Overview

In You Are My Sunshine, Robert Mann weaves together the birth of country music, Louisiana political history, World War II, and the American civil rights movement to produce a compelling biography of one of the world's most popular musical compositions. This is the story of a song that, despite its simple, sweet melody and lyrics, holds the weight of history within its chords. The song's journey to global fame began in 1939, when two obscure ""hillbilly"" groups recorded it. By the century's end, it was a cultural phenomenon covered by hundreds of artists spanning every genre. It entered the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1999 and the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry in 2012. At the center of this story is Jimmie Davis, who capitalized on his country music stardom to win two terms as Louisiana's governor. In 1940, Davis became the third artist to record ""Sunshine,"" after he bought it and claimed it as his composition. The song became his anthem and a staple of his political rallies, radiating warmth and wholesomeness. Its sunny tune encouraged listeners to forget Davis's earlier recording career, marked by risqué blues recordings that clashed with the upright, gospel-singing image he later cultivated. As ""You Are My Sunshine"" grew in popularity, so did its link to Louisiana's ""singing governor."" In 1977, the Louisiana Legislature made it a state song. In this biography, equal parts the story of Davis and the odyssey of his song, we discover that ""Sunshine"" shaped the early rise of country music but became tangled in Davis's pro-segregation policies, briefly overshadowing its legacy. You Are My Sunshine explores the song's contested origins, its rise to legendary status, and its ongoing resonance with millions. This is more than the story of a simple song; it's a biography of a cultural icon, enduring and ubiquitous as sunshine itself.

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9780807183502

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Reviews

""'You Are My Sunshine' has conferred impressive wealth and political power while holding close its many secrets like a coy lover. But with the flair of a mystery writer and the rigor of the admired scholar he is, Robert Mann may have finally shone true light on one of America's beloved standards.""--Michael Streissguth, author of Johnny Cash: The Biography ""In You Are My Sunshine, Robert Mann fuses the story of a song, from its remote origins when Jimmie Davis purchased the rights, across the years of Davis's fame as a country star and twice-elected Louisiana governor. Mann adroitly shows how the genial Davis became a cipher for white supremacists' attack on integrated schools in the early 1960s. Behind the song's sweet lyrics--refashioned by blues rocker Ray Charles in 1962--lay a governor who spent four decades out of office using music to whitewash his dark political record. What a story! Bob Mann is a Louisiana treasure.""--Jason Berry, author of City of a Million Dreams: A History of New Orleans at Year 300 ""Robert Mann, who knows more about Louisiana politics than just about anyone, draws upon his love of country music to give us a fascinating account of two-time governor Jimmie Davis. Forever associated with 'You Are My Sunshine, ' Davis used this song as the foundation for a dual career as politician and musical performer. Mann's exploration of the song's obscure origins, widespread appeal, and myriad recordings is a masterpiece of cultural history, and his analysis of Davis's political transformation from easygoing moderate to outspoken segregationist is spot-on. But you don't need to be a country music fan or a student of Louisiana politics to enjoy this book. ​Mann's blend of creative scholarship and exuberant prose is sure to attract a much wider audience. It is a thoroughly rewarding, and illuminating, read.""--Adam Fairclough, author of Race and Democracy: The Civil Rights Struggle in Louisiana, 1915-1972

Author Information

Robert Mann is the author of ten books on U.S. and Louisiana political history. He was a senior aide to US senators Russell Long and John Breaux and Louisiana governor Kathleen Babineaux Blanco. He served on the faculty of LSU's Manship School of Mass Communication for eighteen years before retiring in 2024. He lives in Baton Rouge.

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