Ray Charles Amazing Grace

Amazing Grace is a Christian hymn with lyrics written by the English poet and clergyman John Newton (17251807), published in 1779. With a message that forgiveness and redemption are possible regardless of the sins people commit and that the soul can be delivered from despair through the mercy of God, Amazing Grace is one of the most recognizable songs in the Englishspeaking world. Newton wrote the words from personal experience. He grew up without any particular religious conviction but his life s path was formed by a variety of twists and coincidences that were often put into motion by his recalcitrant insubordination. He was pressed into the Royal Navy and became a sailor, eventually participating in the slave trade. One night a terrible storm battered his vessel so severely that he became frightened enough to call out to God for mercy, a moment that marked the beginning of his spiritual conversion. His career in slave trading lasted a few years more until he quit going to