The song “You Are My Sunshine” is officially credited to Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell, but its true authorship is disputed, with strong claims that Paul Rice or Oliver (Robert Oliver) Hood wrote it earlier and then sold it.

Quick Scoop

  • The copyright for “You Are My Sunshine” was filed in 1940 under the names Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell, and Davis went on to popularize it and build much of his public image around the song.
  • Earlier recordings and testimony suggest the song existed before Davis recorded it: The Pine Ridge Boys recorded a version in 1939, and Paul Rice stated in interviews that he wrote it in 1937 and later sold it, including all rights.
  • A later historical claim credits Georgia musician Oliver Hood (often referred to as Robert Oliver Hood) with writing the song in the early 1930s, reportedly performing it publicly around 1933 and collaborating with Rice, which fuels the ongoing debate over who truly wrote it.

Why the Confusion?

  • In the 1930s music world, it was common for songs to be bought and sold outright, so the person on the copyright often was not the original writer, which matches accounts that Davis purchased the song rather than composing it from scratch.
  • Multiple people have claimed authorship over the years, and family recollections, early performances, and later research articles make it hard to assign clear, definitive credit beyond the legal songwriters of record.

Simple Takeaway

  • Short answer to “who wrote You Are My Sunshine” :
    • Legally credited writers: Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell.
* Common alternative attributions: Paul Rice (who said he wrote and then sold it) and Oliver Hood (whom some researchers and family accounts name as the original author in the early 1930s).

Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.