Happy Birthday, Ray Charles!

Ray Charles was born on this day in 1930 in Albany, Georgia. Charles pioneered the style that came to be known as “soul,” a blend of gospel music, blues, and jazz. He performed for over four decades; however, he may be best known for the song “Georgia on My Mind,” which became the number-one hit of 1960. The song was originally written by Hoagy Carmichael on the same year of Charles’ birth.

On April 24, 1979, the song became the official state song of Georgia. While the most popular version of the song is by Ray Charles, Willie Nelson also covered it in 1978 for his album Stardust.

Ray Charles was also the first performer inducted into the Georgia Music Hall of Fame in 1979.

Find more interesting facts about Georgia by visiting the New Georgia Encyclopedia.