User:Bindingtheory/Amazing Grace

The song is very popular to record, due to its ability to be adapted easily. In essence, it has a very basic tune. Singers can then very easily, add melismatic phrases, and alter the melody to make it match their own style/genre of singing.

The hymn has been recorded by many artists over the last century. Two versions have made the UK Singles Chart; between 1970 and 1972, a version by Judy Collins spent 67 weeks in the charts, a record for a female artist, and peaked at number 5. In 1972, an instrumental version by the Pipes and Drums and Military Band of the Royal Scots Dragoon Guards spent five weeks at number one, also reaching the top spot in Australia.

In addition to recording the hymn, Joan Baez also opened the US portion of Live Aid, the legendary 1985 concert for African famine relief, with a performance of "Amazing Grace".

Folk singer Arlo Guthrie closes many of his concerts with a version of "Amazing Grace" that includes a spoken retelling of its origin.

The composer Frank Ticheli has written a version of Amazing Grace that is frequently performed by various wind ensembles throughout the United States.

British girl band All Saints used the melody of Amazing Grace as the base tune for their hit Never Ever.

Immediately following Hurricane Katrina, Amazing Grace was sung on slabs of concrete where churches once stood, in hospitals, in the streets of New Orleans by clean up crews, at every major benefit, over montages of the damage on major media networks, for a Red Cross PSA, and by a diverse group of individuals from the south, such as Varla Jean Mermen to a spoken word interpretion of the first verse, by Maya Angelou.

• Aaron Neville

• All Saints: used tune as basis for their song Never Ever.

• Amy Heard: This Day © 2004

• Andy Griffith

• Ani Difranco: Dilate

• Aretha Franklin

• Arlo Guthrie: 1969. Woodstock Festival

• BeBe Winans

• Bill and Gloria Gaither

• Billy Ray Cyrus

• Blind Boys of Alabama: To the tune of "House of the Rising Sun"

• Bryan Ferry

• Charlotte Church

• Christina Aguilera

• Chris Squire: Going for the One

• Chris Tomlin

• Daniël Lanois

• Destiny's Child

• Diana Ross

• Dolly Parton

• Dropkick Murphys

• Eiko Shimamiya: (I'VE) In EIKO SHIMAMIYA LIVE 2005 ULYSSES CD

• Elvis Presley

• Flatfoot 56: Knuckles Up (2004). Track 12. (A Celtic punk version which includes a verse of repeated "Praise God!").

• Glen Campbell

• George Kamikawa

• Hayley Westenra: Pure

• Hubert Laws

• Janis Joplin

• Jars of Clay

• Jerry Garcia: The Pizza Tapes

• Jim Brickman with Ginny Owens

• Joan Baez: 1985. Philadelphia stage of Live Aid. Also often reserves the song as the closing number for the most appreciative concert fans.

• John Barrowman: Combined with The Bonnie Banks O' Loch Lomond in his 2006 Christmas concert for BBC Radio 2.

• John Fahey

• John Farnham

• Johnny Cash

• Judy Collins: 1970; re-released in 1971 and again in 1972. Spent 67 weeks on the UK chart. Recorded at St Paul's Chapel, Colombia University.

• Katherine Jenkins

• Kikki Danielsson (on her 1982 album "Kikki")

• Krishna Das: Pilgrim Heart (2005). Track 3.

• Kylie Minogue: Performed on her Let's Get to It Tour in the UK and Republic of Ireland.

• Ladysmith Black Mambazo: with Paul Simon on various releases.

• Lani Misalucha

• Laura Love

• LeAnn Rimes

• Lee Greenwood

• Lincoln Brewster

• Mahalia Jackson

• Michael Crawford

• Mika Nakashima: Crescent Moon single (2002) as track three, True album (2002) [with differing album version] as track one, Best album (2005) as track one. The version appearing on Best was re-recorded and rearranged (retitled "Amazing Grace (05)")

• Minako Honda

• Pete Seeger

• Petra

• Phil Vassar

• Phish

• Randy Travis

• Ray Charles

• Rockapella

• Rod Stewart: 1971. Every Picture Tells a Story

• Royal Scots Dragoon Guards: 1972. No 1 in the UK.

• Ruben Studdard

• Sandi Patty

• Selah

• Seven Nations

• Sinead O'Connor

• Sissel: 1989. Soria Moria

• Stryper: 2005. Reborn

• Steve Green

• Sufjan Stevens

• Susan Aglukark has recorded a version of Amazing Grace in Inuktitut.

• State Of Grace Music by Paul Schwartz

• Ted Hawkins version of this song appears on the Just Say Noël compilation

• Tennessee Ernie Ford

• The Charlie Daniels Band

• The Groundhogs: Who Will Save The World?

• Todd Agnew performs a rock version called Grace Like Rain

• Tori Amos

• Twila Paris

• Woody Guthrie

• Willie Nelson

• Vickie Winans

• Victor Wooten: Live at Bass Day '98, Live Art. Wooten usually performs an unaccompanied version of this live as his solo spot with Bela Fleck and the Flecktones.