Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman, 89, has released a new project in the music industry, venturing into the blues genre with his album, "Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience." The album, which Freeman both narrated and produced, features a 12-song collection that traces 100 years of blues history. It was released on August 7 via Decca Records and will be available for streaming and digital download on August 14.
The project includes collaborations with musicians such as Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', and Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, as well as the Chineke! Orchestra. "I heard the blues for the first time on my grandmother's porch in the Mississippi Delta, and it has never left me," Freeman stated, according to Rolling Stone. He added that Taj Mahal's cover of Son House's "Death Letter Blues" sets the perfect tone for the album.
The cover of "Death Letter Blues," released on Juneteenth, is described by Freeman as "not just symbolic - it is the truth of where this music comes from and who made it." The original song was recorded by Delta blues musician Son House in 1965. Other tracks on the LP include "Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground" and "Cadillac Assembly Line."
In conjunction with the album release, Freeman is undertaking a three-date tour. The tour began on August 7 in Houston, with additional performances scheduled for Memphis on September 26 and Gulfport, Mississippi, on October 17.
Freeman's connection to blues music extends beyond this album. He is also a co-owner of the blues club Ground Zero in Mississippi. "My association with the blues is really not an association at all," Freeman explained in a past interview. "It's just there in the air. You start hearing it at a very young age, because there are a lot of guys going around plucking on guitars and singing sad songs."
This is not Freeman's first foray into music projects. He previously appeared on the song "Bombs Away" by B.o.B. in 2012 and served as a narrator on Metro Boomin and 21 Savage's 2020 album "Savage Mode II."
Alongside his music endeavors, Freeman continues his acting career. He recently reprised his role as Edwin Mullins in the third season of the Paramount+ series "Lioness," which premiered on August 2. The spy thriller was created by Taylor Sheridan, with whom Freeman has spoken about the human experience depicted in his writing. "His writing has to do more with the human experience, what people are actually going through, emotionally, in a lot of cases," Freeman told The New York Times.
Freeman is widely recognized for his roles in films such as "The Shawshank Redemption," "Driving Miss Daisy," and Christopher Nolan's "The Dark Knight" trilogy.