Ardent Records

{{Infobox record label

| name = Ardent Records

| parent = Ardent Music LLC

| founded = {{start date|1959}}

| founder = John Fry

| genre = Various

| country = U.S.

| location = Memphis, Tennessee

| website = {{URL|ardentstudios.com}}

}}

Ardent Records is an American record label based in Memphis, which was founded by John Fry in 1959.{{cite news |last=Graff |first=Gary |author-link=Gary Graff |url=https://www.billboard.com/articles/news/6413860/ardent-studios-founder-john-fry-dies-at-69 |title=Ardent Studios Founder John Fry Dies at 69 |work=Billboard |date=December 18, 2014 |accessdate=January 27, 2021}} Ardent of the 1960s and 1970s featured pop music acts and was distributed by Stax Records from 1972 until 1975.{{cite book |last1=Lisle |first1=Andria|last2= Evans|first2= Mike |title=Waking Up in Memphis |publisher=Sanctuary Publishing p. 156 |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-8607-4447-1}} It is best remembered today for Big Star, whose first two albums, released in 1972 and 1974, helped define the style known as power pop.{{cite news |last=Mehr |first=Bob |url= https://www.commercialappeal.com/story/entertainment/music/2017/11/13/memphis-recording-studios-provided-sounds-changed-world/757647001/ |title=Memphis recording studios provided the sounds that changed the world |work=The Commercial Appeal |date=November 13, 2017 |access-date=January 27, 2021}} The label was initially an attempt by the R&B-focused Stax to move into rock music, but distribution problems prevented any releases from succeeding.{{cite news |last=Zimmerman |first=Lee |url= https://americansongwriter.com/big-star-reissue-album-review/ |title=Two Restored Classics Bring Renewed Appreciation |work=American Songwriter |date=February 8, 2020 |access-date=January 27, 2021}} Big Star became widely known through 1980s reissues and the long delayed first release of Third/Sister Lovers, recorded in 1974.

{{externalvideo

| width = 320px

| video1 = [https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/john-fry Oral History, John Fry talks about his love of music and a passion for the radio which led to his first basement studio while still in high school. Interview date July 15, 2000, NAMM Oral History Library]

}}

The label was revived in the 1990s with two divisions: Alternative Mainstream and Contemporary Christian. Former Big Star guitarist Alex Chilton released recordings on the Ardent mainstream division, which also released recordings by bands such as Spot, Jolene, Two Minutes Hate, The Idlewilds, Neighborhood Texture Jam, and Techno-Squid Eats Parliament. The mainstream division of Ardent Records was closed in the mid-1990s.

Ardent's Christian label issued its first Christian releases in 1995. Initial projects included albums from Big Tent Revival, Skillet, and Smalltown Poets. To date, Ardent Records has released more than 35 albums by artists such as Todd Agnew, Jonah33, Smalltown Poets, Satellite Soul, Clear, All Together Separate, Brother's Keeper, Justifide, Before You Breathe, NonFiction, and Joy Whitlock. In 2005, Ardent signed a deal with INO Records, a division of Integrity Media, to distribute and market its entire roster. The label's albums are recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis.