John Scott's Top 40 Songs from Jacksonville (Part II)

3. “Free Bird” – Lynyrd Skynyrd (1974) The song known as a punch line to encores (FREEEEEE BIRRRRRD) is still as majestic and invigorating to me nearly 40 years after it was released. It really is hard to quantify the magnitude this song has on the rock n roll landscape. The studio version begins with the funereal organ that morphs into the perfectly mixed jam at the end; the live version shows the imperfection of the mix, losing some of the dynamics of the guitars but still captivates. What else can you say? Just light your lighter, or hold up your cell phone….no, you need to light your lighter for this one.



2. “Georgia on My Mind” – Ray Charles (1960) The song was written by Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrell in 1930 and many versions have been recorded. And though, I haven’t heard every version, undoubtedly, THE version of this song was not released until 1960 when Ray Charles made it his own. The song, on the strength of Charles’ version, has become the official state song of Georgia (Ray’s birth state) and one of the all-time classic recordings. Charles’ Jacksonville connection was his years-long stay at the Florida School for the Blind in St. Augustine and the subsequent years he spent in Jacksonville after quitting school, where he literally invented “soul” music.