He Refused to Play a Segregated Show in Georgia. Eighteen Years Later, Georgia Made His Song Its Official State Song

Ray Charles was born in Albany, Georgia, in 1930. He began losing his sight at four or five, and by seven he was completely blind.

His mother found a school that would take him, the Florida School for the Deaf and the Blind. That is where he learned to play the piano.

In 1960 he recorded an old song from 1930 by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell. It was called “Georgia on My Mind.”

Ray’s version went all the way to No. 1 and won him two Grammys.

But a few months later, in March 1961, he was booked to play a dance in Augusta, Georgia. Students told him Black fans would be kept up in the balcony, while the dance floor was for whites only.

Ray canceled the show and left town, and he told the public why. The promoter sued him, and he was fined.

Two years later he came back and played a concert in Augusta, this time for everyone.

Then, in 1979, the state of Georgia made Ray’s “Georgia on My Mind” its official state song. Ray was invited to sing it at the state capitol, and he was moved as he sang it on the floor of the legislature.

In this video, filmed at the Montreux Jazz Festival in Switzerland on July 19, 1997, Ray sings it at 66 with his orchestra and the Raelettes.

That smile when he sings “Georgia” says everything.

Ray passed away in June 2004, at 73. His song still belongs to Georgia.

What is your favorite Ray Charles song? Tell us in the comments.