version The song was a standard at performances by Ronnie Hawkins and The Hawks, where it was sung by pianist Richard Manuel after 1964. When The Hawks broke up and formed The Band, they kept the song in their repertoire. They recorded a studio version of the song for Jimmy Carter's presidential bid in 1976. It was released as a single that year as well as on their 1977 album Islands. Willie Nelson version Willie Nelson recorded the song on Stardust, his 1978 album of standards. It was released as single, peaked at No. 1 for a single week, and ranked for sixteen weeks on a country chart. The original lyrics, including the commonly excised introductory verse, are in the Georgia Code under license. Chart activity See also List of 1930s jazz standards Spirit of Atlanta Drum and Bugle Corps References 1930 songs 1930s jazz standards Songs with music by Hoagy Carmichael Ray Charles songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Grammy Award for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance Grammy Hall of Fame Award recipients Songs about Georgia (U.S. state) United States state songs ABC Records singles Columbia Records singles EMI Records singles Victor Records singles Pop standards