Hoagy Carmichael was born in Bloomington, Indiana on November 22, 1899. His given name, Hoagland, derived from a circus troupe “The Hoaglands” who stayed with the Carmichaels during Mrs. Carmichael’s pregnancy. Hoagy’s mother was a pianist, and by the age of 6, Hoagy was playing and singing himself. Hoagy received a law degree from Indiana University, but was unable to find lasting employment as a lawyer. Part of the reason was that he had discovered jazz, and his new friend Bix Beiderbecke encouraged him to write music. A slew of early hits, including “Riverboat Shuffle”, “Star Dust”, “Rockin’ Chair”, “Georgia On My Mi...
