Acclaimed music writer, Steve Turner, traces the life of 'Amazing Grace' and the man behind it. The book begins with the dramatic story of John Newton, from his childhood, his life at sea, his participation in the African slave trade through to his writing of 'Amazing Grace' and his campaigning against slavery. The second partof the book, picking up the thread in the years immediately following Newton's death, tells the story of the song itself as it has spread and developed over the past two centuries. The song has been recorded by artists as varied as Elvis Presley, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Johnny Cash, Rod Stewart, Judy Collins and Destiny's Child.