"Hit the Road Jack" is a song written by the

rhythm and blues Rhythm and blues, frequently abbreviated as R&B or R'n'B, is a genre of popular music that originated within African American communities in the 1940s. The term was originally used by record companies to describe recordings marketed predomina ...

singer

Percy Mayfield Percy Mayfield (August 12, 1920August 11, 1984) was an American rhythm and blues singer with a smooth vocal style. He was also a songwriter, known for the songs "Please Send Me Someone to Love" and "Hit the Road Jack", the latter being a song f ...

and recorded by

Ray Charles Ray Charles Robinson (September 23, 1930 – June 10, 2004) was an American singer, songwriter, and pianist. He is regarded as one of the most iconic and influential musicians in history, and was often referred to by contemporaries as "The Gen ...

. The song was a US number 1 hit in 1961, and won a

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards, stylized as GRAMMY, and often referred to as The Grammys, are awards presented by The Recording Academy of the United States to recognize outstanding achievements in music. They are regarded by many as the most prestigious ...

for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording, becoming one of Charles'

signature song A signature (; from , "to sign") is a depiction of someone's name, nickname, or even a simple "X" or other mark that a person writes on documents as a proof of identity and intent. Signatures are often, but not always, handwritten or styliz ...

Background

The song was written by

, who first recorded it in 1960 as an ''

a cappella Music performed a cappella ( , , ; ), less commonly spelled acapella in English, is music performed by a singer or a singing group without instrumental accompaniment. The term ''a cappella'' was originally intended to differentiate between Rena ...

'' demo sent to music executive

Art Rupe Arthur Newton Rupe (born Arthur Goldberg; September 5, 1917 – April 15, 2022) was an American music executive and record producer. He founded Specialty Records, known for its rhythm and blues, blues, gospel and early rock and roll music reco ...

. It became famous after it was recorded by the singer-songwriter-pianist

, with

The Raelettes The Raelettes (or occasionally The Raelets or The Raeletts) were an American girl group formed in 1958 to provide backing vocals for Ray Charles. They were reformed from the group The Cookies. Between 1966 and 1973, the Raelettes recorded on ...

vocalist

Margie Hendrix Marjorie Hendrix (sometimes Hendricks) (March 13, 1935 – July 14, 1973) was an American rhythm and blues singer and founding member of the Raelettes, who were the backing singers for Ray Charles, the father of her child, Charles Wayne Hendr ...

. 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 was ranked number 387 on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. The magazine was first known fo ...

'' magazine's 2010 list of "

The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time" is a recurring song ranking compiled by the American magazine ''Rolling Stone''. It is based on weighted votes from selected musicians, critics, and industry figures. The first list was published in December 2 ...

"; it had ranked at number 377 on the original 2004 list. In 2013, the 1961 recording by

on the ABC-Paramount label was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.

The Chantels The Chantels are a pop music group and are the third African-American girl group to enjoy nationwide success in the United States, preceded by The Teen Queens and The Bobbettes. The group was established in the early 1950s by students attendi ...

released an

answer song An answer song, response song or answer record is a song (usually a recorded track) made in answer to a previous song, normally by another artist. The concept became widespread in blues and R&B recorded music in the 1930s to the 1950s. Answer son ...

, "Well, I Told You" which charted at No. 29.

Charts and certifications

Charts

Certifications

The Stampeders version

In 1976, Canadian band

The Stampeders The Stampeders (sometimes shortened to Stampeders) are a Canadian rock trio consisting of lead guitarist and vocalist Rich Dodson, bassist Ronnie King and drummer Kim Berly. History Formed in Calgary, Alberta, in 1964 as the Rebounds, the ...

released a version of the song taken from their album ''Steamin featuring DJ

Wolfman Jack Robert Weston Smith (January 21, 1938July 1, 1995), known as Wolfman Jack, was an American disc jockey active for over three decades. He was famous for his gravelly voice, and credited it with his success, saying, "It's kept meat and potatoes on ...

. The song reached No. 6 in Canada, No. 40 on the US ''Billboard'' Hot 100 and No. 41 on the US ''Cash Box'' Top 100. The single features a conversation between Wolfman Jack and "Cornelius" -- the real name of Stampeders bassist Ronnie King.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hit The Road Jack 1960 songs 1961 singles ABC Records singles The Animals songs Billboard Hot 100 number-one singles Cashbox number-one singles Number-one singles in New Zealand Paramount Records singles Ray Charles songs Songs written by Percy Mayfield Male–female vocal duets