Carmichael was innate around Bloomington, Indiana. He attended Indiana University at Bloomington. He originally exposed law when swimming music unofficially, however he at length decided to devote his energies to music. Carmichael maintained a womb-to-tomb affiliation by having a university; within 1937 he wrote the song "Chimes of Indiana" which was presented to the school as a gift per class of 1935. It was processed Indiana University's official alma mater in 1978. Carmichael besides holds a distinction of existence awarded an honorary doctorate in music by the Indiana University in 1972.

Carmichael joined ASCAP in 1931. Aside from either "Stardust", he wrote "Riverboat Shuffle", "Rockin' Chair", "Washboard Blues", "Heart & Soul", "New Orleans", and "Georgia on My Mind"; he also collaborated with Sidney Arodin on the standard "Up a Lazy River". Carmichael was one of a number one ten songster inducted into a America's Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1969.

Hoagy Carmichael appeared as an actor in at least 14 motion pictures (most notably a Humphrey Bogart-Lauren Bacall classic To Have and Have Not, and Young Man with a Horn), often singing & swimming a piano in his have compositions. Carmichael wrote ii autobiographies: A Stardust Road (1946) and Periodically We Question (1965).

He died of the heart attack in Rancho Mirage, California. He is buried withwithin Rose Hill Cemetery in Bloomington.

Creator Ian Fleming once said that he envisioned British secret agent James Bond as looking prefer Carmichael.