Hit the Road Jack

"Hit the Road Jack" is a rhythm and blues song by Percy Mayfield, made famous by Ray Charles in 1961. This page has the Hit the Road Jack chords and a backing track you can slow down, speed up and transpose.

Who wrote "Hit the Road Jack"

Percy Mayfield wrote the music and the words. The song is a quarrel between a man and a woman who is throwing him out, sung as call and response. Ray Charles recorded it with Margie Hendrix of the Raelettes taking the woman's part, and it went to number one in the United States in 1961 and won a Grammy Award.

Recordings that made it a standard

• Ray Charles (ABC-Paramount, 1961) — the hit, with Margie Hendrix and the Raelettes.