HIT The ROAD JACK

Steven Wagner - Stevan Vagner, Porum COLLEGIUM MELODIUM, World music museum in Belgrade, Fabulous MARIJA TOMIC, IKA and PEDJA, present "Hit the Road Jack" , a song written by rhythm and bluesman Percy Mayfield and first recorded in 1960 as an a cappella demo sent to Art Rupe. It became famous after it was recorded by singer-songwriter-pianist Ray Charles with The Raelettes vocalist Margie Hendricks.

The song, which has a strong beat, is a brief, rather comic duet between a fed-up woman and her good-for-nothing man. He tries to wheedle her into letting him stay, but she will have none of it, "Don't care if you do 'cause it's understood: you ain't got no money, you just ain't no good."

Ray Charles' recording hit number one for two weeks on the Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961.Hit the Road Jack" also got a Grammy award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. The song was also number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks and becoming Ray Charles' sixth number one on that chart.[3] The song is ranked #387 on the Rolling Stone magazine's list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.