Stardust

“Stardust” is a jazz song composed by American singer, songwriter and musician Hoagy Carmichael with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. Now considered a standard and part of the Great American Songbook, the song has been recorded over 1,500 times either as an instrumental or vocal track, featuring different performers. During his time attending Indiana University, Carmichael developed a taste for jazz. He formed his own band and played at local events in Indiana and Ohio. Following his graduation, Carmichael moved to Florida to work for a law firm. He left the law sector and returned to Indiana, after learning of the success of one of his compositions. In 1927, after leaving a local university hangout, Carmichael started to whistle a tune that he later developed further. When composing the song, he was inspired by the end of one of his love affairs, and on the suggestion of a university classmate, he decided on its title. The same year, Carmichael recorded an instrumental version of the song for Gennett Records. In 1928, Carmichael left Indiana after Mills Music hired him as a composer. Mills Music then assigned Mitchell Parish to add words to the song. Don Redman recorded the song the same year, and by 1929, it was performed regularly at the Cotton Club. Isham Jones’s 1930 rendition of the song made it popular on radio, and soon multiple acts had recorded “Stardust”. Because of the song’s popularity, by 1936, RCA Victor pressed a double-sided version that featured Tommy Dorsey and Benny Goodman on respective sides.By 1940, the song was considered a standard. That year, RCA Victor released two more recordings of “Stardust”: one by Dorsey featuring Frank Sinatra as the singer and one by Artie Shaw. Shaw’s recording sold one million copies and Glenn Miller’s rendition was published the same year. Artists including Jo Stafford, Ella Fitzgerald, Nat King Cole, Billy Ward and his Dominoes, Ringo Starr, and Willie Nelson have recorded “Stardust”. The song was featured in several films, including My Favorite Year, Goodfellas, Sleepless in Seattle, and Casino. It was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1995 and added to the National Recording Registry in 2004. Soon after entering Indiana University, Carmichael developed a taste for jazz music. He had learned to play the piano with his mother, who performed at dances and movie theaters. In 1922, Carmichael met and befriended Bix Beiderbecke. Carmichael often played with Beiderbecke, and he became acquainted with his band, the Wolverines, who recorded his original composition “Riverboat Shuffle” in 1924. While still attending Indiana University, the singer formed a band called Carmichael’s Collegians. Carmichael and his band performed locally in Indiana and around Ohio The band appeared at 50 events between 1924 and 1925, while between 1925 and 1926, they played three to five nights a week at different engagements. Carmichael received his bachelor’s degree in 1925 and had earned a Bachelor of Laws by 1926. The same year, he worked as a law clerk in Miami, but he returned to Indiana after failing the Florida Bar examination. Carmichael passed the Indiana State Bar Association examination and worked for a law firm in the state.[7] With the success of Red Nichols’ 1927 recording of Carmichael’s original “Washboard Blues”, the composer decided to leave the practice of law in pursuit of a career in music.