Sweet Georgia Brown: Introduction
While in Germany, The Beatles had the name The Beat Brothers. Indeed, they would often perform as the backing group for lead vocalist Tony Sheridan. This song, “Sweet Georgia Brown,” is one of the two songs that they recorded together.
In Detail
- Release Date: 1964
- Recorded: May24, 1962
- Studio: Friedrich-Eberts-Halle, Hamburg, Germany
- Format: 7-inch single, also an EP
- Record Label: Polydor
- Track Duration: 2:03
- Songwriter: Kenneth Casey
- Composers: Ben Bernie and Maceo Pinkard
- Producer: Bert Kaempfert
- Engineer: Karl Hinze
Performers And Instruments
- Tony Sheridan: vocals
- John Lennon: electric guitar
- Paul McCartney: bass guitar
- George Harrison: electric guitar
- Pete Best: drums
- Roy Young: piano
Where To Find “Sweet Georgia Brown”
It is still possible to buy this son, but you’ll have to do some searching on the likes of eBay. Indeed, we found it and bought the record. So, it is still possible to get a hold of such a rare recording.
Sweet Georgia Brown (Single) (1964) 
Ya Ya (EP) (1964)
Although there may be other releases available, these are the most common ones. You should be able to get a hold of them on places such as eBay.
Sweet Georgia Brown: Background
Written in 1925, “Sweet Georgia Brown” by Kenneth Casey spent five weeks at number one in America that year. That recording was of bandleader Ben Bernie and his Hotel Roosevelt Orchestra. However, the song resurfaced in 1949 when Brother Bones and His Shadows recorded it. In 1952, that song was the theme tune for the Harlem Globetrotters basketball team.
Due to the popularity of the song, there are a lot of cover versions available by many other artists, especially in America.
The Beatles began recording “Sweet Georgia Brown” on May 24, 1962, in the Friedrich-Eberts-Halle, Hamburg, Germany. In fact, they recorded two American standards that day: this version as well as “Swanee River.”
Obviously, credit for this song goes to Tony Sheridan and the Beat Brothers. We also saw this arrangement on their single, “My Bonnie.”
The first recorded version stuck with the original lyrics, of course. Then, once The Beatles became famous, Tony Sheridan recorded a different version with slightly humorous lyrics.
However, as of yet, the second recording is not commercially available.
Original Version:
Fellas that she can’t get
Are fellas she can’t get
Georgia claimed her, Georgia named her
Sweet Georgia Brown
Changed Lyrics:
In Liverpool she even dared
To criticize The Beatles’ hair
With their whole fan-club standing there
Oh, Sweet Georgia Brown
Although it was not released in the UK, the record had a few variants in Europe. For example, there was a Greek single with “Nobody’s Child” on the flip side. Then there was the ‘Ya Ya’ EP release in Germany with 4 songs. Obviously, these are rare recordings. However, we did find some for sale on the second-hand market.
Take A Listen
Give this song a spin, and then let us know what you think about it. It may be difficult to listen to The Beatles as a pure backing group, but it is their roots!
