Stars Fell on Alabama

“Stars Fell on Alabama” is the title of a 1934 jazz standard composed by Frank Perkins with lyrics by Mitchell Parish. The title of the song appears to have been borrowed from the title of the 1934 book of the same name by Carl Carmer.  It refers to a spectacular occurrence of the Leonid meteor shower that had been observed in Alabama in November 1833, “the night the stars fell.”  As reported by the Florence Gazette: “[There were] thousands of luminous bodies shooting across the firmament in every direction. There was little wind and not a trace of clouds, and the meteors succeeded each other in quick succession.” One of the earliest recordings of “Stars Fell on Alabama” was by the Guy Lombardo Orchestra; Guy Lombardo’s brother Carmen performed the vocals. Recorded on August 27, 1934. The song has been recorded by over 100 artists. Among them are: Al Bowlly, Bing Crosby (for his 1975 album A Southern Memoir), Lee Wiley, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong; Cannonball Adderley with John Coltrane; Jack Teagarden; Jimmy Buffett; Billie Holiday; Anita O’Day; Dean Martin; Kay Starr; Frank Sinatra; Doris Day; Frankie Laine; Art Tatum; Erroll Garner; Don Rondo; Kate Smith; Mel Torme; Mina; Renee Olstead; Ricky Nelson; Stan Getz; Ben Webster; Vera Lynn; Tara Nevins; the Radcliffe Pitches; Ralph Marterie; Harry Connick Jr.; Sonny Stitt; Lizz Wright