“Hit the Road Jack“ is a song written by the rhythm and blues artist Percy Mayfield….which was first recorded in 1960 as an a cappella demo sent to Art Rupe…..but it became famous after it was recorded by the singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles with The Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendrix….and eventually became one of Charles’ signature songs.
Charles’s recording hit # 1 for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100….as “Hit the Road Jack” won a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. The song was # 1 on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks….and thus becoming Charles’s sixth # 1 on that chart. The song is ranked # 387 on Rolling Stone magazine’s list of “The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time”. The Chantels released an answer song, “Well, I Told You” which charted at # 29.
“I Got a Woman“ is also a song co-written and recorded by American R&B and soul musician Ray Charles…..as Atlantic Records released the song as a single in December 1954….with “Come Back Baby” as the B-side….as both songs later appeared on the 1957 album Ray Charles (subsequently reissued as Hallelujah I Love Her So). The song was notably sampled in Kanye West’s 2005 hit song, “Gold Digger”.
