Producers Seth Rudetsky and James Wesley, alongside Broadway superstar Audra McDonald, director Schele Williams, and Broadway Inspirational Voices’ Joseph Joubert and Michael McElroy, announced today that they have released a very special recording and music video of the beloved song “Georgia On My Mind” to mark the first day of voting for the January 5th Georgia Senate runoff elections.
The song, which premiered during Stacey Abrams’ Fair Fight organization’s “Rock The Runoff” Virtual Concert, will help to raise funds and awareness for Fair Fight’s work to ensure that every eligible Georgian has the resources and information they need to vote in the January 5th runoff election.
The single is released by Broadway Records, and is available wherever digital music is sold and on BroadwayRecords.com. The video, which was directed by Schele Williams, is available for viewing via Fair Fight’s YouTube Page.
The song was recorded by an all-star line-up of stage and screen stars who contributed from all over the country, from the safety of their own homes! Those joining McDonald, Rudetsky, and Wesley include: Danielle Brooks, Andréa Burns, Allyson Kaye Daniel, Raúl Esparza, Santino Fontana, Josh Gad, Renee Elise Goldsberry, Mandy Gonzalez, Celia Rose Gooding, Angela Grovey, Crystal Monee Hall, Wilson Jermaine-Heredia, Carly Hughes, James Monroe Iglehart, Jeremy Jordan, LaChanze, José Llana, Allen Louis, Beth Malone, Anastasia McClesky, Michael McElroy, Idina Menzel, Ruthie Ann Miles, Bonnie Milligan, Lin-Manuel Miranda, Brian Stokes Mitchell, Jessie Mueller, Javier Muñoz, Jesse Nager, Kelli O’Hara, Adam Pascal, Steve Pasquale, Peppermint, Rosie Perez, Bernadette Peters, Ben Platt, Billy Porter, Conrad Ricamora, Lauren Ridloff, Jai Rodriguez, Anika Noni Rose, Daphne Rubin-Vega, Rashidra Scott, Keala Settle, Ephraim Sikes, Phillipa Soo, Will Swenson, Chris Sullivan, Anastacia Talley, Tracie Thoms, Allyson Tucker, Leslie Uggams, Blair Underwood, Jenna Ushkowitz, Fredi Walker, Adrienne Warren, Susan Kelechi Watson, Lillias White, NaTasha Yvette Williams, Schele Williams, Vanessa Williams, and BD Wong.
“Now more than ever it is crucial for every American to have access to the resources to make their voices heard during an election, whether that be on a national scale, or in their local races. We are in awe of the work that Stacey Abrams and Fair Fight have been doing to ensure that that is a reality for all Georgians, and knew that we wanted to raise our own voices to raise awareness about this important election in the way we know best – through music,” said McDonald.
“You will flip when you hear this beautiful, soulful arrangement and the stunning vocals on this recording. James and I have it on repeat non-stop and we hope everyone will join in our obsessive listening, " added Rudetsky.
“We are so grateful to everyone who dedicated their time and energy to this project without hesitation. And we are especially excited to be working alongside Broadway Records to give this iconic song new life and make it available for all, with proceeds going toward this amazing cause! We encourage fans and supporters to join us by signing up and making a donation at fairfight.com,” said Wesley.
The single was arranged by Joseph Joubert and Michael McElroy. Full credits can be found below.
Since March 16, Rudetsky and Wesley have become household staples with their daily series “Stars In The House,” raising over $610,000 for The Actors Fund and other causes. Seth and James bring a masterful combination of music, storytelling and community to each episode, ensuring that the show goes on in viewers’ homes even while performance venues across the world are closed. “Stars In The House” airs new episodes Mondays-Saturdays at 8PM ET on its YouTube channel and starsinthehouse.com.
