Friday Night Throwback: Ray Charles - "Georgia On My Mind"

With his version widely regarded as the definitive rendition, many assume that Ray Charles' timeless single "Georgia On My Mind" was originally his. But the song was actually written by composer/pianist Hoagy Carmichael and songwriter Stuart Gorrell, purportedly for Carmichael's sister, Georgia Carmichael in 1930. However, Carmichael himself would later contradict that story and admit that it was upon a suggestion from bandleader Frankie Trumbauer that he write a song about the state of Georgia, that the idea came about. A hit song for many who covered it (from Gladys Knight to Willie Nelson), in 1960 the song would reach its pinnacle when Ray Charles' version of "Georgia on My Mind" received Grammys both for Best Male Vocal and Best Popular Single. In 1979, Charles' "Georgia On My Mind" was officially proclaimed the state song of Georgia and today the song's stirring tone and message continues to resonate with new and old artists alike.