Fast And Easy Hit The Road Jack Chords And Guitar Lesson

Sometimes you gotta give someone the boot in your life…

You’ve got to say, "Hit The Road Jack..."

Ever been there?

In this post, I want to share with you a powerfully bluesy groove. You only need a couple of chords to have a lot of fun with this one…

So grab your axe, and let’s dive into this "Hit The Road Jack" chords and guitar lesson! 

Who Wrote Hit The Road Jack?

"Hit the Road Jack" was originally written by a blues singer-songwriter named Percy Mayfield. Mayfield was from the South. He was born on August 12, 1920, in Minden, Louisiana.  

He grew up surrounded by rich musical traditions, which deeply influenced his songwriting and vocal style. The most popular version of “Hit The Road Jack” was recorded by Ray Charles in 1961. His version featured The Raelettes, particularly Margie Hendrix, whose powerful vocals provided a memorable call-and-response dynamic typically of the blues. 

The song has biting humor and sings about a heated exchange between a man and a woman. The song captures themes of heartbreak, rejection, and independence, all wrapped in a lively, soulful delivery.

Percy Mayfield initially wrote the song as a simple piano demo with an understated vocal delivery. But once Ray got a hold of it, he transformed it into a high-energy anthem with a full band arrangement. 

"Hit the Road Jack" was recorded in 1961 at RPM International Studios in Los Angeles, owned by Ray Charles. The production was handled by Charles himself, showcasing his skills not only as a performer and musician but also as a producer and arranger. 

The song became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 and the R&B Singles chart, where it stayed for two weeks. It won the Grammy Award for Best Rhythm and Blues Recording in 1962. "Hit the Road Jack" is one of Ray Charles’ signature songs and a cornerstone of 1960s R&B music. 

Margie Hendrix’s fiery vocal performance was instrumental in the song’s success. Her dynamic delivery as the rejecting lover became as iconic as Charles’ lead vocal.

The song also showcases Ray Charles' ability to blend genres. He was a master. While rooted in R&B, he also dipped into gospel-inspired vocal arrangements and a jazzy swing feel.

Now, you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Hit The Road Jack?

The tuning for "Hit The Road Jack" as recorded by Ray Charles is standard tuning. 

Standard tuning for a guitar is spelled out as EADGBE.  

Here are the strings:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch)

Next, let’s talk about the…

Hit The Road Jack Chords

To play "Hit The Road Jack" as recorded by Ray Charles you only need to know 4 main chords G#m, F#, E, and D#7. Let’s take a look at a few options for how they can be played on the fretboard.

G#m is played in the 4th position as a bar chord like this:

F# is played in the 2nd position as a bar chord like this:

E is played using all 6 strings like this:

Finally, D#7 is played using 4 strings like this:

If you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it faster for blues guitar. Then get your hands on my free blues scale PDF guide right here now:  

All right, now that you know the "Hit The Road Jack" chords, let’s now talk about…

What key is Hit The Road Jack in?

"Hit The Road Jack" as recorded by Ray Charles is in the key of G# minor. Let’s take a look at these chords within the G# natural minor scale.

The G# natural minor scale is built from the notes: G# - A# - B - C# - D# - E - F# - G#

G#m (i)

This is the tonic chord, the home base in the key of G# minor.

F# (VII)

F# is the subtonic chord in natural minor (VII).

It often serves as a pre-dominant chord or a passing chord.

E (VI)

E is the submediant chord in G# minor.

It adds a sense of resolution and contrasts the tension of the dominant chord (D#7).

D#7 (V7)

In harmonic minor, the D# major chord (V) becomes D#7, the dominant 7th chord.

This chord resolves strongly to G#m due to the leading tone (Fx, or F-double-sharp) resolving to G#.

How They Relate:

G#m to F# (i → VII):

This move is stepwise and creates a descending bass line (G# to F#). It's common in minor keys.

F# to E (VII → VI):

This progression continues the descending motion, creating a melancholic feel. It's less tense and feels like a departure from the tonic.

E to D#7 (VI → V7):

Here, E serves as a pre-dominant chord, leading into the dominant (D#7). This setup creates tension to resolve back to the tonic, G#m. 

D#7 to G#m (V7 → i):

The classic dominant to tonic resolution. The tension in D#7, especially its tritone (A# to D#), resolves smoothly into G#m.

This progression:

G#m → F# → E → D#7 → G#m

... is used in tons of bluesy musical settings. 

Another great example of this is “Stray Cat Strut”.

Hit The Road Jack Strumming Pattern

The main underlying groove for "Hit The Road Jack" is a swinging 8th-note feel. Strumming 8th notes means dividing each beat of a 4/4 time signature into two equal parts. However, I would not necessarily strum all 8th notes. Instead, I might make the strumming pattern based more on a quarter note feel. 

To properly strum quarter notes, you need to understand how to count them within each measure. In a 4/4 time signature, each measure has four beats, and each beat corresponds to one quarter note. This gives us a total of four quarter notes per measure.

To count quarter notes, you simply count each beat like this:

1 2 3 4

Here’s the breakdown:

1. The first quarter note (on the first beat)
2. The second quarter note (on the second beat)
3. The third quarter note (on the third beat)
4. The fourth quarter note (on the fourth beat)

When counting out loud, it sounds like:

"One, Two, Three, Four"

This steady rhythm forms the foundation of many strumming patterns and is a great groove.

Here’s an example of how to strum this breaking up the bass and chords:

Hit The Road Jack Soloing Guitar Lesson

Conclusion

To wrap it up, “Hit The Road Jack” is iconic. It’s a perfect example of blending rhythm and blues chord changes with a fresh new twist. 

Keep practicing, and if you’ve struggled to understand the fretboard and want to learn it faster for blues guitar. Then get your hands on my free blues scale PDF guide right here now:  

Jon MacLennan