Hoagy Carmichael
The first half of the twentieth century was the era of professional composers, and among them one genius stands tall : Hoagy Carmichael. Stardust (1928), Georgia On My Mind (1930), The Nearness Of You (1937), Heart and Soul (1938)... Had he only written those four, Ray Charles, Willie Nelson, Norah Jones and Ella Fitzgerald would already owe him a lot. Even George Harrison, who participated in putting pro composers out of a job as a Beatles, covered his songs...