On This Day in 1960, Ray Charles Scored His First Pop No. 1 With a 30-Year-Old Song That Became a State Anthem

Ray Charles’s recording of “Georgia on My Mind” reached No. 1 on the US pop chart on 14 November 1960, giving him his first pop chart-topper and helping make him a household name. His rendition turned a song written decades earlier into a lasting tribute to Georgia.

Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell wrote the song in 1930, and its original meaning is debated: Carmichael later said it referred to the state, though some details have suggested it may have been about a woman named Georgia. Charles recorded it for the concept album *The Genius Hits the Road*. His version won two Grammy awards, became Georgia’s state song in 1979 and entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993.