BARRY LEVINE: Sweet songs keep Georgia on our minds

“Georgia, Georgia, The whole day through. Just an old sweet song Keeps Georgia on my mind.” Ray Charles, 1960

Two renowned singers, Hoagy Carmichael and Albany’s Ray Charles, have one thing is common: “Georgia on My Mind.”

In 1930, Carmichael wrote the music and Stuart Gorrell the lyrics to “Georgia on My Mind.” Some felt the song was about Carmichael’s sister, Georgia, but he later said it was about the state and not his sister.

Carmichael and his orchestra first recorded the song in September 1930 with Hoagy on vocals. It was recorded dozens of times during the next 30 years.

Charles recorded the song in 1960 for his album “The Genius Hits the Road.” Released as a single, “Georgia on My Mind” quickly rose to No. 1 in the nation.

In 1979, Charles played and sang it before the Georgia General Assembly. The leaders made it Georgia’s official state song that same year. While “Georgia on My Mind” has been the state song for nearly four decades, there have been four other “Georgia” songs that landed in the Top 10.

“Midnight Train to Georgia” — The 1973 No. 1 hit single by Gladys Knight & the Pips was their only chart topper during their career that spanned three decades. Written by Jim Weatherly, it was included on the Pips’ 1973 LP “Imagination.” “Midnight Train to Georgia” won the 1974 Grammy Award for Best R&B Vocal Performance by A Duo, Group or Chorus.

The song was originally performed by Weatherly under the title “Midnight Plane to Houston.” The former University of Mississippi quarterback was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2014.

“The Devil Went Down to Georgia” — Written and performed by the Charlie Daniels Band, the song was released on their 1979 album ”Million Mile Reflections.” The song was the band’s biggest hit, reaching No. 3 on the Hot 100, trailing “After the Love Has Gone” by Earth, Wind & Fire and “My Sharona” by The Knack.

The uptempo bluegrass song focuses on the Devil’s failed attempt to “steal” a young man’s soul through a fiddle-playing contest that involved enticing the young man’s participation using a worldly prize.

“Rainy Night in Georgia” — Tony Joe White penned the song in 1967, and it was popularized by R&B vocalist Brook Benton in 1970. The song reached No. 4 on the hot 100. It was the ninth – and last — of his Top 10 hits.

It was originally released by White, who attended high school in Marietta, on his 1969 album “Continued,” shortly before Benton’s hit single was issued.

“The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” — Bobby Russell wrote the song in 1972 and Vicki Lawrence, his wife, sang the tune. Lawrence’s version was a No. 1 hit on the Hot 100 for two weeks.

The song was originally offered to Liza Minnelli and Cher, but both rejected it. Without a performer to record the song, Lawrence, a regular on “The Carol Burnett Show,” went into a studio and recorded it.

The song was toppled from the top spot by Tony Orlando and Dawn’s “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Ole Oak Tree.”

“Billboard” magazine ranked “The Night the Lights Went Out in Georgia” as the No. 11 song for 1973.

Among the other songs with Georgia in the title are:

— “Sweet Peach Georgia Wine” and “Watermelon Time in Georgia” from Levon Helm’s 1980 album “American Son.”

— “Walking Back to Georgia” from Jim Croce’s 1972 album “You Don’t Mess Around with Jim.”

— “Two Miles Out of Georgia” from Suzi Quatro’s 1982 album “Main Attraction.”

This week in rock history: Bill Haley & His Comets’ “Rock Around the Clock” was released on May 20, 1954. The record had limited success until the following year when it was included on the soundtrack of the film “Blackboard Jungle.” … Paul Anka, 16, recorded “Diana” at the ABC-Paramount studios in New York on May 21, 1957. The song reached No. 1 and became the first of his 33 Top 40 hits. … The Beatles attained their eighth No. 1 hit on May 22, 1965, with “Ticket To Ride,” on which Paul McCartney, not George Harrison, played lead guitar. The song was the third of their six No. 1 singles in a row, a record. … On May 23, 1964, The Beach Boys released “I Get Around,” which became the group’s first No. 1 hit, topping the chart for two weeks. … Duke Ellington, the great Jazz band leader and subject of Stevie Wonder’s 1977 hit “Sir Duke,” died of cancer at the age of 75 on May 24, 1974. … The Isley Brothers’ “Twist and Shout” was released on Wand Records on May 26, 1962. It rose to No. 17 on the Pop chart and was covered two years later by The Beatles, whose version peaked at No. 2.

Barry “The Old Rocker” Levine is an entertainment writer for The Albany Herald. He can be reached at [email protected].