George Freeman

Blues guitarist George Freeman was born on April 10, 1927 in Chicago, Illinois to George Freeman, Sr. and Carol Marie Granberry Freeman.

He attended DuSable High School in Chicago, Illinois and began playing guitar in the early 1940s when he was invited to play with Eugene Wright’s band, The Dukes of Swing. He later formed his own band, which included alto saxophonist Henry Pryor, tenor saxophonist Alec Johnson, and trumpeter Robert Gay. The group performed regularly at the Pershing Hotel in Chicago and played with guest musicians such as tenor saxophonists Coleman Hawkins and Lester Young. In 1947, Freeman moved to New York City, New York and joined a band with tenor saxophonist Johnny Griffin and trumpeter Joe Morris. That same year, he made his first recording with the Joe Morris Orchestra. Freeman then returned to Chicago, where he resumed performing at the Pershing Hotel and frequently played with saxophonist Charlie “Bird” Parker. In 1959, Freeman toured nationally with tenor saxophonist Sil Austin and vocalist Jackie Wilson. During the 1960s, he collaborated with organist Richard Groove Holmes and appeared on four of Holmes’ albums, including Groove in 1961 and The Groover! in 1968. In 1969, Freeman joined tenor saxophonist Gene Ammons’s band and contributed to several of Ammons’s albums, including The Black Cat! in 1971. He also recorded four albums with organist Jimmy McGriff, including Fly Dude in 1972.

Freeman released his first album as a band leader, Birth Sign, in 1972. In 1974, he appeared on The Last Blues Album Volume 1 alongside drummer Buddy Rich and tenor saxophonist Illinois Jacquet. Freeman continued performing in Chicago clubs and studios throughout the 1970s, contributing to Johnny Griffin’s album Bush Dance in 1979. Throughout his career, Freeman performed with his brothers, tenor saxophonist Von Freeman and drummer Eldridge Bruz Freeman. He appeared at venues across the United States and internationally, including the Chicago Jazz Festival, where he served as a headliner in 2015, 2017, and 2019. In 2021 and 2022, he performed at the Green Mill Cocktail Lounge in the Uptown neighborhood of Chicago, Illinois.

As a band leader, Freeman has released more than ten albums, including Rebellion with Von Freeman in 1995, All in the Family with his nephew, tenor saxophonist and trumpeter Chico Freeman, in 2015, 90 Going On Amazing in 2017, Everybody Say Yeah! in 2022, and The Good Life in 2023.

In 2014, Freeman was recognized as the Chicagoan of the Year in Jazz Music by the Chicago Tribune.

George Freeman was interviewed by The HistoryMakers on May 23, 2023.