Morgan Freeman Surprises Fans by Releasing Music for the First Time at 89
Morgan Freeman just announced his first-ever album-and even dropped a single from the record!
On Friday, June 19, the Oscar-winning actor, 89, announced that his debut blues album, Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience, will be released on Aug. 7 by Decca Records.
According to a press release, the 12-track album is a cinematic journey through 100 years of blues music. On the album, Freeman collaborates with Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Lawrence "Boo" Mitchell, Shemekia Copeland, and 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 said in the release.
To celebrate Juneteenth, Freeman released the album's first single, "Death Letter Blues" on June 19 featuring Mahal on lead vocals and guitar.
"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," Freeman said.
The actor also announced a three-date tour in support of the album, beginning Aug. 7 in Houston, Texas, followed by Sept. 26 in Memphis, Tennessee, and Oct. 17 in Gulfport, Mississippi.
See the tracklist for Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience below.
1. I Lied To You - Keith Johnson
2. Dark Was the Night, Cold Was the Ground - Morgan Freeman ft. Keith Johnson
3. Crossroads - Super Chikan
4. Death Letter Blues - Taj Mahal
5. Dust My Broom - Lady Adrena
6. The Thrill Is Gone - Alvin Youngblood Hart
7. Cadillac Assembly Line - Keb' Mo'
8. Somebody's Knockin' - Anthony Big A Sherrod
9. Traveling Riverside Blues - Shemekia Copeland
10. I'll Take You There - Tierinii Jackson ft. Stax Music Academy Choir
12. Love Me Or Leave Me - Anthony Big A Sherrod
13. Someday - Anthony Big A Sherrod
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This story was originally published June 19, 2026 at 1:16 PM.