Azizi: Wouldn't be the first time!

Most blues musicians, like soul singers, have roots in the black church and are thoroughly familiar with plenty of religious songs. There have often been controversies when a former gospel singer "goes secular" and re-adapts a hymn in this manner.

Sam Cook(e)'s* "Wonderful" is a good example, recorded when his changeover from lead singer of the Soul Stirrers to solo pop recording artists was still pretty recent. He took the spiritual song "My Lord is Wonderful" and make the simplest of changes ~ repalcing "Lord" with "love" ~ thereby infuriating a relatively small number of former fans while charming a whole multitude of new ones.

* His last name was "Cook" until he left the Soul Stirrers; then he changed it to "Cooke."