Ray Charles Georgia On My Mind

I said Georgia… I remember first hearing this one. I just closed my eyes and felt like floating. I’m no music specialist, I just have this melody – loving ear and a wide heart to embrace many, many styles.

How was your weekend? I really missed you! I hope you had a wonderful time and that the new week is already looking bright ahead! Thank you for being with me, I hope we’ll keep on having a wonderful time together, every single day! Please, give it to Mr Ray Charles: Georgia On My Mind!

I loved this song with all my music loving heart but I loved it even more after I saw Ray, the movie. I cried my eyes out throughout that movie, despite my not loving Jamie Foxx so much (we’ll get into that sometimes later, maybe). Though it may look like one of Ray Charles own songs, this was not his. However, it’s the most famous rendition of the song, one that was even chosen to be Georgia’s state song.

Written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930, the song is believed to be about a woman and not about the state (about Hoagy’s sister, Georgia). It was performed in 1931 by Frankie Trumbauer, a jazz player and later by Louis Armstrong, James Brown, Willie Nelson, Django Reinhardt, Michael Bolton, Tom Jones, Jerry Lee Lewis, John Mayer and so on. However, Ray Charles cover gets the most recognition (he won a Grammy for this one in 1960). And judging by the way he pours his heart in it when he sings, he deserved every honor brought to him for this song and for all others.