iReal backing track in the audio player and you can download the chord chart DF here.
Video of my own treatment of playing over the changes below.
The title of the song appears to have been borrowed from the title of the 1934 book of the same name by Carl Carmer. It refers to a spectacular occurrence of the Leonid meteor shower that was observed in Alabama in November 1833, “the night the stars fell.” As reported by the Florence Gazette: “[There were] thousands of luminous bodies shooting across the firmament in every direction. There was little wind and not a trace of clouds, and the meteors succeeded each other in quick succession.”
One of the earliest popular recordings of “Stars Fell on Alabama” was by the Guy Lombardo Orchestra; Guy Lombardo’s brother Carmen performed the vocals. Recorded on August 27, 1934, it was issued by Decca Records as catalog number 104. Richard Himber and His Ritz-Carlton Orchestra (vocal by Joey Nash) also had some success with the song in 1934.
The song has been recorded by over 100 artists. Among them are: Al Bowlly; Bing Crosby; Lee Wiley; Ella Fitzgerald; Louis Armstrong; Cannonball Adderley; John Coltrane; Bob Dylan; Jack Teagarden; Jimmy Buffett; Billie Holiday; Anita O’Day; Dean Martin; Kay Starr; Frank Sinatra; Doris Day; Frankie Laine; Art Tatum; Erroll Garner; Don Rondo; Kate Smith; Mel Torme; Mina; Renee Olstead; Ricky Nelson; Stan Getz; Ben Webster; Vera Lynn; Ralph Marterie; Harry Connick Jr.; Sonny Stitt; Lizz Wright.
“Inspiration may be a form of super consciousness, or perhaps of subconsciousness – I wouldn’t know. But I am sure it is the antithesis of self-consciousness.” – Aaron Copland
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