Amazing Grace - Music
Amazing Grace by Judy Collins
Judy Collins
Artist Biography For Judy Collins
Judy Collins Born Judith Marjorie Collins On May 1 1939 In Seattle Washington Is An American Singer And Songwriter Known For The Eclectic Range Of Material She Records Which Has Included Folk Show Tunes Pop And Rock And Roll As Well As And Standards And For Her Social Activism. Beginning In 1959 She Was Drawn To The Music Of Woody Guthrie And Pete Seeger And The Traditional Songs Of The Folk Revival Of The Early 1960s. In 1968 She Was Awarded A Grammy For "Both Sides Now". Since Then She Has Had An Enviable Reputation As A Singer And For Her Own Compositions. Though Born In Seattle Washington Where She Spent The First Ten Years Of Her Life She Moved To Denver Colorado In 1949. As A Child Collins Studied Classical Piano With Antonia Brico Making Her Public Debut At Age 13 Performing Mozart's Concerto For Two Pianos. It Was The Music Of Woody Guthrie And Pete Seeger And The Traditional Songs Of The Folk Revival Of The Early 1960s That Piqued Collins' Interest And Awoke In Her A Love Of Lyrics. Three Years After Her Debut As A Piano Prodigy She Was Playing Guitar. She Eventually Made Her Way To Greenwich Village New York City Where She Busked And Played In Clubs Until She Signed With Elektra Records A Record Label With Which She Was Associated For 35 Years. In 1961 Collins Released Her First Album A Maid Of Constant Sorrow At The Age Of 22. At First She Sang Traditional Folk Songs Or Songs Written By Others In Particular The Social Poets Of The Time Such As Tom Paxton Phil Ochs And Bob Dylan. She Recorded Her Own Versions Of Seminal Songs Of The Period Such As Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" And Pete Seeger's "Turn Turn Turn". Collins Was Also Instrumental In Bringing Then Little Known Composers To A Wider Public For Example She Recorded Songs By Canadian Poet Leonard Cohen And Canadian Singer-Songwriter Joni Mitchell. With Her 1967 Album Wildflowers She Began To Record Her Own Compositions The First Of Which Was Entitled "Since You've Asked". This Album Also Provided Collins With A Major Hit And A Grammy Award With Her Version Of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" Which Reached #8 On The Billboard Hot 100. 1968's Who Knows Where The Time Goes Was Produced By Stephen Stills Of Crosby Stills & Nash With Whom Collins Was Romantically Involved At The Time She Is The "Judy" Of The Stills-Written CSN Classic "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" . It Had A Mellow Country Sound And Included Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon" And The Title Track A Sandy Denny Song Which Has Been Covered By Several Artists. By The 1970s Collins Had A Solid Reputation As An Art Song Singer And Folksinger. She Had Also Begun To Stand Out With Her Own Compositions. She Was Also Known For Her Broad Range Of Material Her Songs From This Period Include The Traditional Gospel Song "Amazing Grace" The Stephen Sondheim Broadway Ballad "Send In The Clowns" Both Of Which Were Top 20 Hits As Singles And Her Own Compositions Such As "My Father" And "Born To The Breed". In 1979 She Posed Nude On The Album "Hard Times For Lovers". In More Recent Years Collins Has Taken To Writing Producing A Memoir "Trust Your Heart" In 1987 And Two Novels. Though Her Record Sales Are Not What They Once Were She Still Records And Tours. One Of Her More Recent Albums Is A Collection Of Songs Based On Her Novel Shameless. She Performed At US President Bill Clinton's First Inauguration In 1993 Singing "Amazing Grace" And "Chelsea Morning". The Clintons Have Stated That Their Daughter Chelsea Was Named After Collins' Recording Of The Joni Mitchell Song. Activism
Like Other Folk Singers Of Her Generation Collins Was Drawn To Social Activism. She Is A Representative For UNICEF And Campaigns On Behalf Of The Abolition Of Landmines. Following The 1992 Death Of Her Son Clark Taylor At Age 33 After A Long Bout With Depression And Substance Abuse She Has Also Become A Strong Advocate Of Suicide Prevention. Her 2003 Book Sanity & Grace Chronicles Her Recovery From Her Son's Suicide And Attempts To Provide Some Comfort And Guidance To Other Families Dealing With The Loss Of A Loved One To Suicide. She Describes The "Seven T's" As A Means For Going Through This Process Of Recovery Truth Therapy Trust Try Treat Treasure And Thrive. The Truth Is That There Should Be No Guilt In Suicide Therapy Helps People Express Their Emotions And Seek Grief Counseling Trust Is The Effort To Believe That One Can Make It Through The Loss And Keep A Belief In Life And In The Future Try Means To Stay Away From Drugs And Alcohol Or Any Excess--Including Overeating--As A Means To Deal With The Loss And Pain Treat Means To Take Care Of The Mind Body And Spirit With Exercise And Meditation Treasure Means To Keep The Memory Of The Moments To Be Treasured And For This Collins Recommends Writing And Keeping A Journal And Thrive Means To Be Positive Hopeful Open To Love And Others And Continuing To Know That You Can Rebuild Your Life On A Basis Of Hope. Awards And Recognition
Grammy Award Best Folk Performance Or Folk Recording "Both Sides Now" 1968 Grammy Award Song Of The Year "Send In The Clowns" 1975 Nominated With Jill Godmillow For An Academy Award For The Documentary "Antonia A Portrait Of The Woman" 1975 About Her Classical Piano Instructor Conductor Antonia Brico. Discography
Maid Of Constant Sorrow 1961 The Golden Apples Of The Sun 1962 Judy Collins #3 1964 The Judy Collins Concert 1964 Judy Collins' Fifth Album 1965 In My Life 1966 Wildflowers 1967 Who Knows Where The Time Goes? 1968 Whales And Nightingales 1970 Both Sides Now 1971 Living 1971 Live Colors Of The Day 1972 Greatest Hits True Stories And Other Dreams 1973 Judith 1975 Bread And Roses 1976 So Early In The Spring 1977 15th Anniversary Collection Hard Times For Lovers 1979 Running For My Life 1980 Times Of Our Lives 1982 Home Again 1984 Trust Your Heart 1987 The Stars Of Christmas Selected Especially For Avon 1988 Sanity And Grace 1989 Fires Of Eden 1990 Baby's Bedtime 1990 Baby's Morningtime 1990 Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like A Woman 1993 Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas 1994 Shameless 1994 Voices 1995 Christmas At The Biltmore Estate 1997 Forever An Anthology 1997 Both Sides Now 1998 Classic Broadway 1999 All On A Wintry Night 2000 Judy Collins Live At Wolf Trap 2000 Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen Democracy 2004 The Essential Judy Collins 2004 Portrait Of An American Girl 2006 Videography
Baby's Bedtime 1992 Baby's Morningtime 1992 Junior Playing The Operator Of A Home For Unwed Mothers Opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas At The Biltmore Estate 1998 The Best Of Judy Collins 1999 Intimate Portrait Judy Collins 2000 Judy Collins Live At Wolf Trap 2003 Wildflower Festival 2003 DVD With Guest Artists Eric Andersen Arlo Guthrie And Tom Rush Bibliography
Trust Your Heart 1987 Amazing Grace 1991 Sanity And Grace A Journey Of Suicide Survival And Strength 2003
Frogtoon Music - Song Info: Amazing Grace
Judy-Collins - Live At Wolf Trap
"Amazing Grace" Is A Well-Known Christian Hymn By Englishman John Newton And First Appeared In Print In Newton's Olney Hymns 1779 . John Newton And The Lyrics To Amazing Grace John Newton The Author Of The Lyrics To Amazing Grace Was Born In 1725 In Wapping London United Kingdom. Despite The Powerful Message Of "Amazing Grace " Newton's Religious Beliefs Initially Lacked Conviction His Youth Was Marked By Religious Confusion And A Lack Of Moral Self-Control And Discipline.
After A Brief Time In The Royal Navy Newton Began His Career In Slave Trading. The Turning Point In Newton's Spiritual Life Was A Violent Storm That Occurred One Night While At Sea. Moments After He Left The Deck The Crewman Who Had Taken His Place Was Swept Overboard. Although He Manned The Vessel For The Remainder Of The Tempest He Later Commented That Throughout The Tumult He Realized His Helplessness And Concluded That Only The Grace Of God Could Save Him. Prodded By What He Had Read In Thomas À Kempis' Imitation Of Christ Newton Took The First Step Toward Accepting Faith. These Incidents And His 1750 Marriage To Mary Catlett Changed Newton Significantly. On His Slave Voyages He Encouraged The Sailors Under His Charge To Pray. He Also Began To Ensure That Every Member Of His Crew Treated Their Human Cargo With Gentleness And Concern. Nevertheless It Would Be Another 40 Years Until Newton Openly Challenged The Trafficking Of Slaves. Some Three Years After His Marriage Newton Suffered A Stroke That Prevented Him From Returning To Sea In Time He Interpreted This As Another Step In His Spiritual Voyage. He Assumed A Post In The Customs Office In The Port Of Liverpool And Began To Explore Christianity More Fully. As Newton Attempted To Experience All The Various Expressions Of Christianity It Became Clear That He Was Being Called To The Ministry. Since Newton Lacked A University Degree He Could Not Be Ordained Through Normal Channels. However The Landlord Of The Parish At Olney Was So Impressed With The Letters Newton Had Written About His Conversion That He Offered The Church To Newton He Was Ordained In June 1764. In Olney The New Curate Met The Poet William Cowper Also A Newly-Converted Christian. Their Friendship Led To A Spiritual Collaboration That Completed The Inspiration For "Amazing Grace " The Poem Newton Most Likely Wrote In Kineton Warwickshire Around Christmas 1772. The Lyrics Are Based On His Reflections On An Old Testament Text He Was Preparing To Preach On Adding His Perspective About His Own Conversion While On His Slave Ship The Greyhound In 1748. Newton's Lyrics Have Become A Favourite For Christians Largely Because The Hymn Vividly And Briefly Sums Up The Doctrine Of Divine Grace. The Lyrics Are Based On 1 Chronicles 17 16-17 A Prayer Of King David In Which He Marvels At God's Choosing Him And His House. Newton Apparently Wrote This For Use In A Sermon He Preached On This Passage On New Year's Day 1773 And For Which He Left His Sermon Notes Which Correspond To The Flow Of The Lyrics. He Entitled The Piece "Faith's Review And Expectation." The Song Has Also Become Known As A Favorite With Supporters Of Freedom And Human Rights Both Christian And Non-Christian In Part Because Many Assume It To Be Newton's Testimony About His Slave Trading Past. The Hymn Was Quite Popular On Both Sides In The American Civil War. Extra Verses In Her Novel Uncle Tom's Cabin Harriet Beecher Stowe Quoted Three Stanzas As Seemingly From One Hymn Two Of Them Corrupt Versions Of Amazing Grace Stanzas And One Reading When We’ve Been There Ten Thousand Years Bright Shining Like The Sun We've No Less Days To Sing God’s Praise
Than When We First Begun. Despite Its Relatively Poor Mesh With The Rest Of The Hymn The Change From "I" To "we " Change Of Subject No Reference For "there" A Form Of This Stanza Became Common As Part Of Amazing Grace In Hymnals In The Early Twentieth Century Due In Large Part To The Influential Hymnodist And Publisher Edwin Othello Excell. While The Stanza Is Often Credited To John P. Rees 1828-1900 It Antedates His Birth. It Was In Print By 1790 Added To An Old And Widely-Varied Hymn Most Usually Beginning "Jerusalem My Happy Home" And Was Still Appearing As Part Of This Hymn In Books Published Around The Time Of Stowe's Book Music As With Other Hymns Of This Period The Words Were Sung To A Number Of Tunes Before And After They First Became Linked To The Now Familiar Variant Of The Tune "New Britain" Of Which The Composer Is Unknown And Which Is In William Walker's Shape-Note Tunebook Southern Harmony 1835. "New Britain" First Appears In A Shape Note Hymnal From 1829 Called Columbian Harmony. The Melody Is Believed To Be Scottish Or Irish In Origin It Is Pentatonic And Suggests A Bagpipe Tune The Hymn Is Frequently Performed On Bagpipes And Has Become Associated With That Instrument. This Tune Seems To Have Been Firmly Established As The 'standard' For This Hymn After An Arrangement Of It Appeared In A Series Of Popular Hymnbooks In The Early Twentieth Century.
50 Similar Tracks:
Judy Collins - Send In The Clowns Judy Collins - Both Sides Now Joan Baez - Hello In There Joan Baez - Amazing Grace Judee Sill - Jesus Was A Cross Maker Peter, Paul & Mary - 500 Miles Buffy Sainte-Marie - Now That The Buffalo's Gone Dar Williams - The Beauty Of The Rain Natalie Merchant - Poor Wayfaring Stranger Joni Mitchell - A Case Of You Eva Cassidy - Kathy's Song Mary Hopkin - Goodbye - Remastered 2010 / Bonus Track Nanci Griffith - Boots Of Spanish Leather Mary Hopkin - Aderyn Pur Kate Wolf - Telluride Melanie - Brand New Key Laura Nyro - And When I Die Kate & Anna McGarrigle - Swimming Song Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now Connie Converse - I Have Considered The Lilies Patty Griffin - Let Him Fly Arlo Guthrie - City Of New Orleans Dave Van Ronk - Hang Me, Oh Hang Me Melanie - Racing Heart Vashti Bunyan - 17 Pink Sugar Elephants Brandi Carlile - Josephine Vashti Bunyan - Don't Believe What They Say Marissa Nadler - Leather Made Shoes Peter, Paul & Mary - Michael Row The Boat Ashore Alela Diane - The Pirate's Gospel Karen Dalton - Are You Leaving For The Country Kate Wolf - Traveling Day Live, Los Angeles, CA 1977-1979 Buffy Sainte-Marie - Hey Little Bird Indigo Girls - Let It Be Me Natalie Merchant - The Living Remastered LP Version Indigo Girls - Hey Jesus Karen Dalton - Katie Cruel Aoife O'Donovan - Loretta Don McLean - Empty Chairs Marissa Nadler - Feathers Brandi Carlile - This Time Tomorrow Lucy Kaplansky - Today's The Day Eliza Gilkyson - Borderline Eliza Gilkyson - Belle Of The Ball K.D. Lang - Simple Tracy Chapman - The Promise Alela Diane - Take Us Back Bridget St. John - The Pebble And The Man Arlo Guthrie - The City Of New Orleans Suzanne Vega - In Liverpool
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Biography - Judy Collins
Judy Collins Born Judith Marjorie Collins On May 1 1939 In Seattle Washington Is An American Singer And Songwriter Known For The Eclectic Range Of Material She Records Which Has Included Folk Show Tunes Pop And Rock And Roll As Well As And Standards And For Her Social Activism. Beginning In 1959 She Was Drawn To The Music Of Woody Guthrie And Pete Seeger And The Traditional Songs Of The Folk Revival Of The Early 1960s. In 1968 She Was Awarded A Grammy For "Both Sides Now". Since Then She Has Had An Enviable Reputation As A Singer And For Her Own Compositions. Though Born In Seattle Washington Where She Spent The First Ten Years Of Her Life She Moved To Denver Colorado In 1949. As A Child Collins Studied Classical Piano With Antonia Brico Making Her Public Debut At Age 13 Performing Mozart's Concerto For Two Pianos. It Was The Music Of Woody Guthrie And Pete Seeger And The Traditional Songs Of The Folk Revival Of The Early 1960s That Piqued Collins' Interest And Awoke In Her A Love Of Lyrics. Three Years After Her Debut As A Piano Prodigy She Was Playing Guitar. She Eventually Made Her Way To Greenwich Village New York City Where She Busked And Played In Clubs Until She Signed With Elektra Records A Record Label With Which She Was Associated For 35 Years. In 1961 Collins Released Her First Album A Maid Of Constant Sorrow At The Age Of 22. At First She Sang Traditional Folk Songs Or Songs Written By Others In Particular The Social Poets Of The Time Such As Tom Paxton Phil Ochs And Bob Dylan. She Recorded Her Own Versions Of Seminal Songs Of The Period Such As Dylan's "Mr. Tambourine Man" And Pete Seeger's "Turn Turn Turn". Collins Was Also Instrumental In Bringing Then Little Known Composers To A Wider Public For Example She Recorded Songs By Canadian Poet Leonard Cohen And Canadian Singer-Songwriter Joni Mitchell. With Her 1967 Album Wildflowers She Began To Record Her Own Compositions The First Of Which Was Entitled "Since You've Asked". This Album Also Provided Collins With A Major Hit And A Grammy Award With Her Version Of Joni Mitchell's "Both Sides Now" Which Reached #8 On The Billboard Hot 100. 1968's Who Knows Where The Time Goes Was Produced By Stephen Stills Of Crosby Stills & Nash With Whom Collins Was Romantically Involved At The Time She Is The "Judy" Of The Stills-Written CSN Classic "Suite Judy Blue Eyes" . It Had A Mellow Country Sound And Included Ian Tyson's "Someday Soon" And The Title Track A Sandy Denny Song Which Has Been Covered By Several Artists. By The 1970s Collins Had A Solid Reputation As An Art Song Singer And Folksinger. She Had Also Begun To Stand Out With Her Own Compositions. She Was Also Known For Her Broad Range Of Material Her Songs From This Period Include The Traditional Gospel Song "Amazing Grace" The Stephen Sondheim Broadway Ballad "Send In The Clowns" Both Of Which Were Top 20 Hits As Singles And Her Own Compositions Such As "My Father" And "Born To The Breed". In 1979 She Posed Nude On The Album "Hard Times For Lovers". In More Recent Years Collins Has Taken To Writing Producing A Memoir "Trust Your Heart" In 1987 And Two Novels. Though Her Record Sales Are Not What They Once Were She Still Records And Tours. One Of Her More Recent Albums Is A Collection Of Songs Based On Her Novel Shameless. She Performed At US President Bill Clinton's First Inauguration In 1993 Singing "Amazing Grace" And "Chelsea Morning". The Clintons Have Stated That Their Daughter Chelsea Was Named After Collins' Recording Of The Joni Mitchell Song. Activism
Like Other Folk Singers Of Her Generation Collins Was Drawn To Social Activism. She Is A Representative For UNICEF And Campaigns On Behalf Of The Abolition Of Landmines. Following The 1992 Death Of Her Son Clark Taylor At Age 33 After A Long Bout With Depression And Substance Abuse She Has Also Become A Strong Advocate Of Suicide Prevention. Her 2003 Book Sanity & Grace Chronicles Her Recovery From Her Son's Suicide And Attempts To Provide Some Comfort And Guidance To Other Families Dealing With The Loss Of A Loved One To Suicide. She Describes The "Seven T's" As A Means For Going Through This Process Of Recovery Truth Therapy Trust Try Treat Treasure And Thrive. The Truth Is That There Should Be No Guilt In Suicide Therapy Helps People Express Their Emotions And Seek Grief Counseling Trust Is The Effort To Believe That One Can Make It Through The Loss And Keep A Belief In Life And In The Future Try Means To Stay Away From Drugs And Alcohol Or Any Excess--Including Overeating--As A Means To Deal With The Loss And Pain Treat Means To Take Care Of The Mind Body And Spirit With Exercise And Meditation Treasure Means To Keep The Memory Of The Moments To Be Treasured And For This Collins Recommends Writing And Keeping A Journal And Thrive Means To Be Positive Hopeful Open To Love And Others And Continuing To Know That You Can Rebuild Your Life On A Basis Of Hope. Awards And Recognition
Grammy Award Best Folk Performance Or Folk Recording "Both Sides Now" 1968 Grammy Award Song Of The Year "Send In The Clowns" 1975 Nominated With Jill Godmillow For An Academy Award For The Documentary "Antonia A Portrait Of The Woman" 1975 About Her Classical Piano Instructor Conductor Antonia Brico. Discography
Maid Of Constant Sorrow 1961 The Golden Apples Of The Sun 1962 Judy Collins #3 1964 The Judy Collins Concert 1964 Judy Collins' Fifth Album 1965 In My Life 1966 Wildflowers 1967 Who Knows Where The Time Goes? 1968 Whales And Nightingales 1970 Both Sides Now 1971 Living 1971 Live Colors Of The Day 1972 Greatest Hits True Stories And Other Dreams 1973 Judith 1975 Bread And Roses 1976 So Early In The Spring 1977 15th Anniversary Collection Hard Times For Lovers 1979 Running For My Life 1980 Times Of Our Lives 1982 Home Again 1984 Trust Your Heart 1987 The Stars Of Christmas Selected Especially For Avon 1988 Sanity And Grace 1989 Fires Of Eden 1990 Baby's Bedtime 1990 Baby's Morningtime 1990 Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like A Woman 1993 Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas 1994 Shameless 1994 Voices 1995 Christmas At The Biltmore Estate 1997 Forever An Anthology 1997 Both Sides Now 1998 Classic Broadway 1999 All On A Wintry Night 2000 Judy Collins Live At Wolf Trap 2000 Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen Democracy 2004 The Essential Judy Collins 2004 Portrait Of An American Girl 2006 Videography
Baby's Bedtime 1992 Baby's Morningtime 1992 Junior Playing The Operator Of A Home For Unwed Mothers Opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas At The Biltmore Estate 1998 The Best Of Judy Collins 1999 Intimate Portrait Judy Collins 2000 Judy Collins Live At Wolf Trap 2003 Wildflower Festival 2003 DVD With Guest Artists Eric Andersen Arlo Guthrie And Tom Rush Bibliography
Trust Your Heart 1987 Amazing Grace 1991 Sanity And Grace A Journey Of Suicide Survival And Strength 2003 read less
read more
Like Other Folk Singers Of Her Generation Collins Was Drawn To Social Activism. She Is A Representative For UNICEF And Campaigns On Behalf Of The Abolition Of Landmines. Following The 1992 Death Of Her Son Clark Taylor At Age 33 After A Long Bout With Depression And Substance Abuse She Has Also Become A Strong Advocate Of Suicide Prevention. Her 2003 Book Sanity & Grace Chronicles Her Recovery From Her Son's Suicide And Attempts To Provide Some Comfort And Guidance To Other Families Dealing With The Loss Of A Loved One To Suicide. She Describes The "Seven T's" As A Means For Going Through This Process Of Recovery Truth Therapy Trust Try Treat Treasure And Thrive. The Truth Is That There Should Be No Guilt In Suicide Therapy Helps People Express Their Emotions And Seek Grief Counseling Trust Is The Effort To Believe That One Can Make It Through The Loss And Keep A Belief In Life And In The Future Try Means To Stay Away From Drugs And Alcohol Or Any Excess--Including Overeating--As A Means To Deal With The Loss And Pain Treat Means To Take Care Of The Mind Body And Spirit With Exercise And Meditation Treasure Means To Keep The Memory Of The Moments To Be Treasured And For This Collins Recommends Writing And Keeping A Journal And Thrive Means To Be Positive Hopeful Open To Love And Others And Continuing To Know That You Can Rebuild Your Life On A Basis Of Hope. Awards And Recognition
Grammy Award Best Folk Performance Or Folk Recording "Both Sides Now" 1968 Grammy Award Song Of The Year "Send In The Clowns" 1975 Nominated With Jill Godmillow For An Academy Award For The Documentary "Antonia A Portrait Of The Woman" 1975 About Her Classical Piano Instructor Conductor Antonia Brico. Discography
Maid Of Constant Sorrow 1961 The Golden Apples Of The Sun 1962 Judy Collins #3 1964 The Judy Collins Concert 1964 Judy Collins' Fifth Album 1965 In My Life 1966 Wildflowers 1967 Who Knows Where The Time Goes? 1968 Whales And Nightingales 1970 Both Sides Now 1971 Living 1971 Live Colors Of The Day 1972 Greatest Hits True Stories And Other Dreams 1973 Judith 1975 Bread And Roses 1976 So Early In The Spring 1977 15th Anniversary Collection Hard Times For Lovers 1979 Running For My Life 1980 Times Of Our Lives 1982 Home Again 1984 Trust Your Heart 1987 The Stars Of Christmas Selected Especially For Avon 1988 Sanity And Grace 1989 Fires Of Eden 1990 Baby's Bedtime 1990 Baby's Morningtime 1990 Judy Sings Dylan... Just Like A Woman 1993 Come Rejoice! A Judy Collins Christmas 1994 Shameless 1994 Voices 1995 Christmas At The Biltmore Estate 1997 Forever An Anthology 1997 Both Sides Now 1998 Classic Broadway 1999 All On A Wintry Night 2000 Judy Collins Live At Wolf Trap 2000 Judy Collins Sings Leonard Cohen Democracy 2004 The Essential Judy Collins 2004 Portrait Of An American Girl 2006 Videography
Baby's Bedtime 1992 Baby's Morningtime 1992 Junior Playing The Operator Of A Home For Unwed Mothers Opposite Arnold Schwarzenegger Christmas At The Biltmore Estate 1998 The Best Of Judy Collins 1999 Intimate Portrait Judy Collins 2000 Judy Collins Live At Wolf Trap 2003 Wildflower Festival 2003 DVD With Guest Artists Eric Andersen Arlo Guthrie And Tom Rush Bibliography
Trust Your Heart 1987 Amazing Grace 1991 Sanity And Grace A Journey Of Suicide Survival And Strength 2003 read less
16 Similar Artists To Judy Collins - Frogtoon Music
Joan Baez Peter, Paul & Mary Janis Ian Tom Paxton Judee Sill Kate & Anna McGarrigle Joni Mitchell Emmylou Harris Tom Rush Sandy Denny Melanie Arlo Guthrie Gordon Lightfoot The Kingston Trio Pete Seeger Karen Dalton.
"Amazing Grace" is a well-known Christian hymn by Englishman John Newton and first appeared in print in Newton's Olney Hymns (1779).
John Newton and the lyrics to Amazing Grace
John Newton, the author of the lyrics to Amazing Grace, was born in 1725 in Wapping, London, United Kingdom. Despite the powerful message of "Amazing Grace," Newton's religious beliefs initially lacked conviction; his youth was marked by religious confusion and a lack of moral self-control and discipline.
After a brief time in the Royal Navy, Newton began his career in slave trading. The turning point in Newton's spiritual life was a violent storm that occurred one night while at sea. Moments after he left the deck, the crewman who had taken his place was swept overboard. Although he manned the vessel for the remainder of the tempest, he later commented that, throughout the tumult, he realized his helplessness and concluded that only the grace of God could save him. Prodded by what he had read in Thomas à Kempis' Imitation of Christ, Newton took the first step toward accepting faith.
These incidents and his 1750 marriage to Mary Catlett changed Newton significantly. On his slave voyages, he encouraged the sailors under his charge to pray. He also began to ensure that every member of his crew treated their human cargo with gentleness and concern. Nevertheless, it would be another 40 years until Newton openly challenged the trafficking of slaves.
Some three years after his marriage, Newton suffered a stroke that prevented him from returning to sea; in time, he interpreted this as another step in his spiritual voyage. He assumed a post in the Customs Office in the port of Liverpool and began to explore Christianity more fully. As Newton attempted to experience all the various expressions of Christianity, it became clear that he was being called to the ministry. Since Newton lacked a university degree, he could not be ordained through normal channels. However, the landlord of the parish at Olney was so impressed with the letters Newton had written about his conversion that he offered the church to Newton; he was ordained in June 1764.
In Olney, the new curate met the poet William Cowper, also a newly-converted Christian. Their friendship led to a spiritual collaboration that completed the inspiration for "Amazing Grace," the poem Newton most likely wrote in Kineton, Warwickshire around Christmas 1772. The lyrics are based on his reflections on an Old Testament text he was preparing to preach on, adding his perspective about his own conversion while on his slave ship, the Greyhound, in 1748.
Newton's lyrics have become a favourite for Christians, largely because the hymn vividly and briefly sums up the doctrine of divine grace. The lyrics are based on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17, a prayer of King David in which he marvels at God's choosing him and his house. Newton apparently wrote this for use in a sermon he preached on this passage on New Year's Day 1773, and for which he left his sermon notes, which correspond to the flow of the lyrics. (He entitled the piece "Faith's review and expectation.")
The song has also become known as a favorite with supporters of freedom and human rights, both Christian and non-Christian, in part because many assume it to be Newton's testimony about his slave trading past.
The hymn was quite popular on both sides in the American Civil War.
Extra verses
In her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe quoted three stanzas as seemingly from one hymn, two of them corrupt versions of Amazing Grace stanzas, and one reading:
When we’ve been there ten thousand years,
Bright shining like the sun,
We've no less days to sing God’s praise
Than when we first begun.
Despite its relatively poor mesh with the rest of the hymn (the change from "I" to "we," change of subject, no reference for "there"), a form of this stanza became common as part of Amazing Grace in hymnals in the early twentieth century, due in large part to the influential hymnodist and publisher Edwin Othello Excell. While the stanza is often credited to John P. Rees (1828-1900), it antedates his birth. It was in print by 1790, added to an old and widely-varied hymn most usually beginning "Jerusalem, my happy home", and was still appearing as part of this hymn in books published around the time of Stowe's book,
Music
As with other hymns of this period, the words were sung to a number of tunes before and after they first became linked to the now familiar variant of the tune "New Britain" of which the composer is unknown and which is in William Walker's shape-note tunebook Southern Harmony, 1835.
"New Britain" first appears in a shape note hymnal from 1829 called Columbian Harmony. The melody is believed to be Scottish or Irish in origin; it is pentatonic and suggests a bagpipe tune; the hymn is frequently performed on bagpipes and has become associated with that instrument. This tune seems to have been firmly established as the 'standard' for this hymn after an arrangement of it appeared in a series of popular hymnbooks in the early twentieth century.
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