Georgia On My Mind - Versions

Versions

The song has been covered by many artists, significant among them: Louis Armstrong, Dean Martin, Glenn Miller, Zac Brown Band, Michael Bublé, Michael Bolton, Dave Brubeck, Anita O'Day, Ella Fitzgerald, Rebecca Parris, Jo Stafford, Gladys Knight, Gene Krupa, Grover Washington, Jr., James Brown, Usher, Fats Waller, Billie Holiday, Nat Gonella and The Georgians, Django Reinhardt, Wes Montgomery, John Mayer, Jerry Lee Lewis, The Righteous Brothers, Tom Jones, Maceo Parker, Van Morrison, Coldplay, The Joel Haynes Trio (with Denzel Sinclair) and the Spencer Davis Group (with Steve Winwood on vocals), Tony Rice, Arturo Sandoval, instrumental version by Oscar Peterson, and a member of the new Korean boy group, B.A.P's Daehyun. Bing Crosby recorded this song twice: in 1956 with Buddy Cole and his trio and in 1975 with Paul Smith and Band for the LP A Southern Memoir.

Written in 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael (music) and Stuart Gorrell (lyrics). Gorrell wrote the lyrics for Hoagy's sister, Georgia Carmichael. However, the lyrics of the song are ambiguous enough to refer either to the state or to a woman named "Georgia". Carmichael's 1965 autobiography, Sometimes I Wonder, records the origin: a friend, saxophonist and bandleader Frankie Trumbauer, suggested: "Why don't you write a song called 'Georgia?' Nobody lost much writing about the South." Thus, the song is universally believed to have been written about the state.

The song was first recorded on September 15, 1930, in New York by Hoagy Carmichael and His Orchestra with Bix Beiderbecke on muted cornet and Hoagy Carmichael on vocals. The recording was part of Beiderbecke's last recording session. The recording was released as Victor 23013 with "One Night in Havana".

Frankie Trumbauer had the first major hit recording in 1931 when his recording made the top ten on the charts. Trumbauer had suggested that Carmichael compose the song. Another 1931 hit version was Mildred Bailey's vocal made with members of Paul Whiteman's Orchestra (Victor 22880).

On 30 July 1963, Lou Rawls recorded the song for his album Tobacco Road. Cold Chisel's version of the song appeared on the album Barking Spiders Live: 1983 and has become a staple of their live shows. Guitarist Ian Moss still performs the song and a live version is included in his Let's All Get Together album.

The song was a standard at performances by Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks in the late 50s and early 60s, where it was sung by pianist Richard Manuel. When The Hawks split off on their own and became The Band, they kept the song as part of their repertoire. They recorded a studio version of the song for Jimmy Carter's presidential bid in 1976, which was released as a single that year as well as on their 1977 album Islands.

American Idol contestant Matt Giraud performed this song during Hollywood Week Second Solo Performance. In 2006, saxophonist Gerald Albright covered the song off the album New Beginnings.

In 2009, Hong Kong singer Khalil Fong covered the song in his album Timeless.