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Georgia on My Mind ( 1930 )

More on This Tune Listen and Compare Audio samples are below the video player. J.J. Johnson Jimmy Smith Shirley Horn Red McKenzie Hoagy Carmichael More on This Tune Video Playlist Origin and Chart Information AKAGeorgia Rank 44 Music Hoagy Carmichael Lyrics Stuart Gorrell

By 1930 Hoagy Carmichael had already written more than a dozen songs. His most famous work, “Star Dust” (1929), had been published and recorded but had yet to find success. Working at an investment company in New York, Carmichael was composing in his spare time and wrote “Georgia on My Mind” at the suggestion of friend and saxophonist Frankie Trumbauer, a musician and bandleader sometimes credited as the “grandfather of modern jazz.”

According to Richard Sudhalter in his Carmichael biography, Stardust Melody: The Life and Music of Hoagy Carmichael , Trumbauer asked Carmichael, “Why don’t you write a song about Georgia? Nobody ever lost money writing songs about the South.” Carmichael followed the advice, with Stuart Gorrell thinking of the title and helping out with the lyrics.

Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra recorded the new song on September 15, 1930, in a Victor studio session. His “orchestra” was an all-star lineup of musicians:

Hoagy (vocal); Bix Beiderbecke (cornet), Ray Lodwig (trumpet); Jack Teagarden; Boyce Cullen (trombone); Jimmy Dorsey (clarinet/alto sax); ‘Bud’ Freeman (tenor sax); ‘Pee Wee’ Russell (alto sax); Irving Brodsky (piano); Joe Venuti (violin); Eddie Lang (guitar), Min Leibrook (bass sax), Chauncey Morehouse (drums).

This recording did not turn out to be a hit, but success was just around the corner. In 1931, a pivotal and bittersweet year for Carmichael, “Star Dust” would appear on the pop charts five times, and “Georgia on My Mind” would become a number ten hit. But the good news was mixed with the bad; his college friend Bill Moenkhaus and fellow musician Bix Beiderbecke would both die at the age of twenty-eight.

The first chart appearance of “Georgia on My Mind” was courtesy of Frankie Trumbauer, the man who had suggested the song idea to Carmichael in the first place. The pop chart appearances included:

Frankie Trumbauer and His Orchestra (1931, Art Jarrett, vocal, #10)
Mildred Bailey (1932, with Matt Malneck and His Orchestra, #19)
Gene Krupa (1941, Anita O’Day, vocal, #17)
Ray Charles (1960, with Ralph Burns and His Orchestra, #1)
Michael Bolton (1990, #36)

Ray Charles’ number one rendition in 1960 won the R&B crooner two Grammys for Best Performance by a Pop Single Artist and Best Vocal Performance Single Record or Track, Male . Willie Nelson’s 1979 recording won the Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance, Male.

On April 24, 1979, the Joint Resolution of the Georgia General Assembly designated “Georgia on My Mind” as the official state song, citing that it

“. has an enduring quality that has made it one of the best loved songs in America for many years”

“. describes a Georgian’s love for his State, its beautiful melody and lyrics have given the song a worldwide appeal”

“. has been recorded by many outstanding artists, but the rendition by Mr. Ray Charles, a native Georgian, which was first recorded in 1958, has been greatly enjoyed by music lovers throughout the world”

More information on this tune. See the Reading and Research page for this tune for additional references.

- Jeremy Wilson

Getting Started This section suggests definitive or otherwise significant recordings that will help jazz students get acquainted with “Georgia on My Mind.” These recordings have been selected from the Jazz History and CD Recommendations sections.

The Ray Charles version of “Georgia On My Mind” (The Genius Hits the Road) is not only the definitive recording of the tune, but is one of the landmark moments in the history of American popular music. Charles sings the tune as if it had been written with him in mind, and his performance casts a large enough shadow that it is now challenging to perform this song without showing some of his influence (not that this is a bad thing).

Music and Lyrics Analysis

An eloquent ballad of longing, “Georgia on My Mind” is written with an introductory verse; the refrain being in the popular 32-bar A-A-B-A form. The A sections begin with “Georgia, Georgia” and, except for the second of these, end describing how “an old sweet song” keeps “Georgia on my mind.” Many discussions of the song comment on the ambiguity of Georgia and whether or not she is a woman or a place. Though the majority of the lines are ambiguous, the bridge, with its lines, “Other arms …” and “Other eyes …” suggest longing for a person. -JW

Musical analysis of “Georgia on My Mind”

Jazz History Notes

Paris before World War II was a haven for expatriate American musicians. Freddy Johnson, a singer/entertainer, added an Armstrongesque touch to the Quintette of the Hot Club of France’s 1937 recording of “Georgia. ” along with guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stephane Grappelli. A year earlier, another ex-pat, trumpeter and vocalist Bill Coleman (who recorded with Reinhardt), performed the tune with a trio, featuring yet again another ex-pat, the excellent pianist Herman Chittison.

In 1931 Coleman Hawkins, soon to be an expatriate to France, England and Holland, recorded a version with a racially mixed band, the Mound City Blue Blowers. Hawkins’ standout solo makes the recording, which also includes a vocal by leader Red McKenzie and his kazoo-like solo on comb-and-tissue paper.

Reading and Research Additional information for "Georgia on My Mind" may be found in: Soundtrack Information

Taxi!(1932)
When You’re Smiling(1950, Frankie Laine)
The Big T.N.T. Show(1966, Ray Charles)
Four Friends aka Georgia’s Friends(1981)
Off Beat(1986, Ray Charles)
Meet Wally Sparks(1997, Michael Bolton)
Ghost World(2000, Vince Giordano, The Nighthawks)
Hanging Up(2000, Steve Tyrell, All-4-One)
American Pie 2(2001)
Ray(2004, Ray Charles)

Designing Women(1986) theme music for CBS sitcom
Quantum Leap(1990, Ray Charles) Season 2, Episode 22
Sunday night sign-off video montage for Georgia Public Television(2004, Ray Charles)

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Recommendations for This Tune Click on any CD for more details at Amazon.com Ray Charles The Genius Hits the Road 1997 Rhino / WEA 72813 Original recording 1960 The direct jazz relevance of this Ray Charles performance is open to debate. However, there is very little debate that this deeply soulful version of “Georgia on My Mind” is the definitive rendition of the song. Ray Brown Something for Lester 1991 Original Jazz Classics 412 Original recording 1977 Brown offers a preview of the soulful trio recordings that would augment his fame in the latter part of his career. His brilliant and prominently featured trio-mates here are pianist Cedar Walton and drummer Elvin Jones. They begin and end slowly, with a deep blues vibe, cranking up the tempo for a lengthy solo section in between. J.J. Johnson/Kai Winding The Great Kai and J.J GRP 225 Original recording 1960 The contrasting styles of Johnson and Winding are always fascinating to hear in tandem, and they both shine on this slow, soulful performance. An added bonus is pianist Bill Evans, who displays his underrated blues feeling. Elmo Hope Quartet Hope Meets Foster 1991, Orig. Jazz Classics 1703 Original recording, 1955 Frank Foster’s robust tenor saxophone is bewitching on this fast-paced bop reading of the song. Jimmy Smith Any Number Can Win 1998, Polygram 557447 Original recording, 1963 Organist Jimmy Smith digs a groove with this bluesy and soulful take on the song. A dreamy choir in the back completes the hip ambience.

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