Elvis Presley performing live “How Great Thou Art” at Hampton Roads Coliseum, on April 9, 1972.
This song started out as a hymn written in 1885 by the Rev. Carl Boberg, a Swedish evangelist, who set it to a Swedish folk melody. The hymn was translated into German, then Russian, and when an English missionary Stuart Hine working in the Ukraine heard a native congregation sing the Russian words, he produced an English version. The hymn didn’t gain worldwide popularity until it was incorporated into the services of the Billy Graham Crusades in the 1950s.
Known for its dramatic vocal build and emotional intensity, Elvis’s performance of “How Great Thou Art” became a centerpiece of his live shows in the 1970s. A memorable rendition from his 1974 homecoming concert in Memphis earned him another Grammy, this time for Best Inspirational Performance.
More than just a song, “How Great Thou Art” reflected Elvis’s deep faith and spiritual roots. Today, it is regarded as one of his most definitive gospel recordings, blending heartfelt devotion with his unmatched vocal power.
Elvis won his first Grammy for this song: the 1967 Grammy for the Best Sacred, Religious or Inspirational Recording. Surprisingly, Elvis won only three Grammy Awards: this one, the Lifetime Achievement Award in 1970, and another Best Sacred, Religious or Inspirational Recording for his album, He Touched Me in 1972. The Grammy Awards were first given out in 1959, and for about eight years they were clearly biased against rock music, favoring artists like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald.
The hymn was included in the 2002 National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) list of the top 365 “Songs Of The Century.
“How Great Thou Art” – song by Elvis Presley from the album How Great Thou Art, released on February 27, 1967.
The album How Great Thou Art reached No. 18 on the Billboard 200 and spent over 40 weeks on the chart.
The song “How Great Thou Art” itself was not released as a single in the U.S. However, live versions, particularly from his 1974 Memphis concert, gained heavy radio play on gospel and inspirational stations.
