Morgan Freeman to Salute Blues in Clarksdale Concert Series

(CelebrityAccess News Service) – Actor Morgan Freeman will salute the musical heritage of his home state when Journey To Clarksdale, a 10-day concert series, is filmed at his Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, MS from October 17-26. Envisioned as a pilgrimage for musicians to the birthplace of the blues, the Journey To Clarksdale concerts will be captured on High-Definition Digital Video for a feature film, a television series, DVDs, CD soundtracks, and a radio series.

Acts encompassing rock, jazz, and hip hop, genres that have drawn significantly from the blues tradition of storytelling, will also be included in the 10-day event. Clarksdale, located in the Mississippi Delta at the crossroads of Highways 49 and 61, was historically home to musicians including Muddy Waters, John Lee Hooker, Son House, Ike Turner, and Sam Cooke. Today Clarksdale continues to boast a vibrant blues scene, which, along with the Delta Blues Museum, serves as a magnet for musicians and tourists from around the world.

Freeman, a native of Greenwood, MS, who lives near Clarksdale, opened Ground Zero in May 2001 as a showcase for the region's cultural treasures. "When I come home I'm reminded of why I choose to live here," Freeman says of the blues. "You can almost hear it in the air. This is where America's musical heritage began."

Some of the artists set to participate include Taj Mahal, Cassandra Wilson, Alvin Youngblood Hart, R.L. Burnside, Eric Burdon, Olu Dara, Booker T. & the M.G.s and Susan Tedeschi.

The executive producers of Journey To Clarksdale are Freeman, Ground Zero co-owner Bill Luckett, Arnie Messer of Phoenix Pictures and Ron Broadway, CEO of Palm Avenue Pictures, Inc. 4Tell Films in association with Palm Avenue Pictures will document the concerts. The producers of Journey To Clarksdale are Jef Judin, Madison Davis Lacy and Cassandra Wilson, who will also serve as host of the concert series. A limited number of tickets are currently on sale for each night's performances. Tickets are $125 and can be purchased through Journey To Clarksdale's official website: www.journeytoclarksdale.com.

Eight shows will be filmed on location at Ground Zero Blues Club, and several additional film crews will document musical events throughout Clarksdale during the 10-day period. The Ground Zero schedule is:

Oct. 17 Delta Acoustic Blues
Oct. 18 Delta &Electric Blues

Oct. 19 Gospel Voices

Oct. 20 Beyond the Delta

Oct. 21 Ladies Sing the Blues

Oct. 22 New Orleans Blues

Oct. 24 Hip Hop, Rap, Rock and the Blues

Oct. 25 The Finale

Oct. 26 Community Jam

–Bob Grossweiner and Jane Cohen

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