Blue Jordan Records is an

independent record label An independent record label (or indie label) is a record label that operates without the funding or distribution of major record labels; they are a type of small and medium-sized enterprise, small- to medium-sized enterprise, or SME. The labels ...

founded by

Janet Pressley Janet Pressley is an American singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, Ohio, who founded the Blue Jordan Coffeehouse which later became Blue Jordan Records. She has released two full-length records on the label; ''Late Last Night'' and ''A Deeper Stat ...

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...

, Ohio.Bird, Rick
"Celebrating the Troubadour Tradition: A Decade of Music from Blue Jordan"
''

The Cincinnati Post ''The Cincinnati Post'' was an afternoon daily newspaper published in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. In Northern Kentucky, it was Product bundling, bundled inside a local edition called ''The Kentucky Post''. The ''Post'' was a founding publi ...

'', August 17, 2006 In addition to releasing records the label has organized concerts and music festivals. ''

'' said, "Blue Jordan is as much a state of mind as a record label" and described its origins, "When the coffeehouse folded the musicians who played and sang there simply stuck together and have been releasing CDs and making music ever since."Bird, Rick
"Blue Jordan Gathering Features Old, New"
''The Cincinnati Post'', May 10, 2007

Festivals and concert series

The label has organized a number of shows and music festivals over the years, notably the Blue Jordan Fall Music Festival at the Heritage Village of Sharon Woods Park in

Sharonville, Ohio Sharonville is a city largely in Hamilton County, Ohio, Hamilton County in the U.S. state of Ohio. The population was 14,117 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 census. Sharonville is part of the Cincinnati metropolitan area and located about ...

. The festival ran 1998–2000. Headliners included acts like

Carrie Newcomer Carrie Newcomer (born May 25, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and author. She has produced 19 solo CDs and has received numerous awards for her music and related charitable activities. She has collaborated with numerous authors, academi ...

(1998),

Over the Rhine Over-the-Rhine, often abbreviated as OTR, is a List of Cincinnati neighborhoods, residential neighborhood located in the urban basin of Cincinnati, Ohio. Over-the-Rhine is among the largest, most intact urban Historic districts in the United S ...

(1999),"Get To It: A guide to help make your day"
''

The Cincinnati Enquirer ''The Cincinnati Enquirer'' is a morning daily newspaper published by Gannett in Cincinnati, Ohio, United States. First published in 1841, the ''Enquirer'' is the last remaining daily newspaper in Greater Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky, altho ...

'', Sept 16, 1999 the

Cowboy Junkies Cowboy Junkies are an alternative country and folk rock band formed in Toronto, Ontario, Canada in 1985 by Alan Anton (bassist), Michael Timmins (songwriter, guitarist), Peter Timmins (drummer) and Margo Timmins (vocalist). The three Timminses ...

, and

Victoria Williams Victoria Williams (born December 23, 1958) is an American singer, songwriter and musician, originally from Shreveport, Louisiana, United States, although she has resided in Southern California throughout her musical career. Diagnosed with multi ...

and the

Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers The Original Harmony Ridge Creekdippers were an Americana group formed by songwriter Mark Olson and his wife, Victoria Williams, after Olson left his previous band, the Jayhawks. The group has also been called The Rolling Creekdippers as well a ...

(2000).Breen, Mike
"Spill It: Blue Jordan Fest"
, '' CityBeat'', 6:35, July 14–20, 2000 At its peak the festival included a diverse mix of two dozen local and national artists providing 10 hours of music on three stages and was described as "Cincinnati's premiere music event of the fall."Bird, Rick
"Blue Jordan Throws a Party"
''The Cincinnati Post'', September 14, 2000 All the Fall Music Festivals took place at the historic 19th-century

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

;

Heritage Village Museum Heritage Village Museum is a recreated 1800s community in Southwestern Ohio, in the United States. The village contains 13 historic buildings from around the Cincinnati area; they were moved here to save them from destruction. The village is locat ...

Sharon Woods Park Sharon ( 'plain'), also spelled Saron, is a given name as well as a Hebrew name. In English-speaking areas, Sharon is now predominantly a feminine given name, but historically it was also used as a masculine given name. In Israel, it is used as ...

and funds raised by the events went to the restoration, upkeep and

historical interpretation History is the systematic study of the past, focusing primarily on the human past. As an academic discipline, it analyses and interprets evidence to construct narratives about what happened and explain why it happened. Some theorists categ ...

of the village. The charm added by the location was noted in the

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

-based webzine ''Phantom Tollbooth'', "After experiencing a folk festival in this atmosphere (and only shelling out $15), how could one go back to an auditorium? The event is well worth the drive from Detroit, Chicago or your hometown." The label has also held other events such as the Spring Songs Music Festival, and the Blue Jordan Records Christmas Show. The label's 2008

house concert A house concert or home concert is a musical concert or performance art that is presented in someone's home or apartment, or a nearby small private space such as a barn, apartment rec room, lawn, or backyard."VIDEO: House concert in Royal Oak," ...

series, ''Living Room Shows'', was named Best Intimate Concert Series in Cincinnati. The 2008 run will wrap up in December with a "Songwriters in the Round" Event.

Releases

* ''The Uzzah Slip'', Mike Helm 1996 * ''Late Last Night'',

1996 * ''Stone Soup'', The Marshwiggles 1997 * ''Blue Jordan Live'', Various artists 1998 * ''Wonder'',

Katie Reider Kathryn Ann "Katie" Reider (May 23, 1978 – July 14, 2008) was an American singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, Ohio. Reider described her own music as " Folk/pop/rock fused together into some sort of 'genre-less' category." Reider released four ...

1998 * ''This Time'', Gwendolyn Speaks 1998 * ''Yer Pal Mr. Snake In The Grass'', Mike Helm 1998 * ''Tales from Thom Scarecrow'',

David Wolfenberger David Wolfenberger (born April 19, 1969 in Tuscola, Illinois) is a singer-songwriter from Cincinnati, Ohio. Former frontman for The Marshwiggles and Thom Scarecrow, Wolfenberger has three solo CDs to date; ''Tales From Thom Scarecrow'', and ''Wo ...

1999 * ''Garden of Sound'', Joshua Seurkamp 2000 * ''I Am Ready'', Katie Reider 2000 * ''Defined'',

Wild Carrot ''Daucus carota'', whose common names include wild carrot, European wild carrot, bird's nest, bishop's lace, and Queen Anne's lace (North America), is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae. It is native to temperate regions of the Old World ...

2000 * ''No Retakes'', Katie Reider 2001 * ''World of the Satisfy'n Place'', David Wolfenberger 2001 * ''Sunrise for Someone'', 2002 * ''A Slave Left Dreaming'', Joshua Seurkamp 2004 * ''Blue Jordan Sampler 2005'', Various artists 2005 * ''Songs to Sing in a Cathedral at Advent'', Janet Pressley 2005 * ''

Portrait of Narcissus ''Portrait Of Narcissus'' is the third solo album by David Wolfenberger. It was released in 2006 on Fundamental Records with Blue Jordan Records as an imprint. The album contains 12 original tracks and features such notables as Victoria Williams ...

'', David Wolfenberger 2006 * ''Sitting at Your Instrument'', Sharon Udoh 2007 * ''Becoming Human'', Brandon Dawson 2008 * ''Summer Lake Champion'', Sunrise For Someone 2008 * ''Just Burned Upon the Page'', David Wolfenberger 2008 * ''Kenwood Towne Centre'', Maurice Mattei 2008 * ''We Raise Up Our Glasses'', Mike Helm 2009 * ''Mauled'', Maurice Mattei and The Tempers 2009 * ''Crowd Around the Mic'', Wild Carrot 2009Breen, Mike, ''It's Raining New Album Releases'', CityBeat, December 8, 200

References

{{Authority control Folk record labels American independent record labels Record labels established in 1996 Music of Cincinnati