"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell and first recorded that year. It has been asserted that Hoagy 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.
Though "Georgia On My Mind" was a hit single before Ray Charles' recording, the song has now become strongly identified with Charles in the public consciousness. On March 7, 1979, in a symbol of reconciliation in the aftermath of years of activism and national legislation resulting from the Civil Rights Movement, Charles performed the song before the Georgia General Assembly. After this performance, the Assembly adopted it as the state song on April 24.
Carmichael recorded "Georgia on My Mind" with Bix Beiderbecke on cornet, Eddie Lang on guitar, Joe Venuti on violin, Jimmy Dorsey on clarinet, and Charles Winters on double bass in September 15, 1930, in New York City. This was part of Beiderbecke's last recording session.
Frankie Trumbauer had the when it reached the top ten on the charts.
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