Hoagy Carmichael

Raised in modest circumstances in Indiana, Hoagy Carmichael inherited his love of piano from his mother and was proficient by the age of six, but had a series of mundane manual jobs before embarking on his illustrious music career. His first performances were duets with his mother but, encouraged by bandleader Reg DuValle, he became a proficient jazz pianist playing regularly for dances. Cornettist Bix Beiderbecke was another big influence as Carmichael revealed his extraordinary talent as a composer, experiencing his first breakthrough when Beiderbecke recorded Riverboat Shuffle. Although still attempting to pursue a career as a lawyer, his reputation grew immensely through the 1920s when Paul Whiteman recorded his tune Washboard Blues and Louis Armstrong covered Rockin' Chair. His classic Stardust was first recorded by Bing Crosby in 1931 and he formed a productive writing partnership with lyricist Johnny Mercer, and they contributed material for many of the leading artists of the day. Moving to Hollywood, Carmicheal not only wrote for many movies but also acted in some of them too and even sang Hong Kong Blues in To Have And Have Not. Success continued through the 1950s and he enjoyed another major hit when Ray Charles covered Georgia On My Mind in 1960, although the advent of rock'n'roll and the beat group era ultimately dented demand for his melodic style of writing. Carmicheal made his last recording in 1981 on an album of his songs - In Hoagland - with Annie Ross and Georgie Fame and died later the same year.