Swings Gently with Nelson. ^[23]

The Hawks/The Band version

"Georgia on My Mind"
Single by the Band
B-side	"The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down"
Released	November 1976
Length	3:55
Label	Capitol
Composer(s)	Hoagy Carmichael
Lyricist(s)	Stuart Gorrell
Producer(s)	The Band
The Band singles chronology
"Twilight" (1976) "Georgia on My Mind" (1976) "Theme from The Last Waltz " (1978)

The song was a standard at performances by Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks, ^[4] where it was sung by pianist Richard Manuel after 1964. When The Hawks broke up and formed The Band, they kept the song in their repertoire. They recorded a studio version of the song for Jimmy Carter's presidential bid in 1976. It was released as a single that year as well as on their 1977 album Islands . ^[24]

Willie Nelson version

"Georgia on My Mind"
Single by Willie Nelson
from the album Stardust
B-side	"On the Sunny Side of the Street"
Released	March 25, 1978
Recorded	1977
Genre	Country
Length	3:55
Label	Columbia
Composer(s)	Hoagy Carmichael
Lyricist(s)	Stuart Gorrell
Producer(s)	Sid Feller
Willie Nelson singles chronology
"I Love You a Thousand Ways" (1977) "Georgia on My Mind" (1978) "Blue Skies" (1978)

Willie Nelson recorded the song on Stardust , 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
US Hot Country Songs ( Billboard ) [27]	1
US Billboard Hot 100 [28]	84
Canadian RPM Country Tracks	1
Canadian RPM Top Singles	86
Canadian RPM Adult Contemporary Tracks	16

See also

• List of 1930s jazz standards
• Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps
• Atlanta CV Drum and Bugle Corps

References

1. Library of Congress. Copyright Office. (1931). Catalog of Copyright Entries, 1931 Musical Compositions For the Year 1931 New Series Vol 26 Part 3. United States Copyright Office. U.S. Govt. Print. Off.
2. "State Song". Georgia Secretary of State. September 5, 2008. Archived from the original on September 5, 2008. Retrieved March 18, 2015.
3. "History – Joint Resolution of the Georgia General Assembly designating "Georgia on My Mind"". GeorgiaInfo. April 24, 1979. Archived from the original on October 18, 2017. Retrieved June 3, 2017.
4. Gioia, Ted (2012). The Jazz Standards: A Guide to the Repertoire. New York City: Oxford University Press. pp. 122–124. ISBN   978-0-19-993739-4.
5. Oney, Tish (July 28, 2017). ""Georgia On My Mind" by Hoagy Carmichael". All About Jazz. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
6. "GRAMMY Hall Of Fame". grammy.com. Archived from the original on May 15, 2024.
7. "Song Composer's Sister Wedded". The Oakland Post Enquirer. November 16, 1942. p. 5. Archived from the original on October 8, 2023. Retrieved October 1, 2023– via newspapers.com.
8. Fox, Cen. "Georgia On My Mind by Ray Charles in Georgia". Song Places. Archived from the original on April 11, 2018. Retrieved July 7, 2016.
9. Gioia, Ted (2021). The jazz standards: a guide to the repertoire (Second ed.). New York: Oxford University Press. ISBN   978-0-19-008717-3.
10. Breihan, Tom (November 15, 2022). "The Supremes - "Where Did Our Love Go". The Number Ones: Twenty Chart-Topping Hits That Reveal the History of Pop Music. New York: Hachette Book Group. pp. 61–62.
11. Stanley, Bob (September 13, 2013). "This Is My Prayer: The Birth of Soul". Yeah Yeah Yeah: The Story of Modern Pop. Faber & Faber. p. 158. ISBN   978-0-571-28198-5.
12. "Ray Charles: "Georgia On My Mind"". COMO News and Radio. November 15, 2024. Retrieved November 28, 2024.
13. "29 Black Music Milestones: Ray Charles' 'Georgia' Becomes State Song". Billboard. February 12, 2011. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
14. "500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Rolling Stone. April 7, 2011. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
15. Maillot, Elodie (February 26, 2021). ""Georgia on My Mind": the spirit of Ray Charles returns to the south". PAM - Pan African Music. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
16. "Ray Charles – Georgia on My Mind" (in French). Ultratop 50.
17. "Official Singles Chart Top 100". Official Charts Company.
18. "Ray Charles Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.
19. "Ray Charles – Georgia on My Mind" (in French). Le classement de singles.
20. McCall, Douglas L. (September 11, 2015). Film Cartoons: A Guide to 20th Century American Animated Features and Shorts. McFarland. ISBN   9781476609669 – via Google Books.
21. "About | ROBERT GROSSMAN". robertgrossman.
22. "1977 Academy Awards". InfoPlease. Archived from the original on February 28, 2011.
23. "Ella 101: Georgia On My Mind (Day 26 of 101)". WYSO. Retrieved March 31, 2022.
24. Morris, Chris, Liner Notes to Islands CD release
25. "Georgia on My Mind (song by Willie Nelson)". musicvf.com. May 27, 1978. Retrieved July 26, 2016.
26. "Willie Nelson | Artist | GRAMMY.com". grammy.com.
27. "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot Country Songs)". Billboard.
28. "Willie Nelson Chart History (Hot 100)". Billboard.

1. Under R205347 and Title 17 of the US Code.