who wrote georgia on my mind

“Georgia on My Mind” was written in 1930 by composer Hoagy Carmichael and lyricist Stuart Gorrell. Ray Charles later made the most famous version in 1960, but he was the singer, not the writer.

Songwriters

• Hoagy Carmichael composed the music for “Georgia on My Mind” around 1930, when he was already an established songwriter and bandleader.

• Stuart Gorrell, a banker and friend of Carmichael, wrote the lyrics and never wrote lyrics for another song again.

Extra context

• The song was first recorded by Hoagy Carmichael himself in 1930 at RCA Victor Studios in New York.

• Ray Charles’s 1960 recording became a number 1 hit and is the version most people associate with the song today.