The Blind Boys of Alabama, also known as Clarence Fountain and the Blind Boys of Alabama, made a powerful live performance of the Christian hymn “Amazing Grace” in the KEXP studio on September 2, 2016. The song was the 10th track to their album with the same name, released on October 14, 2003. The immensely popular hymn was sung for secular purposes in the United States, yet the band’s thrilling vocal harmonies and impressive guitar riffs set their cover apart from other recording artists.
Rolling Stone wouldn’t call them “Gospel Titans” for nothing. With their significant contribution to Gospel music, the Blind Boys of Alabama have been performing at the Alabama Institute for the Negro Blind since the 30s. In more than 70 years of their career, they have toured and advocated for America’s Civil Rights Movement, won six Grammy Awards, and became Hall of Fame Inductees for Alabama Music Hall of Fame in 2010. Just recently, they won the Best Roots Gospel Album for the Echoes of the South (2023) in the 2024 Grammys.
Their performance of the “Amazing Grace” is a remarkable display of their vocal prowess and spiritual faith.
Meaning of the Song
The creation of “Amazing Grace” was a result of John Newton’s personal experience. He penned the song in 1772 to describe the joy and peace brought by a gift of salvation. The song is also a vivid commentary on his life after being spared from spiritual ruin and escaping great dangers, diseases, and death.
For You
Although he may have been part of the slave industry during the 17th century, Newton turned against the trade and fought for its abolition by publishing the essay “Thoughts upon the African Slave Trade.” Although the song was not directly connected to his protest, it became an anthem against social injustice and became an influential part of American folk music and traditional black gospel in the 1960s.
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The lyrics speak of faith and the Christian belief in salvation, which recognizes the potent power of the divine to save a sinful individual. Overcoming the fear of His grace and welcoming it into one’s life results in redemption and reassurance of God’s unconditional love.
Center God in your life through The Blind Boys of Alabama’s soulful vocals in their rendition of “Amazing Grace” below.
