Even the voice of God occasionally gets the blues.
Morgan Freeman—yes, that Morgan Freeman, Oscar and Golden Globe winner, 80-time nominee of national and international awards, and a towering presence on screens large and small—can now add “concert producer” to his list of eclectic accolades. Many were surprised this past winter when the actor’s touring production, Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, was announced as the Saturday night headliner of Beatles on the Beach, the four-day festival making its Boca Raton debut March 12 to 15 at Mizner Park Amphitheater and surrounding venues.
At first blush, the booking seems unusual for a festival whose previous headliners have included veteran rockers such as Cheap Trick, Micky Dolenz and Edgar Winter. But the 88-year-old Freeman, who is expected to attend and speak at the March 14 performance, is no neophyte on the concert scene. Since 2001, he’s been the owner of Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Miss., an authentic blues joint housed in a former cotton warehouse. The club has helped revitalize the Mississippi Delta city, which has reclaimed its status as one of the nation’s blues capitals.
The core band members performing in Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience, including guitarist Anthony “Big A” Sherrod and drummer Lee Williams, perform regularly at Ground Zero, and they bring the same fiery chops to the touring production. Enhanced with a live regional symphony orchestra, the selections span 100 years of the blues, from pioneers like Robert Johnson and Son House to later interpreters such as JJ Cale and Raphael Saadiq. Freeman appears on a giant projection screen to introduce the songs alongside cinema-quality visuals.
As to whether the band plans to integrate Beatles material at the namesake festival, its music director, Eric Meier, played coy with Boca magazine: “We’re not going to disclose any secrets at this time. Let’s just say the request has been lobbied, and we will take it under consideration.”
What drew you to the blues, and how did it become such an important part of your life?
I wasn’t involved with the blues prior to my erstwhile deceased partner [Bill Luckett] and I deciding to start a blues club. Because one day, there were a couple of obvious backpackers on the streets in Clarksdale, and Bill went out to ask them, “is there something I can help you with?” And they said, “where can we hear some blues?” He couldn’t tell them. There was no place. That was my intro to getting involved with the blues. We built Ground Zero, and time went on, and here we are.
Since the festival is called Beatles on the Beach, do you see a connection or throughline between the blues and the Beatles?
There’s a connection between the blues and just about any genre of music. There was a saying that came from Muddy Waters: “The blues had a baby, and they called it rock ‘n’ roll.”
Eric Clapton is a bluesman. Why is he a bluesman? Because that basic music underpins American music. So we call the blues America’s classical music.
You appeared in a 2014 documentary called “Lennon or McCartney,” about the decades-long debate over the two geniuses. Whom did you choose?
I met McCartney; I hung out with him for a while, because I worked with his daughter Stella on a photo shoot. I never met Lennon, but Lennon had some deep lyrics, and he stands out in my pantheon.
What music do you listen to when you’re on a movie set?
I don’t turn on music at all. If I have a computer, I’ll get into solitaire; that’s my addiction. Sometimes, I’ll have a reading assignment; that’s really what they are. My wife says, “you’ve got to read. Get your head out of the computer. Stop playing solitaire. Pick up a book.” So I’m liable to be doing that.
I understand you’ve developed a great relationship with Clint Eastwood. Why do you think you two have grown so close?
We have a lot of the same interests. We go well together. The juice is easy. It started from the beginning, when we did “Unforgiven.” The way I got the job was he called and said, would I like to ride along with him? He’s my favorite director [to work with]. I say that all the time so that when he comes up with something, he can squeeze me into it. I’m buttering him up.
IF YOU GO
WHAT: Beatles on the Beach
WHEN: March 12-15
WHERE: Mizner Park Amphitheater, 590 Plaza Real, Boca Raton
COST: $39.50-$248 for two-day passes
CONTACT: beatlesonthebeach.com
This story is from the March 2026 issue of Boca magazine. For more like this, click here to subscribe to the magazine.
