SWEET GEORGIA BROWN

Music: Ben Bernie, Maceo Pinkard- Lyrics: Kenneth Casey

Year: 1925

 

sweet georgia brown-clasicos del jazz-standards jazz

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

 

Ben Bernie Orchestra

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

Bing Crosby

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

 

Red Nichols & His Five Pennies

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)

Coleman Hawkins All Stars Jam Band

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)

Django Reinhardt- Quintette du Hot Club de France

1938.01.31

Django Reinhardt (g), Stéphane Grappelli (vn), Roger Chaput, Eugène Vées (g),

Louis Vola (b)

Benny Goodman Quartet

1938.10.12

Benny Goodman (cl), Teddy Wilson (p), Lionel Hampton (vib), Dave Tough (d)

Art Tatum Trio

1941.09.16

Art Tatum (p), Frankie Newton (tp), Ebenezer Paul (b)

King Cole Trio

1945.05.25

Nat Cole (p), Oscar Moore (g), Johnny Miller (b)

Jazz at the Philharmonic

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)

Oscar Peterson Trio

1949.03.01

Oscar Peterson (p), Auston Roberts (b), Clarence Jones (d)

Bud Powell Trio

1950.02.??

Bud Powell (p), Curly Russell (b), Max Roach (d)

Dave Brubeck Trio

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

 

Ethel Waters

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

The Mills Brothers

1934.09.12

Harry Mills (p, voc), Herbert & Donald Mills (voc), John Mills (voc, g)

Anita O'Day

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

Mel Tormé

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

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