Amazing Grace - In Honor of Our Ancestors

Inaugural activities concluded with the national prayer service on Wednesday. Wintley Phipps sang Amazing Grace. I have posted the video from the national prayer service as well as a video where he discusses the African roots of spirituals...in honor of our ancestors.


Amazing Grace Nat'l Prayer Service



one comment posted: Phipps hums the beginning as a tribute to what he believes inspired John Newton to write the song. Newton was the captain of a slave ship back in 18th century, and Phipps' humming is reflective of the melodic moans Newton would have heard coming from the slaves beneath the ship deck. As such, Amazing Grace is the most popular white spiritual, written in the "slave scale" - the Pentatonic Scale. Truly Amazing

Amazing Grace History/"Amazing Grace" By Wintley Phipps