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Morgan Freeman Announces Blues Album, Drops Juneteenth Single

6/20/2026

Summary

Morgan Freeman Releases

Morgan Freeman announced his album “Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience,” releasing Aug. 7 on Decca Records.
He debuted the single “Death Letter Blues” on Juneteenth, June 19, with Taj Mahal on vocals and guitar, covering the 1965 Son House original.
The 12-track record spans a century of blues, includes guests Keb' Mo', Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, Shemekia Copeland and Chineke! Orchestra, and is supported by shows in Houston (Aug. 7), Memphis (Sept. 26) and Gulfport (Oct. 17).

Summary

Chineke! Reimagines Blues

The first single, a reimagining of Son House’s “Death Letter Blues”, was released on Juneteenth, June 19, 2026.
The majority-Black Chineke! Orchestra recorded a symphonic layer at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Memphis sessions took place at Royal Studios with producer Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell.
Jonathon Heyward and Martin Gellner say the arrangement preserves the original grief, expands its emotional scope, and amplifies the blues through the orchestra’s cultural insight.

Summary

Freeman Launches

Freeman launched the album preview on Juneteenth, linking blues origins to emancipation.
He co-owns the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, opened 25 years ago to protect Delta-region music.
His past work includes a 2012 cameo on B.O.B.’s “Bombs Away,” narration on Metro Boomin’s 2020 *Savage Mode II*, and the 2022 *Heroes and Villains* project.
The album features the Chineke! Orchestra, Europe’s first majority-Black ensemble, to expand classical representation while honoring blues.

History

Historical Context

In 1915 the Great Migration began, sending more than 1.5 million African Americans from the South to northern industrial hubs such as Chicago, where the influx sparked a vibrant blues scene. That cultural foundation traveled nationwide, influencing later collaborations like Morgan Freeman’s 2026 Symphonic Blues Experience, which pairs Delta blues with the Chineke! Orchestra at Abbey Road Studios.

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Morgan Freeman Releases

Morgan Freeman announced his album “Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience,” releasing Aug. 7 on Decca Records.
He debuted the single “Death Letter Blues” on Juneteenth, June 19, with Taj Mahal on vocals and guitar, covering the 1965 Son House original.
The 12-track record spans a century of blues, includes guests Keb' Mo', Lawrence “Boo” Mitchell, Shemekia Copeland and Chineke! Orchestra, and is supported by shows in Houston (Aug. 7), Memphis (Sept. 26) and Gulfport (Oct. 17).

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