Paredon Records was a record label founded in 1969 by

Barbara Dane Barbara Dane (born Barbara Jean Spillman; May 12, 1927) is an American folk, blues, and jazz singer, guitarist, record producer, and political activist. She co-founded Paredon Records with Irwin Silber. "Bessie Smith in stereo," wrote jazz cri ...

and

Irwin Silber Irwin Silber (October 17, 1925 – September 8, 2010) was an American Communist, editor, publisher, and political activist. He edited the folk music magazine ''Sing Out!'' and was active in far-left politics throughout his life. Biography Early ...

to publish recordings of cultural expressions, especially protests, in order to preserve them. Paredon wanted to spread awareness of multiple movements and topics. Dane and Silber were both connected with politically engaged artists and musicians, as well as progressive groups, through their work. Dane formed friendships with artists she met while protesting the

Vietnam War The Vietnam War (also known by #Names, other names) was a conflict in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia from 1 November 1955 to the fall of Saigon on 30 April 1975. It was the second of the Indochina Wars and was officially fought between North Vie ...

and other current events. Her active participation in these movements provided her with the inside knowledge and ear to recognize whose voices would be historically significant. Part of the era's social activism and movements for economic, racial and social justice, as well as national liberation, the label released 50 titles between 1970 and 1985 including songs, poetry and oratory. The label's founders were inspired by

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

and recorded a lot of protest music, including ''The People Gonna Rise!'' with

Bev Grant Bev Grant is an American musician, photographer, filmmaker, and activist based in New York City. Personal life Grant grew up in Portland, Oregon, and moved to New York with her husband in the 1960s. She later separated from her husband, was ra ...

's band Human Condition. Dane and Silber donated Paredon Records to the Smithsonian Institution in 1991 "to insure the availability of this material to posterity" and their recordings are now part of

Smithsonian Folkways Smithsonian Folkways is the nonprofit record label of the Smithsonian Institution. It is a part of the Smithsonian's Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage, located at Capital Gallery in downtown Washington, D.C. The label was fou ...

. Dane performed in front of large crowds of students and workers across the US and on national television, while Siber addressed meetings of cultural leaders and intellectuals. Bravo planned a conference of international artists participating in global political movements the following year to share their songs and views. The Encuentro de Canción Protesta, which took place at the Casa de las Américas, encouraged Dane and Silber to start a record label in order to make the voices of the people heard.

References

American record labels Record labels established in 1969 {{Record-label-stub