Georgia on My Mind (Ray Charles)

Hoagy Carmichael wrote the music to "Georgia on My Mind" in 1930. His friend Stuart Gorrell wrote the lyrics. There is no doubt that Georgia native Ray Charles elevated the song to a new level when he recorded his rendition of it in 1960. In 1979, the State of Georgia designated Ray Charles' version the official state song. So here's lookin' at you Georgia. We're singing your song today!

  

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Monday Music: Georgia on My Mind (Willie Nelson)

 In 1978, country music outlaw Willie Nelson showed us how American music might be all of a piece. Known for performing country music, much of which he wrote himself, Nelson recorded an album of pop standards offering a playlist using a blend of pop, country, and jazz. He included two Hoagy Carmichael numbers, the title track "Stardust" and one of my favorite versions of "Georgia on My Mind."

 

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Monday Music: Stardust

In the movie Men in Black there is a scene in which Tommie Lee Jones' character is showing Will Smith's character some new technology recently acquired from space aliens which will provide a more compact and efficient way of recording music. "I guess I'll be buying the White Album again," Tommie Lee Jones added.
Although I do have the Beatles' "White Album" on CD, Willie Nelson's Stardust is one I have listened to on vinyl, cassette, and CD.

Recorded in 1978, Willie Nelson's rendition of old standards demonstrated that American music has certain essential characteristics that cross all genres, and there are things about every genre that everyone can enjoy. Here is the title track, "Stardust," written by the great Hoagy Carmichael.