And that's the origins, really, of his ideas that went into "Amazing Grace." BALABAN: Newton gave up slave trading. He became a parish rector and started writing hymns.

St. Peter and St. Paul Church, in Olney, England, was home to curate John Newton from 1764 to 1780 and is where “Amazing Grace” was first sung on January 1, 1773.

Turner said they took the song to heart, "because they knew what it was like, in a very real way, to be in exile." By the 20th century, "Amazing Grace" became more closely tied to Black spirituals ...

Film Review: ‘Amazing Grace’ Shot in an L.A. church during the recording sessions for her fabled 1972 album, Aretha Franklin's 46-year-old gospel concert film is finally seeing the light of day.

Hall, who is now 69 years old, ... “I remember the second that ‘Amazing Grace’ really came through her and just exploded. It took us about 30 minutes to get ourselves together afterwards.

The Rev. John Newton’s hymn “Amazing Grace” has become a national hymn, uniting people of all walks of life and reflecting the Christian view of man as a fallen creature who can d… ...

Amazing Grace. By James Walvin. University of California Press; 216 pages; $19.95 and £16.99. I n 2015 Barack Obama gave the eulogy at a funeral service in Charleston, South Carolina, for a black ...

The Rev. John Newton's hymn "Amazing Grace" has become a national hymn, uniting people of all walks of life and reflecting the Christian view of man as a fallen creature who can do nothing to save ...