On this day (June 11) in 1978, Willie Nelson was at No. 1 with “Georgia on My Mind.” Released as the lead single from Stardust, the song has a long history. Since its original recording in 1930, two versions of “Georgia on My Mind” have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. Nelson’s was not one of them.
Tin Pan Alley songwriter Hoagy Carmichael co-wrote “Georgia on My Mind” with Stuart Gorrell and recorded the original version in 1930. Three decades later, Ray Charles recorded it for his album The Genius Hits the Road. It topped the Hot 100 and brought Charles the Grammy for Best Male Vocal Performance, Pop. In 1979, his rendition became the State Song of Georgia. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1993. Carmichael’s 1930 original was inducted in 2014.
Videos by American Songwriter
Nelson’s version isn’t in the Hall of Fame yet. It did, however, bring him the Grammy for Best Male Country Vocal Performance.
Willie Nelson Flexed His Creative Control for Stardust
Willie Nelson’s contract with Columbia Records gave him full creative control of his output. He took advantage of that stipulation in 1975 with his first album on the label, Red Headed Stranger. Label executives didn’t like the stripped-down arrangements and tried to convince him to make a more heavily produced record. He refused. It became his first No. 1 LP and was certified 2x Platinum by the RIAA.
Despite the success of Red Headed Stranger, the label wasn’t on board with him cutting an album of pop standards three years later. That didn’t matter to Nelson, though. They were also unhappy with his decision to use a painting of the Seven Sisters constellation by Susanna Clark, wife of Guy Clark, instead of a photo of himself. That didn’t matter to him, either.
Stardust spent 11 weeks at No. 1 on the country chart and peaked at No. 30 on the Billboard 200. It has since been certified 5x Platinum.
Featured Image by Paul Natkin/Getty Images