JACKSON, Miss. (WLBT) - Oscar-winning actor Morgan Freeman is bringing the Symphonic Blues Experience to Jackson later this month, featuring the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra at Thalia Mara Hall.
Freeman, a Mississippi native, owns the Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale and has been touring the Symphonic Blues Experience internationally alongside business partner Eric Meier.
A homecoming for Mississippi blues
“Georgia, Illinois, Kansas City, California, even Austria and Ireland. So it belongs in Mississippi. It came from Mississippi, was originated in Mississippi,” Freeman said.
Freeman said his connection to the state runs deep. After he traveled and began his career, his parents returned to Charleston, Mississippi, and he eventually followed.
“I was coming back to visit them, and every time I came back home, I had this, this feeling, this relaxation, this place that you wanted to be. It was comfortable, so I moved back,” Freeman said.
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Tracing the roots of the blues
Meier described the show as a journey through more than a century of blues music.
“Really, Blues music of the last hundred years. I mean, this music had its humble birth in the Mississippi Delta and then spread globally. And so we basically trace the origins of this music, starting in the 1930s and then it really finishes up with modern-day blues hits,” Meier said.
The show will include narration by Freeman covering the state’s culture, the history of those who created the blues, gospel and rock ‘n’ roll.
“Morgan does a phenomenal job, really providing narration to provide context of what this is all about during this time period. I mean, how can you get better than the world’s greatest storyteller?” Meier said.
Tickets going fast
Meier said tickets are selling quickly.
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“It’s a blend of entertainment and education. I promise you’re gonna learn something about this, hopefully you’ll get up and dance, and you’ll know many of these songs. It’s just, it’s a great show,” Meier said.
Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience with the Mississippi Symphony Orchestra is scheduled for March 27 at 7:30 p.m. at Thalia Mara Hall in Jackson. Tickets are on sale now.
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