# Hoagy Carmichael
**Hoagy Carmichael** (Hoagland Howard Carmichael; November 22, 1899 – December 27, 1981) was an American composer, pianist, singer, actor, and bandleader, born in [Bloomington, Indiana](https://www.edgepedia.org/bloomington-indiana), and best known for writing the music for "Stardust," "Georgia on My Mind," "The Nearness of You," and "Heart and Soul," four of the most-recorded American songs of all time[1](https://archives.iu.edu/html/VAC4954.html). He was also a working performer of his own songs, a character actor in Hollywood films, and a radio and television personality, and he is counted among the first singer-songwriters in the age of mass media[2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/).
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born / died | November 22, 1899, Bloomington, Indiana; December 27, 1981, Rancho Mirage, California, after a heart attack[3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html) • [2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/) |
| Education | LLB from Indiana University, 1926; briefly practiced law in West Palm Beach, Florida[3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html) • [4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) |
| Signature song | "Stardust," first recorded by Carmichael's band on October 31, 1927; lyric later added by Mitchell Parish; over 1,500 recorded versions[5](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/) • [4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) • [6](https://indianahistory.org/education/education-resources/educator-resources/online-resources/indiana-bicentennial-minute/hoagy-carmichael/) |
| Other standards | "Georgia on My Mind" (1930, lyric by Stuart Gorrell), "Rockin' Chair" (1929), "Up a Lazy River" (1931), "Skylark" (1941, with Johnny Mercer), "Heart and Soul" (1938, with Frank Loesser)[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) |
| Academy Award | "In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening" (1951, lyric by Johnny Mercer), Best Song, from the film *Here Comes the Groom*[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) |
| Acting | Breakthrough as Cricket in *To Have and Have Not* (1944); also *The Best Years of Our Lives* (1946), *Canyon Passage* (1945), and *Young Man with a Horn* (1950)[7](https://www.commentary.org/articles/terry-teachout/hoagy-carmichael-enduring-glories/) • [3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html) |
| Archives | The Hoagy Carmichael Collection at Indiana University's Archives of Traditional Music holds more than 3,500 items, the largest holding of Carmichael materials anywhere[1](https://archives.iu.edu/html/VAC4954.html) |
## Early life and musical beginnings
Carmichael was the son of Howard Clyde and Lida Mary (Robinson) Carmichael[3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html). His father was an electrician and his mother played the piano for dances and silent films[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael). When the family moved to [Indianapolis](https://www.edgepedia.org/indianapolis) in 1916, he took lessons from the African-American pianist Reginald DuValle, who advised him, "Never play anything that ain't right," and gave him pointers on hot ragtime and the emerging style of jazz[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) • [8](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/resound/article/download/26358/31982/62194).
At [Indiana University](https://www.edgepedia.org/indiana-university) he organized his own band, Carmichael's Collegians, which built a reputation on campus and across Indiana and Ohio[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) • [2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/). In the spring of 1924 the cornetist [Bix Beiderbecke](https://www.edgepedia.org/bix-beiderbecke) visited the university, and the two quickly became friends; Carmichael wrote his first piece for him, and Beiderbecke and the Wolverines recorded it as "Riverboat Shuffle," which became a Dixieland standard[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) • [9](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carmichael-mn0000708613). A trip to Chicago let him hear [Louis Armstrong](https://www.edgepedia.org/louis-armstrong), a musician who would influence him and with whom he would later record[2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/).
## From law to songwriting
Carmichael earned his LLB from Indiana University in 1926 and began practicing law in [West Palm Beach, Florida](https://www.edgepedia.org/west-palm-beach-florida)[3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html) • [4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael). While working as a law clerk there in 1927, he heard a sidewalk phonograph playing Red Nichols' version of his song "Washboard Blues" and decided to abandon law for music[5](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/). On October 31, 1927, he recorded "Star Dust" with his band for the first time[5](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/).
**"Stardust" and the hit years.** The Songwriters Hall of Fame dates "Star Dust" as a 1928 publication with a lyric by Mitchell Parish, and notes that it has been recorded by virtually every important singer of popular music[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael); the Indiana University timeline dates the first recording to 1927 and Mills Music's publication of "Stardust," now a one-word title, to 1929[5](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/). Carmichael said the melody came to him as he sat alone on Indiana University's so-called spooning wall, feeling that love had passed him by[10](https://www.allmusic.com/composition/stardust-mc0002379977). The Indiana Historical Society's bicentennial account counts more than 1,500 recorded versions[6](https://indianahistory.org/education/education-resources/educator-resources/online-resources/indiana-bicentennial-minute/hoagy-carmichael/).
In 1930, prompted by the bandleader Frank Trumbauer, he wrote "Georgia on My Mind" with lyrical help from his roommate Stuart Gorrell; its first recording, on September 15, 1930, featured a band that included Beiderbecke in his last recording sessions[5](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/). Mildred Bailey had hits with "Rockin' Chair" in 1929 and "Georgia on My Mind" in 1932[11](https://www.jazzstandards.com/biographies/biography_16.htm). Carmichael began recording for Victor Records in 1929, an association that lasted through 1934[5](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/).
## Hollywood, radio, and television
Carmichael moved to Hollywood in 1936, writing independent songs and songs for movies, and in 1937 he began a significant secondary career as an actor with a bit part in the film *Topper*[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael). His friend [Howard Hawks](https://www.edgepedia.org/howard-hawks) cast him as Cricket, the piano-playing bandleader in *To Have and Have Not* (1944), the screen version of [Ernest Hemingway](https://www.edgepedia.org/ernest-hemingway)'s novel co-starring [Humphrey Bogart](https://www.edgepedia.org/humphrey-bogart) and Lauren Bacall; the performance led to roles in nine more feature films, including William Wyler's *The Best Years of Our Lives* (1946) and Michael Curtiz's *Young Man with a Horn* (1950)[7](https://www.commentary.org/articles/terry-teachout/hoagy-carmichael-enduring-glories/). His acting credits also include *Johnny Angel*, *Canyon Passage*, and *Night Song*[3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html).
He starred in his own radio program, *Tonight at Hoagy's*, and his own television show, *Saturday Night Review*[3](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html), and in the late 1950s and early 1960s was a regular on the television western series *Laramie*[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael).
## Collaborations and honors
Carmichael never formed a permanent partnership with a lyricist, but he worked frequently with [Johnny Mercer](https://www.edgepedia.org/johnny-mercer) and [Frank Loesser](https://www.edgepedia.org/frank-loesser) and sometimes wrote his own lyrics[12](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/carmichael-hoagy-actually-hoagland-howard). With Mercer he wrote "Lazybones" (1931), Mercer's first hit song, and "Skylark" (1941), a melody Carmichael had composed for a musical that was never produced and inspired by Beiderbecke[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael) • [13](https://exhibits.library.gsu.edu/johnny-mercer/collaborations/hoagy-carmichael/). With Frank Loesser he wrote "Two Sleepy People" and "Heart and Soul" (both 1938)[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael).
"In the Cool, Cool, Cool of the Evening," written with Mercer for the 1951 film *Here Comes the Groom*, won the Academy Award for Best Song, Mercer's second Oscar and Carmichael's first[13](https://exhibits.library.gsu.edu/johnny-mercer/collaborations/hoagy-carmichael/). His "Ole Buttermilk Sky" (1946, with Jack Brooks) was nominated for Best Song in 1947[11](https://www.jazzstandards.com/biographies/biography_16.htm). Indiana University awarded him an honorary doctorate in 1972, [Carnegie Hall](https://www.edgepedia.org/carnegie-hall) held a tribute concert in 1979, and he was inducted into the [Songwriters Hall of Fame](https://www.edgepedia.org/songwriters-hall-of-fame) in 1971[2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/) • [4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael).
## Later years and legacy
After two orchestral pieces met an unenthusiastic reception in the 1960s, Carmichael retired from composing[4](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael). [Ray Charles](https://www.edgepedia.org/ray-charles)'s 1960 version of "Georgia on My Mind" gave him one final turn in the pop-music spotlight[7](https://www.commentary.org/articles/terry-teachout/hoagy-carmichael-enduring-glories/). He died at his home in [Rancho Mirage, California](https://www.edgepedia.org/rancho-mirage-california), on December 27, 1981, and was buried in his native Bloomington[2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/).
His family donated his archives and memorabilia to Indiana University, which opened the Hoagy Carmichael Room in 1986[2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/); the majority of the Archives of Traditional Music collection was donated by his estate in 1986[1](https://archives.iu.edu/html/VAC4954.html). In 1988 the Indiana Historical Society and the Smithsonian Institution issued the boxed set *The Classic Hoagy Carmichael*, which earned Grammy Award nominations for Best Album Notes and Best Historical Album, and in 1997 the United States Postal Service issued a commemorative postage stamp in his honor[2](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/).
His songs remain in circulation: Norah Jones recorded "The Nearness of You" on her Grammy-winning 2002 album *Come Away With Me*, and Kurt Elling recorded "I Get Along Without You Very Well" in 2001[14](https://indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow/star-dust-the-hoagy-carmichael-songbook.php). As a writer, Carmichael described his own method plainly: "You don't write melodies, you find them"[6](https://indianahistory.org/education/education-resources/educator-resources/online-resources/indiana-bicentennial-minute/hoagy-carmichael/).
## References
1. [Hoagy Carmichael Collection, 1898–2006, Archives of Traditional Music, Indiana University](https://archives.iu.edu/html/VAC4954.html)
2. [Brief Biography of Hoagy Carmichael, by John Edward Hasse, Indiana University Digital Library](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/bio/)
3. [Carmichael mss., 1921–1955, Lilly Library, Indiana University](https://archives.iu.edu/html/InU-Li-VAC9621.html)
4. [Hoagy Carmichael, Songwriters Hall of Fame](https://www.songhall.org/profiles/hoagy-carmichael)
5. [Timeline of Hoagy Carmichael's Life, Indiana University Digital Library](https://dlib.indiana.edu/collections/hoagy/research/timeline/)
6. [Hoagy Carmichael, Indiana Historical Society Bicentennial Minute](https://indianahistory.org/education/education-resources/educator-resources/online-resources/indiana-bicentennial-minute/hoagy-carmichael/)
7. [Giving Hoagy His Due, by Terry Teachout, Commentary (October 2020)](https://www.commentary.org/articles/terry-teachout/hoagy-carmichael-enduring-glories/)
8. [Resound: Archives of Traditional Music, Indiana University](https://scholarworks.iu.edu/journals/index.php/resound/article/download/26358/31982/62194)
9. [Hoagy Carmichael, AllMusic artist biography](https://www.allmusic.com/artist/carmichael-mn0000708613)
10. [Stardust, AllMusic composition details](https://www.allmusic.com/composition/stardust-mc0002379977)
11. [Hoagy Carmichael Biography, JazzStandards.com](https://www.jazzstandards.com/biographies/biography_16.htm)
12. [Carmichael, Hoagy, Encyclopedia.com](https://www.encyclopedia.com/arts/dictionaries-thesauruses-pictures-and-press-releases/carmichael-hoagy-actually-hoagland-howard)
13. [Hoagy Carmichael, Johnny Mercer exhibit, Georgia State University Library](https://exhibits.library.gsu.edu/johnny-mercer/collaborations/hoagy-carmichael/)
14. [Star Dust: The Hoagy Carmichael Songbook, Afterglow, Indiana Public Media](https://indianapublicmedia.org/afterglow/star-dust-the-hoagy-carmichael-songbook.php)
---
*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Music › Musicians and ensembles › Individual musical biographies › Songwriters and record producers › Songwriters and lyricists*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 30, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
*Copyright 2026 EdgeChat AI, a subsidiary of Biostate AI.*
License: Edgepedia Community License 1.0, https://www.edgepedia.org/edgepedia/license