Academy Award-winning actor Morgan Freeman has announced the release of Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, a unique new album arriving August 7 via Decca Records. The 12-track collection combines classic blues recordings with orchestral arrangements, tracing a century of blues history from Blind Willie Johnson’s “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” to “I Lied to You” from the soundtrack of the film Sinners.
Serving as narrator and producer, Freeman is joined by an impressive lineup that includes Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Shemekia Copeland, and producer Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell. The project also features a number of Mississippi blues musicians, many of whom regularly perform at Freeman’s Ground Zero Blues Club, which he helped open 25 years ago in Clarksdale, Mississippi.
The album blends performances recorded at Royal Studios in Memphis with orchestral contributions from the Chineke! Orchestra, recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Freeman described the inspiration behind the project by saying, “Rooted in stories carried from West Africa to the American South, the Blues became a testament to the unbroken human spirit, the sound of America’s past and present, and the heartbeat of a culture that refused to be forgotten.”
He added that the album “proves that while the Delta’s fortunes may change, its soul is eternal.”
The album’s first single is a new version of Son House’s classic “Death Letter Blues,” featuring Taj Mahal on vocals and guitar. Originally recorded by Son House in 1965 after his rediscovery during the blues revival, the song remains one of the most powerful and emotionally charged recordings in the Delta blues canon.
For Freeman, the track was the ideal choice to introduce the project.
“I heard the blues for the first time on my grandmother’s porch in the Mississippi Delta, and it has never left me,” Freeman said. “Having Taj Mahal kick off this album with a cover of Son House’s classic ‘Death Letter Blues’ strikes the perfect tone for the introduction of this album. Releasing this on Juneteenth is not just symbolic — it is the truth of where this music comes from and who made it. I hope people listen and remember.”
The new recording pairs Taj Mahal’s performance with orchestral arrangements conducted by Martin Gellner, creating a larger-scale interpretation while maintaining the emotional weight of the original.
Chineke! Orchestra Interim Artistic Director Jonathon Heyward said the project celebrates the enduring impact of the blues while creating new possibilities for the music through orchestral collaboration.
“Symphonic Blues is a celebration of one of the world’s most influential musical traditions and the enduring legacy of the artists who shaped it,” Heyward said. “The blues has always been a profound expression of resilience, humanity, and truth, and bringing this music into conversation with a symphony orchestra creates something both deeply respectful of its roots and boldly expansive in its possibilities.”
He added that Chineke!’s identity as a majority Black and ethnically diverse orchestra brought a unique perspective to the project.
“It has been a privilege to help bring this vision to life, and I hope listeners hear not only the history within this music, but also its continuing power to inspire, connect, and transcend boundaries.”
Decca Records President Laura Monks called the album “a culturally important work” and praised the collective of artists involved in bringing it to audiences worldwide.
Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience Track Listing
- Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground – Morgan Freeman ft. Keith Johnson
- Crossroads – Super Chikan
- Death Letter Blues – Taj Mahal
- Dust My Broom – Lady Adrena
- The Thrill Is Gone – Alvin Youngblood Hart
- Cadillac Assembly Line – Keb’ Mo’
- Somebody’s Knockin’ – Anthony Big A Sherrod
- Traveling Riverside Blues – Shemekia Copeland
- I’ll Take You There – Tiernii Jackson ft. Stax Music Academy Choir
- Love Me Or Leave Me – Anthony Big A Sherrod
- Someday – Anthony Big A Sherrod
- I Lied To You – Keith Johnson
Tour Dates
August 7 – Houston Symphony Orchestra – Houston, TX
September 26 – University of Memphis – Memphis, TN
October 17 – Mississippi Gulf Coast Symphony – Gulfport, MS
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