Charles's recording hit number one for two weeks on the
Billboard Hot 100, beginning on Monday, October 9, 1961. "Hit the Road Jack" won a Grammy Award for
Best Rhythm and Blues Recording. The song was number one on the R&B Sides chart for five weeks, thereby becoming Charles's sixth number-one on that chart. The song was ranked number 387 on Rolling Stone magazine's 2010 list of "
The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time"; it had ranked at number 377 on the original 2004 list.[6][7]
In 2013, the 1961 recording by
Ray Charles on the ABC-Paramount label was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame.[8]
‡ Sales+streaming figures based on certification alone.
The Stampeders version
In 1976, Canadian band
The Stampeders released a version of the song taken from their album Steamin' featuring
DJWolfman Jack. The song reached No. 6 in Canada and No. 40 in the
US.[19]
^Billboard Staff (October 19, 2023).
"The 500 Best Pop Songs: Staff List". Billboard. Retrieved February 15, 2024. Ray Charles getting the boot in classic R&B fashion from Raelette singer Margie Hendrix, with a scorned nation singing along.