While on tour in Austria, Home Free vocal band filmed a video for their take of “How Great Thou Art.” They took the opportunity to use the local scenery as a backdrop. Thanks to their video production team members and a local drone operator, the group took the famous Christian hymn to another level.
Without a doubt, you will immediately be drawn into its opening scene that has been taken by a low-flying drone gliding through a valley in the Swiss Alps. And when Bass vocalist Tim Foust started singing the melody while the rest of the group belted out soft and haunting vocals, you can’t help but be impressed. Tenor Rob Lundquist then took over the melody during the second verse before Austin Brown took over the lead for the song’s dramatic final verse.
Home Free’s spine-chilling arrangement of “How Great Thou Art” can be credited to longtime collaborator Darren Rust. He also produced some of the group’s recordings of the song.
“How Great Thou Art” Has Been Around for More Than a Century
“How Great Thou Art” was written by Carl Boberg as a poem in 1885, to which Boberg described as “in the time of year when everything seemed to be in its richest coloring; the birds were singing in trees and wherever they could find a perch.”
One particular afternoon, Bobert and some of his friends had been to Kronobäck, where they had participated in an afternoon service. As they were returning, a thunderstorm started to appear on the horizon. There were loud claps of thunder, and the lightning flashed across the sky as they hurried to shelter.
“Strong winds swept over the meadows and billowing fields of grain. However, the storm was soon over, and the clear sky appeared with a beautiful rainbow,” Boberg recalled. “After reaching my home, I opened my window toward the sea. The church bells were playing the tune of a hymn. That same evening I wrote a poem which I titled, ‘O Store Gud,’ (How Great Thou Art).”
The poem was later turned into a Swedish folk tune, and became known in several countries before it finally reached the shores of the United States. It was then popularized by George Beverly Shea and Cliff Barrows during Billy Graham’s crusades in 1950. And eventually, “How Great Thou Art” has been documented to be recorded over seventeen hundred times.
The Song Turned Out to be a Favorite Hymn of all Time
Some of the most notable renditions were recordings by Tammy Wynette, Elvis Presley, Dolly Parton, Alan Jackson, Carrie Underwood, and so much more. It was the title track of Elvis Presley’s second gospel album, which was released in 1967. Presley’s “How Great Thou Art” took home a Grammy Award for “Best Sacred Performance” in 1967, and another Grammy in 1974 for “Best Inspirational Performance (Non-Classical).”
Indeed, “How Great Thou Art” turned out to be a favorite hymn of all time. It has also been used on major television programs, in several major motion pictures, and has been named the favorite Gospel song of at least three presidents in the United States.
Watch Home Free’s stunning video for “How Great Thou Art” below. With some of country music’s most talented vocalists and the beauty of the Swiss Alps, you can expect nothing but a powerful music video that will stir your soul like never before. The vocals were terrific on their own, but this extraordinary video footage has successfully made the tune more powerful than ever.
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