Artist & Tune
Version by Hoagy Carmichael
Version by Louis Armstrong
Version by Billie Holiday
Version by Ray Charles
Version by Willie Nelson
Version by Mildred Bailey
Reference
About the Song
"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and first recorded that year by Carmichael.
It has been asserted that 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.
It has often been associated with Ray Charles, a native of the U.S. state of Georgia who recorded it for his 1960 album "The Genius Hits the Road". In 1979, the State of Georgia designated Ray Charles's version the official state song.
covers of the song: https://secondhandsongs.com/work/2968/versions
Some notabe covers include:
- Louis Armstrong 1932
- Billie Holiday 1941
- Mildred Bailey 1941
- Bing Crosby with Buddy Cole & His Trio 1957
- Ella Fitzgerald with the Nelson Riddle Orchestra 1962
- Bob Wilber with Maxine Sullivan 1969
- Willie Nelson on his 1978 "Stardust" album.