Morgan Freeman Launches a Surprise Blues EP at 89, Releasing Symphonic Blues Experience Through Decca With Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ and the Chineke! Orchestra
LOS ANGELES, CA — Morgan Freeman has stepped into a new role at 89: recording artist. The Oscar winner has released an EP titled Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience through Decca Records, marking an unexpected turn from the acting career that made him famous.
Freeman narrated and produced the project, which arrived on Aug. 7. A digital and streaming release is set for Aug. 14, giving fans another way to hear the music after the initial rollout.
A blues project built around history and collaboration
The EP includes 12 songs that trace 100 years of blues history. Freeman worked with Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’, Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell and the Chineke! Orchestra, blending classic blues roots with a symphonic approach.
The lead single, Death Letter Blues, was released on Juneteenth. Freeman said the timing matters because it reflects where the music came from and who created it, calling on listeners to remember that history.
Freeman says the music started on a Mississippi porch
Freeman has long spoken about his connection to blues music. In a statement, he said he first heard it on his grandmother’s porch in Mississippi, and that the sound has stayed with him ever since.
He added that the project is his way of honoring the music and the stories behind it. Freeman also co-owns Ground Zero Blues Club in Mississippi, underscoring how deeply the genre has shaped both his personal life and his public work.
What comes next for the actor and music fan
Freeman is still active on screen as Edwin Mullins in Taylor Sheridan’s Lioness, even as this music release adds another chapter to his career. The EP gives fans a new way to experience a performer who has moved between film, television and now recorded blues tribute.
His comments suggest the project is meant as more than a side experiment. For Freeman, it is a tribute to a musical tradition he says began in childhood and never left him.
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