Music of critically-acclaimed Freedom Singer play to be released on record

It's been a concert, a documentary and a critically-acclaimedplay, but now the family stories and music of Freedom Singer is set to become an album.

Freedom Singeris a project headed by Khari Wendell McClelland, who made the music by drawing from the experiences of his ancestors fleeing along the Underground Railroad to Canada.

A few years ago, whenMcClellandsought out the storyof his family,facts were hard to come by. He did, however, findseveral collections of rare and forgotten songs written and sung by black slaves during a grim period in North American history.

Through Freedom Singer, McClellandhas interpreted the songs using many musical styles including folk, gospel, country,hip hop and souland has broughttheir meaning and message to a modern audience.

During a conversation on CBC Radio One'sNorth by Northwest with host Sheryl MacKay,McClellandsaid he is overwhelmed by the positive response Freedom Singer has received.

"I think initially all I was hoping for was to make a record with this music," saidMcClelland. "It's ended up being the thing that's come last in the series, but I'm so really excited about being able to share the album with people."

When setting out to create his music,McClellandsaid he never intended toexactly recreatethe songs as they would have been sung at their inception. Indeed, many of the lyrics he found were written as simpleverse with no musical accompaniment.

Kizzy

McClelland's great-great-great-grandmother, Kizzy, escaped to Canada in the 1850s. He said learning about the music now featured on Freedom Singerchanged his entire life and gavehim new appreciation for Kizzy's struggle.

"I feel like I have a right to take up space in a way that I wasn't sure about before," he said.

"I see the beauty and importance of the individuals I'm interactingwith in a different way."

McClellanddescribed Kizzy'sbelief in her own self-importance the belief that she was worthenough to leave the only life she'd ever known and venture to a distant and foreign land in the pursuit of self-determination as"mind-blowing."

Learning more about his ancestor, a person who went to great lengths to ensure future generations of her family gaveMcClelland a greater understanding of every person'sright to respect, patience, kindness, generosity and love.

"I'm very aware of the kind of sacrifices and risks that were taken so I might be here in this moment."

"It gives me a sense of responsibility but also a sense of pride," saidMcClelland. "The dream of "me"preceded my physical being.People long before me were imagining a possibility like what I'm living in this moment."

The Freedom Singer album launches Feb. 2.

With files from North by Northwest