Uploaded September 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Episode 113: Morgan Freeman is one of the greatest actors and narrators of our time. He is also an incredibly joyful, thoughtful and wonderful human being. Morgan joins us for a rare long-form conversation about his extraordinary life, his unmistakable voice, the art of narration, The Shawshank Redemption, playing God in Bruce Almighty and the music that helped shape America: the blues.
Morgan is joined by Eric Meier, his business partner and an executive producer and co-producer of their latest project, Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience. This ambitious album and live production brings together authentic Mississippi Delta blues, symphony orchestra, cinematic storytelling and Morgan’s narration. Eric is also Morgan’s fellow co-owner of the legendary Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Together, they discuss their friendship, their creative partnership, the future of the blues and their mission to preserve this essential American music while carrying it into places it has never gone before. Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience features an extraordinary collection of artists, including Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ and the Chineke! Orchestra.
We also dive into Morgan's approach to narration. Does he change the script? How does rhythm affect the meaning of a line? Is narrating different from acting, or are they ultimately the same craft?
Perhaps our favorite part of this conversation is Morgan’s humility, humor and the laughs we share. We hope you enjoy our conversation with our new friends, Morgan Freeman and Eric Meier!
Huge thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!
Elmo Lovano drinks Intelligentsia coffee because he’s an Iced Angeleno. intelligentsia.com
Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, ad free episodes, and discussions about music and music careers. patreon.com/gowithelmo
0:00:00 - TRAILER
0:01:40 - INTERVIEW STARTS
0:03:05 - MORGAN'S LIFE AT HOME
0:04:22 - MORGAN FREEMAN'S SYMPHONIC BLUES EXPERIENCE
0:06:09 - GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB, SUPPORTING YOUNG MUSICIANS
0:07:09 - CHILDHOOD IN MISSISSIPPI
0:08:48 - HEARING THE BLUES ON HIS GRANDMOTHER'S PORCH
0:09:20 - THE BLUES LYRICS MORGAN STILL REMEMBERS
0:10:19 - WINNING AN ACTING COMPETITION AT AGE 12
0:11:29 - BORN TO ACT, SEEING HIS FIRST MOVIE
0:12:25 - GLEE CLUB, ALTO SAXOPHONE
0:13:04 - HOW MORGAN FOUND HIS LOWER VOICE
0:14:05 - ADS
0:15:51 - LA CITY COLLEGE, CAN ACTING BE TAUGHT?
0:17:00 - VOCAL TRAINING FOR ACTING
0:17:57 - BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON, “DARK WAS THE NIGHT”
0:19:36 - NARRATING THE SYMPHONIC BLUES ALBUM
0:20:30 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
0:22:05 - RECORDING THE LIVE SHOW'S NARRATION IN ONE TAKE
0:22:55 - HOW ERIC MET MORGAN FREEMAN
0:26:30 - THE IDEA FOR SYMPHONIC BLUES
0:28:43 - TAJ MAHAL, “DEATH LETTER BLUES”
0:29:01 - RECORDING AT ROYAL STUDIOS AND ABBEY ROAD
0:31:01 - MORGAN'S ADMIRATION FOR TAJ MAHAL
0:32:21 - SINGING “LET'S STAY TOGETHER” WITH AL GREEN
0:33:50 - BROADWAY, MORGAN'S EARLY CAREER
0:34:38 - FINDING FAME AT 50, STREET SMART
0:36:32 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, WHY MUSIC MAKES US FEEL FREE
0:39:08 - KEEPING THE BLUES AUTHENTIC WITH A SYMPHONY
0:40:43 - PLAYING GOD IN BRUCE ALMIGHTY, JEREMY IRONS
0:42:22 - MORGAN'S APPROACH TO NARRATION
0:43:45 - FAME, HUMILITY, REMEMBERING WHO YOU ARE
0:45:33 - BALANCING THE CREATIVE AND BUSINESS SIDES
0:47:51 - BUILDING THE RIGHT TEAM, RECORDING AT ABBEY ROAD
0:49:10 - HOW MORGAN SPENDS HIS TIME NOW
0:50:18 - MORGAN'S FAVORITE CHAPTER OF HIS LIFE
0:51:30 - MORGAN'S FAVORITE CHARACTER
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Morgan:
instagram.com/morganfreeman
Follow Ground Zero Blues Club:
instagram.com/gzbluesclub
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
#morganfreeman #blues #acting #narrator
Episode 113: Morgan Freeman is one of the greatest actors and narrators of our time. He is also an incredibly joyful, thoughtful and wonderful human being. Morgan joins us for a rare long-form conversation about his extraordinary life, his unmistakable voice, the art of narration, The Shawshank Redemption, playing God in Bruce Almighty and the music that helped shape America: the blues.
Morgan is joined by Eric Meier, his business partner and an executive producer and co-producer of their latest project, Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience. This ambitious album and live production brings together authentic Mississippi Delta blues, symphony orchestra, cinematic storytelling and Morgan’s narration. Eric is also Morgan’s fellow co-owner of the legendary Ground Zero Blues Club in Clarksdale, Mississippi. Together, they discuss their friendship, their creative partnership, the future of the blues and their mission to preserve this essential American music while carrying it into places it has never gone before. Morgan Freeman’s Symphonic Blues Experience features an extraordinary collection of artists, including Taj Mahal, Keb’ Mo’ and the Chineke! Orchestra.
We also dive into Morgan's approach to narration. Does he change the script? How does rhythm affect the meaning of a line? Is narrating different from acting, or are they ultimately the same craft?
Perhaps our favorite part of this conversation is Morgan’s humility, humor and the laughs we share. We hope you enjoy our conversation with our new friends, Morgan Freeman and Eric Meier!
Huge thanks to our friends at DistroKid! DistroKid is the easiest and fastest way to get your music on over 150 platforms worldwide! Go to distrokid.com/vip/elmo to get 20% off your first year!
Elmo Lovano drinks Intelligentsia coffee because he’s an Iced Angeleno. intelligentsia.com
Become a Patreon Member to stay in the loop as we post Patreon-only exclusive content, ad free episodes, and discussions about music and music careers. patreon.com/gowithelmo
0:00:00 - TRAILER
0:01:40 - INTERVIEW STARTS
0:03:05 - MORGAN'S LIFE AT HOME
0:04:22 - MORGAN FREEMAN'S SYMPHONIC BLUES EXPERIENCE
0:06:09 - GROUND ZERO BLUES CLUB, SUPPORTING YOUNG MUSICIANS
0:07:09 - CHILDHOOD IN MISSISSIPPI
0:08:48 - HEARING THE BLUES ON HIS GRANDMOTHER'S PORCH
0:09:20 - THE BLUES LYRICS MORGAN STILL REMEMBERS
0:10:19 - WINNING AN ACTING COMPETITION AT AGE 12
0:11:29 - BORN TO ACT, SEEING HIS FIRST MOVIE
0:12:25 - GLEE CLUB, ALTO SAXOPHONE
0:13:04 - HOW MORGAN FOUND HIS LOWER VOICE
0:14:05 - ADS
0:15:51 - LA CITY COLLEGE, CAN ACTING BE TAUGHT?
0:17:00 - VOCAL TRAINING FOR ACTING
0:17:57 - BLIND WILLIE JOHNSON, “DARK WAS THE NIGHT”
0:19:36 - NARRATING THE SYMPHONIC BLUES ALBUM
0:20:30 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, MILLION DOLLAR BABY
0:22:05 - RECORDING THE LIVE SHOW'S NARRATION IN ONE TAKE
0:22:55 - HOW ERIC MET MORGAN FREEMAN
0:26:30 - THE IDEA FOR SYMPHONIC BLUES
0:28:43 - TAJ MAHAL, “DEATH LETTER BLUES”
0:29:01 - RECORDING AT ROYAL STUDIOS AND ABBEY ROAD
0:31:01 - MORGAN'S ADMIRATION FOR TAJ MAHAL
0:32:21 - SINGING “LET'S STAY TOGETHER” WITH AL GREEN
0:33:50 - BROADWAY, MORGAN'S EARLY CAREER
0:34:38 - FINDING FAME AT 50, STREET SMART
0:36:32 - THE SHAWSHANK REDEMPTION, WHY MUSIC MAKES US FEEL FREE
0:39:08 - KEEPING THE BLUES AUTHENTIC WITH A SYMPHONY
0:40:43 - PLAYING GOD IN BRUCE ALMIGHTY, JEREMY IRONS
0:42:22 - MORGAN'S APPROACH TO NARRATION
0:43:45 - FAME, HUMILITY, REMEMBERING WHO YOU ARE
0:45:33 - BALANCING THE CREATIVE AND BUSINESS SIDES
0:47:51 - BUILDING THE RIGHT TEAM, RECORDING AT ABBEY ROAD
0:49:10 - HOW MORGAN SPENDS HIS TIME NOW
0:50:18 - MORGAN'S FAVORITE CHAPTER OF HIS LIFE
0:51:30 - MORGAN'S FAVORITE CHARACTER
Please SUBSCRIBE / FOLLOW this podcast to catch new episodes as soon as they drop! Your likes, comments and shares are much appreciated!
Listen to the audio form of this podcast wherever you get your podcasts: elmolovano.komi.io
Follow Morgan:
instagram.com/morganfreeman
Follow Ground Zero Blues Club:
instagram.com/gzbluesclub
Follow Go With Elmo:
instagram.com/gowithelmo
tiktok.com/@gowithelmo
https://x.com/gowithelmopod
Follow Elmo Lovano:
Instagram.com/elmolovano
https://x.com/elmolovano
#morganfreeman #blues #acting #narrator
