SWEET GEORGIA BROWN
Music: Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard- Lyrics: Kenneth Casey
Year: 1925
Origin of the song
The first recording of ‘Sweet Georgia Brown’ was made by Ben Bernie's orchestra in 1925. He had an immediate success: on June 27 of that year he entered the popularity lists and on July 4 he reached number one, where he stayed for five weeks.
Georgia Brown was a temptress sent by Lucifer to tempt the protagonist of the Broadway musical Cabin in the sky (1940) with her charms. On 9 April 1943, the film adaptation Cabin in the Sky, produced by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, directed by Vincente Minnelli and starring Ethel Waters, Lena Horne (in Georgia Brown's role) and Eddie 'Rochester' Anderson, premiered in New York, with short interventions by Louis Armstrong and Duke Ellington. Neither of the two productions, either theatrical or cinematographic, included the song 'Sweet Georgia Brown'.
Ben Bernie was a popular dance orchestra conductor, but as a composer his only big hit was 'Sweet Georgia Brown'. Maceo Pinkard, besides this one, is also the author of the music of 'Sugar' (1928), 'Gimme a Little Kiss, Will Ya, Huh?' (1929) and 'Them There Eyes' (1930).
Versions in the top charts
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
DAY OF
ENTRANCE |
PERMANENCE WEEKS |
HIGH POSITION REACHED |
|
|
1925.03.19 |
1925.06.27 |
13 |
1 (five weeks) |
Instrumental |
|
|
Ethel Waters & Her Ebony Four |
1925.05.13 |
1925.09.19 |
2 |
6 |
Ethel Waters (voc) |
|
Isham Jones Orchestra |
1925.06.05 |
1925.09.26 |
4 |
5 |
Instrumental |
|
1932.04.23 |
1932.06.11 |
8 |
2 (three weeks) |
Bing Crosby (voc), Isham Jones Orchestra |
|
|
Brother Bones & His Shadows |
1948.??.?? |
1948.11.27 |
16 |
10 |
Theme of The Harlem Globetrotters |
Jazz. Outstanding
Instrumental
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1930.07.02 |
Red Nichols (tp, dir), Ruby Weinstein, Charlie Teagarden (tp), Jack Teagarden, Glenn Miller (tb), Benny Goodman (cl), Sid Stoneburn (as), Babe Russin (ts), Joe Sullivan (p), Teg Brown (bjo), Art Miller (b), Gene Krupa (d) |
|
|
1937.04.28 |
Coleman Hawkins (ts), Benny Carter (tp, as), André Ekyan (as), Alix Combelle (ts, cl), Stéphane Grappelli (p), Django Reinhardt (g), Eugene d'Hellemes (b), Tommy Benford (d) |
|
|
1938.01.31 |
Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Roger Chaput, Eugène Vées (g), Louis Vola (b) |
|
|
1938.10.12 |
Benny Goodman (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Lionel Hampton (vib), Dave Tough (d) |
|
|
1941.09.16 |
Art Tatum (p), Frankie Newton (tp), Ebenezer Paul (b) |
|
|
1945.05.25 |
Nat Cole (p), Oscar Moore (g), Johnny Miller (b) |
|
|
1946.02.28 |
Dizzy Gillespie, Al Killian (tp), Charlie Parker, Willie Smith (as), Charlie Ventura, Lester Young (ts), Mel Powell (p), Billy Hadnott (b), Lee Young (d) In Philharmonic Auditorium, Los Angeles (California) |
|
|
1949.03.01 |
Oscar Peterson (p), Auston Roberts (b), Clarence Jones (d) |
|
|
1950.02.?? |
Bud Powell (p), Curly Russell (b), Max Roach (d) |
|
|
1950.06.?? |
Dave Brubeck (p), Ron Grotty (b), Cal Tjader (d, vib) |
|
|
Sidney Bechet avec Claude Luter et son Orchestre |
1952.01.31 |
Sidney Bechet (ss), Claude Luter (cl, dir), Guy Longnon, Claude Rabanite (tp), Bernard Zacharias (tb), Christian Azzi (p), Roland Bianchini (b), Moustache (d) |
|
Matthew Gee All Stars |
1956.08.22 |
Matthew Gee (tb), Ernie Henry (as), Joe Knight (p), Wilbur Ware (b), Art Taylor (d) |
|
Bud Shank & Bob Cooper |
1956.11.29 |
Bud Shank (fl), Bob Cooper (ob), Howard Roberts (g), Don Prell (b), Chuck Flores (d) |
|
Dave McKenna |
1973.07.07 |
Dave McKenna (p) |
|
Rahsaan Roland Kirk Quintet |
1976.??.?? |
Rahsaan Roland Kirk (ts, manz, str, cl, fl), Hank Jones (p), Milt Hinton (b), Fred Moore (wb), Wilton Eaton (silb) |
Vocal
|
PERFORMERS |
DATE OF RECORDING |
MUSICIANS WHO TOOK PART IN THE RECORDING
|
|
1925.05.13 |
Ethel Waters (voc), Fletcher
Henderson or Pearl Wright (p) Don Redman (cl,as), Joe Smith (cnt), other unidentified musicians |
|
|
Bing Crosby |
1932.04.23 |
Bing Crosby (voc), Manny Klein (tp), Tommy Dorsey (tb), Lennie Hayton (p), Eddie Lang (g), Red Norvo (xil), Isham Jones Orchestra |
|
1934.09.12 |
Harry Mills (p, voc), Herbert & Donald Mills (voc), John Mills (voc, g) |
|
|
1958.07.06 |
Anita O'Day (voc), unidentified (per) In Jazz Festival of Newport |
|
|
Ella Fitzgerald |
1966.07.20 |
Ella Fitzgerald (voc), Marty Paich Orchestra |
|
1988.08.?? |
Mel Tormé (voc), Warren Luening, Jack Sheldon (tp), Lou McGarity (tb), Bob Enevoldsen (vtb), Jim Self (tu), Gary Foster (as), Ken Peplowski (ts), Bob Efford (bars), Pete Jolly (p), Chuck Berghofer (b), Jeff Hamilton (d), Joe Porcaro, Efrain Toro (per), Marty Paich (dir) |
On cinemas
The song 'Sweet Georgia Brown' is included in the soundtrack of the following movies:
|
ORIGINAL TITLE |
TITLE IN SPAIN |
YEAR OF PRODUCTION |
PERFORMERS OF THE SONG IN THE FILM |
|
Hard to Handle |
Duro de pelar |
1933 |
Background music |
|
Bordertown |
Barreras infranqueables |
1935 |
Background music |
|
The Roaring Twenties |
Los violentos años veinte |
1939 |
Background music |
|
China Girl |
Infierno en la Tierra |
1942 |
Background music |
|
Follow The Boys |
Sueños de gloria |
1944 |
Louis Jordan Orchestra |
|
Mildred Pierce |
Alma en suplicio |
1945 |
Background music |
|
The Snake Pit |
Nido de víboras |
1948 |
Sung a capella and danced by Ben Humphries |
|
Young Man With A Horn |
El trompetista |
1950 |
Hoagy Carmichael with Harry James Orchestra |
|
Jim Thorpe All American |
Jim Thorpe. El declive de un campeón |
1951 |
|
|
Belles On Their Toes |
Bellezas por casar |
1952 |
|
|
The Helen Morgan Story |
Para ella un solo hombre |
1957 |
Cara Williams |
|
Some Like It Hot |
Con faldas y a lo loco |
1959 |
Background music |
|
The Rise and Fall of Legs Diamond |
La ley del hampa |
1960 |
|
|
Medium Cool |
Medio ambiente frío |
1969 |
Brother Bones & His Shadows |
|
California Split |
California Split |
1974 |
|
|
Stardust Memories |
Recuerdos |
1980 |
|
|
To Be Or Not To Be |
Soy o no soy |
1983 |
Mel Brooks and Anne Bancroft |
|
Crimes And Misdemeanors |
Delitos y faltas |
1989 |
Coleman Hawkins All Stars Jam Band |
|
The Fabulous Baker Boys |
Los fabulosos Baker Boys |
1989 |
|
|
Oscar |
Oscar. ¡Quita las manos! |
1991 |
Bing Crosby |
|
The Super |
El Súper |
1991 |
Brother Bones & His Shadows |
|
The Babe |
El ídolo |
1992 |
Orbert Davis & The Speakeasys |
|
Sweet and Lowdown |
Acordes y desacuerdos |
1999 |
Howard Alden, James Chirillo, Kelly Friesen, Ken Peplowski, Bucky Pizzarelli and Ted Sommer |
|
Little Nicky |
Little Nicky |
2000 |
|
|
Rebound |
Rebote |
2005 |
Brother Bones & His Shadows |
|
The Counselor |
El consejero |
2013 |
|
|
Magic in the Moonlight |
Magia a la luz de la luna |
2014 |
California Ramblers |
|
Money Monster |
Money monster |
2016 |
Brother Bones & His Shadows |