It's one of the world's most popular hymns, and one of the most recorded songs in history. Written in 1772 by a former slave trader who found God during a storm on the high seas, Amazing Grace has endured to become a classic, in the church and on the pop charts. So this week, some remarkable versions of Amazing Grace, including Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Rod Stewart and an ecstatic live performance by Aretha Franklin.

The hymn's author John Newton also became a pioneer in the movement to ban slavery in the early 19th century. And this Sunday marks 200 years since George III gave his royal assent to the British Act of Parliament which abolished the African slave trade.