“the way a shaggy dog looks.… I have Wabash fog and sycamore twigs in my throat.” He described his unique, laconic voice as being His voice has a Midwestern twang, and Hoagy made no great claims for his singing ability. However, it is suitable for his songs, and it’s nice to hear him singing his own tunes. Hoagy Carmichael’s voice is flat and reasonably emotionless. No wonder this has been named Georgia’s official state song. Both the melody and lyrics are simple but moving, and express a deep love and longing for the state of Georgia. Hoagy Carmichael’s song, with lyrics by Stuart Gorrell, is extremely beautiful and touching. … Carmichael made no mention at all of his sister in his telling of the song’s genesis. The Wikipedia article about the song states thatĬarmichael wrote that the song was composed when bandleader Frankie Trumbauer suggested that he write about the state of Georgia. There is a widespread rumor that the song was actually written for Hoagy’s sister Georgia, rather than the state of Georgia. But Georgia on My Mind has to be a close second for Carmichael’s greatest song. It is a gem of a song, with very sophisticated chord changes and a deeply melancholy retrospective look at a failed relationship. Many people have nominated Stardust as the greatest song of the pre-rock era. This film featured Bacall’s unforgettable line to Steve (Bogart’s character in the film), “You know how to whistle, don’t you, Steve? You just put your lips together and blow.” Hoagy sang a couple of numbers in that movie and also accompanied Bacall on piano. My favorite movie memory of Carmichael was his appearance as the piano player ‘Cricket’ in To Have and Have Not, Lauren Bacall’s screen debut with Humphrey Bogart. He was generally wearing a hat tilted back on his head, and either chewing on a toothpick or smoking a cigarette, as in the photo shown below. His stock movie character was a laconic piano player and singer in a club or saloon. There he parlayed his fame into several screen music-writing gigs, and he also appeared in several movies during the 40s and 50s. Once Carmichael achieved acclaim for his songwriting, he moved to Hollywood in order to break into the movie business. In several instances, Hoagy played piano and sang his songs along with the band. Carmichael gained success when artists like Louis Armstrong, Paul Whiteman and Duke Ellington recorded his songs. Peer recorded both the first blues and first country songs, and he discovered country music legends Jimmie Rodgers and the Carter family in the same week.Īnyway, Ralph Peer’s music company was the first to have their offices in the Brill Building. Here’s a side note about Ralph Peer, a legendary figure in `roots’ music history. Hoagy first made a name for himself in New York, where he was a songwriter for Ralph Peer’s Southern Music Company. Taught to play piano by his mother, Hoagy gained experience playing in jazz bands with Bix Beiderbecke, and there his song-writing talent blossomed. Howard Hoagland Carmichael attended Indiana University and earned a law degree, although he quickly discovered that his real interest lay in music. It has become quite popular for people to have their photos taken with the statue of ‘Hoagy’ and his piano. I have had several meals at the restaurant where he composed Stardust, and there is a bronze statue in his honor (shown at left) on the Indiana University campus. The other reason I am such a fan is that Hoagy was born and raised in my current home town of Bloomington, Indiana. Statue of Hoagy Carmichael on Indiana University campus.
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