Georgia On My Mind Doc Severinsen Sheet Music May 2026

This piece is not your father’s ballad. It’s a swinger, a high-wire act, and a love letter to both the state of Georgia and the art of trumpet performance. Most versions of Georgia on My Mind (key of G major, 4/4 time, slow ballad tempo) are played as a soulful lament. Doc Severinsen’s version, likely arranged by his longtime collaborator Ernie Wilkins or Bill Holman (common for the Tonight Show band library), transforms it into an up-tempo swing chart.

Whether you’re preparing for a jazz ensemble audition, a recital, or just want to blow the roof off a local jam session, this chart will make you sound like a million bucks—or at least like Doc on a Tuesday night in Burbank. Start with a free transcription from Trumpet Transcriptions Central or purchase the Doc Severinsen Anthology (eBook, 2022, ed. J. Lynch). Good luck—and keep your chops loose for that high C. georgia on my mind doc severinsen sheet music

| Measure | Notes (B♭ trumpet) | Rhythm | Articulation | |---------|---------------------|--------|---------------| | 1 | G (4th space) – F# – E | Quarter, eighth, eighth | Accent on G | | 2 | D – C# – B – A | Four eighths | Slightly detached | | 3 | G (top line) – rest | Half note | Marcato | | 4 | Pickup: B – C – D | Three eighths | Light swing | | 5-8 | Melody similar, but with chromatic approach from A# to B at bar 6 | | Add a fall on bar 7 beat 4 | Doc Severinsen was the bandleader for The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson from 1967 to 1992. Every night, millions heard his trumpet. In 1979, he released the album Doc Severinsen and The Tonight Show Band – Georgia on My Mind , which became a best-selling jazz record for a brass player—unheard of at the time. This piece is not your father’s ballad