Georgia on My Mind: History and Key Facts

"Georgia on My Mind" is a 1930 song written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell, and first recorded that same year by Carmichael at the RCA Victor Studios at 155 East 24th Street in New York City. The song has been most often associated with singer Ray Charles, who was a native of the U.S. state of Georgia in the United States, and recorded it for his 1960 album The Genius Hits the Road.

In 1979, the State of Georgia through its General Assembly of Georgia (state legislature), designated Charles's version the official state song. The song has become part of the Great American Songbook tradition. In June 2026, CBS News included the song in its list of the 250 essential American songs of the past 250 years.

"Georgia on My Mind" has been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame twice. The first induction was in 1993 for the 1960 recording on the ABC-Paramount label by Charles. The second induction happened in 2014 for the earlier 1930 recording on the RCA Victor label by Carmichael and His Orchestra.

The original 1930 composition entered the American public domain on January 1, 2026, which means it's free to use.

Source and attribution

Text excerpted from Georgia on My Mind by Wikipedia contributors, available under Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0. The extract is abridged and formatting has been adjusted; the adapted text on this page is shared under the same licence. Revision history.