You Are My Sunshine is one of the most well-known songs in American history. Many know it as a children's folk song, often sung in schoolyards or at a campfire. But how many people know where the song comes from or who wrote it?
You Are My Sunshine was recorded and copyrighted by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell in 1940. Davis was a teacher, and politician turned singer during the Depression.
The fourth group to lay claim to You Are My Sunshine is The Pine Ridge Boys. Originally from Atlanta, Marvin Taylor and Doug Spivey were the first to record the song on August 22, 1939. Their version of You Are My Sunshine came out on October 6 of the same year.