Home | Songs By Year | Songs from 1960
Hit the Road Jack
Buy Hit the Road Jack now from AmazonFirst, read the Wikipedia article. Then, scroll down to see what other TopShelfReviews readers thought about the song. And once you've experienced the song, tell everyone what you thought about it.
Wikipedia article
"'Hit the Road Jack'" is a song written by the rhythm and blues singer Percy Mayfield and recorded by Ray Charles. The song was a US number 1 hit in 1961, and won a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording, becoming one of Charles' signature songs.
Background
The song was written by Percy Mayfield, who first recorded in 1960 as an 'a cappella' demo sent to music executive Art Rupe. It became famous after it was recorded by the singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles, with The Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendrix.
Charles's recording hit number one for two weeks on the 'Billboard' Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. "Hit the Road Jack" won a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. The song was number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks, thereby becoming Charles's sixth number-one on that chart. The song is ranked number 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 No. 29.
The vocal sample and lyrics have been used in contemporary music. Both remixes and covers have added a modern context to the original song.
Charts and certifications
Charts
Certifications
The Stampeders version
In 1976, Canadian band The Stampeders released a version of the song taken from their album 'Steamin' featuring DJ Wolfman Jack. The song reached No. 6 in Canada and No. 40 in the US.
References
Category:1960 songs
Category:1961 singles
Category:ABC Records singles
Category:The Animals songs
Category:Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles
Category:Cashbox number-one singles
Category:Number-one singles in New Zealand
Category:Paramount Records singles
Category:Ray Charles songs
Category:Songs written by Percy Mayfield
Category:Malefemale vocal duets
Buy Hit the Road Jack now from Amazon
<-- Return to songs from 1960