Bloomington native, Hoagy Carmichael is considered by many to be one of the most inventive and adventurous of the great American songwriters. Hoagy was a star, even an American icon. Hoagy composed over 650 songs, appeared in nine different movies, and was voted into the inaugural group of the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Hoagy’s songs and musical style were heavily influenced by the black musicians he heard in the jazz clubs and brothels of Indianapolis and at the socials he frequented at the homes of black friends in Bloomington. The 1920s were highly segregated, and his open relationship with the black communities of Bloomington, Indianapolis, and elsewhere was very much against the convention of the times. He went on to stardom and wealth in Hollywood, but Bloomington always meant home to him and he is buried in Rose Hill near his mother and one of his sisters.