Amazing Grace!
Amazing Grace
What is it about a song. Hymn or piece of music that stands the test of time and seems to go on forever?
One such song is Amazing Grace. Most if not all songs that have become lasting favorites have lyrics and melodies we associate ourselves with, and are easily remembered. If you think about it the words are simple, usually about life, love, happiness and yes, sometime sadness.
I was going through some recordings we made a few years ago, when I came across Amazing Grace sung by a friend who has left this world for a better place. Listening to him sing this song flooded my memory with thoughts of the times we spent together recording his music and having fun with family and friends getting together to just listen to music
My recording of Will Boyd singing Amazing Grace
Amazing Grace was written by an Englishman in 1772 (many moons ago) his name being John Newton. John Newton was Captain of a slave ship “The Greyhound” in 1748, transporting slaves to the New World across the Atlantic Ocean. The slaves were quartered under deplorable conditions and treated inhumane. During a violent storm and the l loss of a seaman, Newton prayed for the safety of his ship and its cargo, it was then through prayer he saw the evilness of his acts and said “Lord have mercy upon us.” he believed that through the storm God had addressed him and grace was working for him. Following his conversion he continued to captain the slave ship for a time but saw to it that the slaves were treated in a decent manner. Years following he left the sea and became an ordained Minister, working with William Wilberforce to abolish slavery completely in the British Empire.
Amazing Grace was sung to a number of melodies before being recognized with the New Britain melody ( as we know it now) by William Walker in 1835. The song has a basic melody and has been recorded by many artists over the years, in fact according to “All Music” they list 1800 recordings of Amazing Grace.The song was first recorded in 1922 by The Sacred Heart Choir in New York on the Brunswick label. In the early years it was sung as a hymn but became so popular recording companies were happy to record the song with profit in mind. The rest is history.
Trivia Question: “What was the first song to sell a million copies.”
