Morgan Freeman Enlists Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ & More For Symphonic Blues Experience Album

Acclaimed actor Morgan Freeman announced Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, a 12-song collection due August 7 via Decca Records. Freeman serves as narrator and producer on the project, which features blues artists Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Shemekia Copeland, Alvin Youngblood Hart, and Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell among others.

Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience explores 100 years of the blues, from Blind Willie Johnson’s 1927 recording “Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground” to “I Lied to You” off last year’s Sinners soundtrack. Additional contributions came from Mississippi-based players including regulars at Ground Zero Blues Club, which Freeman opened 25 years ago in Clarksdale.

“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,” Freeman stated.

The album was largely recorded at Mitchell’s Royal Studios in Memphis. Orchestral parts by the Chineke! Orchestra were recorded at Abbey Road Studios in London.

Coinciding with Juneteenth, the album’s first single, “Death Letter Blues,” was released today, Friday, June 19. The track, a reimagining of the Son House recording originally released in 1965, features Taj Mahal on lead vocals and guitar.

Stream “Death Letter Blues” and view the project’s trailer below:

Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience Tracklist

1. Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground – Morgan Freeman ft. Keith Johnson
2. Crossroads – Super Chikan
3. Death Letter Blues – Taj Mahal
4. Dust My Broom – Lady Adrena
5. The Thrill Is Gone – Alvin Youngblood Hart
6. Cadillac Assembly Line – Keb’ Mo’
7. Somebody’s Knockin’ – Anthony Big A Sherrod
8. Traveling Riverside Blues – Shemekia Copeland
9. I’ll Take You There – Tierinii Jackson ft. Stax Music Academy Choir
10. Love Me or Leave Me – Anthony Big A Sherrod
11. Someday – Anthony Big A Sherrod
12. I Lied to You – Keith Johnson