Amazing Grace (used To Be Her Favorite Song)

“Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)” by Amazing Rhythm Aces

As 1975 turned into 1976, a band from the American South was carving out a sound that resisted easy labels. The Amazing Rhythm Aces mixed country, rock, soul, and a touch of gospel into something loose and warm and entirely their own. Their single “Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)” plays on the title of the beloved hymn to tell a far earthier story, and it shows a group with a real gift for storytelling and atmosphere.

A Band Between Genres

The Amazing Rhythm Aces emerged from the fertile Southern music scene of the mid-1970s, a moment when the boundaries between country, rock, and soul were blurring in fascinating ways. The band had already made a strong impression with their breakthrough “Third Rate Romance”, a wry, character-driven song that showcased their knack for vivid narrative detail and their relaxed, genre-hopping musicianship.

That refusal to sit neatly in one category was both their charm and their commercial challenge. Radio formats of the era preferred clear definitions, and a band that could sound country one minute and soulful the next did not always fit the available slots. “Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)” came as the group continued exploring that rich middle ground.

A Clever Title, a Tender Song

The song's title performs a sly bit of wordplay, borrowing the name of the most famous hymn in the English language and bending it toward a personal, bittersweet tale. Rather than a song of religious redemption, this is a story shaded with loss and memory, the hymn's title repurposed to evoke a woman and the feelings she left behind.

Musically, the track carries the band's signature warmth: an easygoing groove, soulful vocals, and an arrangement that feels lived-in and unhurried. The Aces had a way of making their records sound like a gathering of friends playing for the pleasure of it, and that intimacy serves the song's reflective mood.

A Modest Climb on the Hot 100

The single made its way onto the national chart in the heart of the holiday season. “Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)” debuted on the Billboard Hot 100 on December 20, 1975, at number 98, then climbed gradually through the new year, moving to 94, then 86, then 82, before peaking at number 72 on February 7, 1976. The record spent eight weeks on the chart in total.

The modest peak reflected the band's awkward fit with the formats of the day more than any lack of quality. For a group operating outside the mainstream lanes, simply reaching the Hot 100 was an achievement, and the song found appreciative ears among listeners drawn to its blend of styles. The mid-1970s were actually a fertile time for exactly this kind of genre-crossing music, as the lines between country, rock, and soul grew increasingly porous, yet radio still tended to reward acts that fit a single clear category.

A Cult Favorite's Quiet Charm

The Amazing Rhythm Aces never became household names, but they earned a devoted following and a lasting reputation among fans of Southern roots music. Their catalog rewards exploration, full of clever writing and warm, soulful playing that has aged gracefully.

The band's gift was for making the complex sound easy, folding country storytelling, soul feeling, and gentle gospel undertones into songs that never strained for effect. That unforced quality is rarer than it looks, the product of real musicianship worn lightly. A song like this one is exactly the kind of overlooked gem that makes digging through the seventies so rewarding. Press play and let the band's easy, unforced warmth draw you in.

“Amazing Grace (Used To Be Her Favorite Song)” — Amazing Rhythm Aces' singular moment on the 1970s charts.