Album Notes

Alfonso Freeman, eldest son of actor Morgan Freeman is a renaissance man, possessing talents that span various artistic arenas. Whether on stage, screen or in a recording studio, Alfonso is very much at home.

Born in Los Angeles, Alfonso from an early age displayed a prodigious gift to draw and paint. He won numerous awards for his artistic skills. Little did he know that his art would blossom beyond paint, and canvas. He developed an interest in music during his pre-teen years and began playing drums for his church in Compton, California. After meeting an entire family that could play various instruments by ear, his desire to play piano was born. He immediately started plunking out tunes on the rickety piano of his local church. In the beginning this wasn¹t easy on the ears of his fellow church members, but it wasn¹t long before his skills improved, and he ultimately became the minister of music and choir director. As Alfonso looked to further challenge his artistic intellect, he watched is his father win his first nomination for his role as Fast Black in the gritty drama, Street Smart. Alfonso knew he too belonged on stage; and with his dad's encouragement, Alfonso began his theatre career.

It was there that he learned he had been blessed with a smooth, yet powerful singing voice that was perfect for musical theatre. He performed in a number of musical theatre productions like Guys and Dolls, Jesus Christ Superstar, and Man of La Mancha, as well as many dramatic roles. His work on stage won Alfonso critical praise, and would naturally take him to film and television where he won guest-starring roles on such shows as The West Wing, ER, Providence and The Practice. His film credits include The Shawshank Redemption, Nurse Betty, the award winning indie feature Burn, and the short parody, The Shark Tank Redemption in which he starred.

But life and faith have brought Alfonso and his art full circle. All that he learned in theatre, music and ministry have helped prepare him for his current role as recording artist with the release of his self-produced debut CD project, I Want To Believe; a Gospel music work containing smooth and mellow tunes perfect for the mature listener. With songs like, New Mercies, Fairest Lord Jesus, Through Praise, and the title track, I Want To Believe, there is something for everyone. This labor of love is steeped in faith and experience, and is the culmination of a life-long love of art and faith, coming from the heart of a boy raised on the hard streets of Compton who has become a man of God, and a much sought after actor, singer, and musician.