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”