Judy Collins’ has brought the world together for a powerful new rendition of “Amazing Grace” in a show of global solidarity during these trying times – download here. All proceeds from the track will go to the World Health Organisation Solidarity Response Fund.
On May 15th, Collins put a call out for contributors to the Global Virtual Choir which attracted submissions from professional and amateur singers around the world. The moving video features over 1000 singers, including the likes of Alan Cumming, Judith Owen, Steve Earle, Madeleine Peyroux; and choirs like The Sixteen and the New York Choral Society. This beautiful rendition of “Amazing Grace” reinforces the song’s unifying sentiment – a sentiment even more poignant now than it was when Collins originally released the track fifty years ago.
Judy Collins & The Global Virtual Choir | “Amazing Grace”
Judy Collins first recorded “Amazing Grace” in 1970, for her Whales & Nightingales album in response to the Vietnam War. She recalled in a statement, “I didn’t know what else to do about the war in Vietnam. I had marched, I had voted, I had gone to jail on political actions and worked for the candidates I believed in. The war was still raging. There was nothing left to do, I thought… but sing ‘Amazing Grace.’”
Judy’s version of the song became a global hit, finding chart success repeatedly following its release. Now, half a century later, she seeks to once again bring comfort in difficult times with an updated rendition of the unifying hymn, saying:
“[Amazing Grace] was written by John Newton in 1772, a man who evolved from a slave ship captain to a writer of powerful hymns, and changed his entire life, becoming a model for spiritual transformation.”
“That’s what we need today once again. Stay safe, help others and pray for the planet. I am sending this song out to all the doctors, nurses and patients. We will survive this with love and music and amazing grace.”
Judy’s version of “Amazing Grace” has become a symbol of hope during the coronavirus pandemic, ringing out at London’s Charing Cross Hospital in honour of frontline workers, and in the streets of Notting Hill during Priest Pat Allerton’s comforting street sermons, drawing an emotional response online.
All proceeds raised from this beautiful new version of the iconic track will go to the World Health Organisation Solidarity Response Fund. Download Judy Collins & The Global Virtual Chior's "Amazing Grace" here.
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