LOS ANGELES — Morgan Freeman announced a 12-track album titled Morgan Freeman's Symphonic Blues Experience, scheduled for release on August 7 through Decca Records. Freeman will serve as a producer and narrator for the project.

He also announced a supporting three-city concert tour for the album. The tour is set to begin in Houston on August 7, include a performance in Memphis on September 26, and conclude in Gulfport, Mississippi, on October 17.

The album features collaborations with musicians Taj Mahal, Keb' Mo', Lawrence Boo Mitchell, and Shemekia Copeland, along with performances by the Chineke! Orchestra. Freeman released the album's first single, Death Letter Blues, to mark Juneteenth. The lead single features Taj Mahal on lead vocals and guitar and was originally recorded by musician Son House in 1965.

"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."

Album producer Eric Meier said recordings for the album took place at Royal Studios and Abbey Road. "Juneteenth felt like the only right date to introduce this powerful single. This music was born from the same history that Juneteenth commemorates," Meier said.

No independent assessment of Morgan Freeman’s claims was available.