*On this date in 1979, the state of Georgia honored and issued a formal apology to musician and composer Ray Charles.
This was for an incident affecting his performance in the state in 1961. At that time, Charles, born in Albany, GA, had refused to perform in front of a segregated (all-white) audience. The promoter sued Charles for that position against segregation. He often returned to Georgia to perform throughout the 1960s and 1970s.
The Georgia State Legislature completed the finality when it adopted his version of "Georgia on My Mind" as the official state song.
