Freedom Underground

Freedom Underground was born in 2003, starting primarily as a blues and R&B group. In 2004, the members decided to radically change direction after losing one of the founding members who also happened to be the lead vocalist. Within the confines of one rehearsal, the Detroit-based band made the decision to jump tracks and devote all its energies toward the creation of original music; jazz, fusion, funk, and whatever else happened to sound good.
Freedom Underground because sometimes that’s how deep you have to dig to find the straight truth of who, what, and why you are. And the truth, as they say, shall set you free.
From Dizzy Gillespie’s “Night in Tunisia” and Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay” to Stevie Wonder’s “I Wish” and Freedom’s own rendition of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, Freedom Underground is comfortable in almost any musical landscape.
Cornelius Fortune (trumpet, keyboards) studied classical composition with Karl Boelter, and jazz theory with saxophonist Rodney Bonner (an early mentor to Kenny Garrett). A native Detroiter, he has composed/performed music for several independent and student films. He joined the group in 2006.
Cody Morales (drums, vocals) is perhaps the band’s most versatile multi-instrumentalist (he also plays guitar, bass and keyboards in other bands) and hails from Austin, Texas. Morales has been performing professionally since his teen years. Morales is equally comfortable with anything from hip-hop to fusion to rock, and also serves as Freedom’s studio engineer, graphic artist, and all-around creative cat. Freedom also rehearses in Cody’s basement.
Randy Streicher (bass) has been performing on the road with a number of R&B and pop/rock groups for more than 34 years. Randy is a classically trained musician, starting out on trumpet in 3rd grade, adding bass in high school. He began playing weddings at 16, switching to local cover bands in his 20's. Randy has toured in five different states with two different bands, paid his way through college as a full time musician, and has played in a variety of groups in almost every genre from rock, R&B, and Top 40, to funk, Southern rock, and jazz.
Keith Owens (guitar, vocals) has been playing professionally for 20 years. Owens earned his blues “chops” playing the Southside clubs and ‘joints’of Chicago during the mid-‘80s. Since being in Detroit, Owens has played with Luther “Bad Man” Keith, Joc’lyn B, Harmonica Shaw, Priscilla Price, the Butler Twins, Kenny Miller, and other local blues artists. For three years he also fronted his own group, “Blue Spirit Tribe”.
Freedom Underground has recently completed its first full-length CD entitled “Between the Funk”. It is scheduled for release in late summer 2010.