Rainy Night in Georgia

Written in 1967 by Swamp Rock musician Tony Joe White, "Rainy Night in Georgia" was inspired by his time living in Marietta, Georgia, where rain forced him to stay indoors and play guitar. The melancholy track became a massive hit in 1970 when veteran R&B vocalist Brook Benton recorded it for his career comeback. Benton's velvet baritone and Arif Mardin's luxurious string arrangement propelled the country-soul crossover to No. 1 on the Billboard R&B chart and No. 4 on the Hot 100.

As a prolific Atlantic Records session musician, Dupree was responsible for the song's signature bluesy intro melody and the tasteful, emotional chord embellishments that fill the spaces between Benton's vocals. While guitarist Jimmy O'Rourke also played on the November 1969 Criteria Studios session, Dupree's distinct "sliding 4ths" technique defines the track's soulful rhythm style.

I used a similar style as Dupree but turned it into solo guitar accompaniment using a classical guitar technique and building a solo in the middle. I'm going to write out this part soon... it will be very challenging to play but worth the effort...