Gordon Friesen (1909 - 1996) was a novelist and co-founder, along with his wife Agnes

Sis Cunningham Agnes "Sis" Cunningham (February 19, 1909 – June 27, 2004) was an American musician, best known as a performer and publicist of folk music and protest songs. She was the founding editor of '' Broadside'' magazine, which she published with her hu ...

, of '' Broadside'', the political song magazine that first published many of the most popular songs of the

folk revival The American folk music revival began during the 1940s and peaked in popularity in the mid-1960s. Early folk music performers include Woody Guthrie, Lead Belly, Pete Seeger, Ewan MacColl (UK), Richard Dyer-Bennet, Oscar Brand, Jean Ritchie ...

, including compositions by

Bob Dylan Bob Dylan (legally Robert Dylan; born Robert Allen Zimmerman, May 24, 1941) is an American singer-songwriter. Described as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture over his nearly 70-year ...

and

Phil Ochs Philip David Ochs (; December 19, 1940 – April 9, 1976) was an American songwriter, protest song, protest singer (or, as he preferred, "topical singer"), and Political Activist, political activist. Ochs was known for his sharp wit, sardonic h ...

. Friesen was born March 3, 1909, in

Weatherford, Oklahoma Weatherford is a city in Custer County, Oklahoma, United States. The population was 12,076 at the time of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, a gain of about 11.5% over the 10,833 figure from the United States Census, 2010, 2010 census. ...

. He grew up in a

Russian Mennonite The Russian Mennonites ( it. "Russia Mennonites", i.e., Mennonites of or from the Russian Empire are a group of Mennonites who are the descendants of Dutch and North German Anabaptists who settled in the Vistula delta in West Prussia for about ...

family in

Oklahoma Oklahoma ( ; Choctaw language, Choctaw: , ) is a landlocked U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States. It borders Texas to the south and west, Kansas to the north, Missouri to the northea ...

, and was also an important early contributor to

Mennonite literature Mennonite literature emerged in the mid-to-late 20th century as both a literary movement and a distinct genre. Mennonite literature refers to literary works created by or about Mennonites. Definition Mennonite literature, in the modern sense, usual ...

. His novel ''Flamethrowers'', which was critical of Mennonite traditions, is regarded as one of the earliest novels by an American Mennonite author about Mennonites. Friesen and his wife Cunningham were also members of the

Almanac Singers The Almanac Singers was an American New York City-based folk music group, active between 1940 and 1943, founded by Millard Lampell, Lee Hays, Pete Seeger, and were joined by Woody Guthrie. The group specialized in topical songs, mostly songs a ...

during the 1940s, a

Greenwich Village Greenwich Village, or simply the Village, is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street (Manhattan), 14th Street to the north, Broadway (Manhattan), Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the s ...

urban

folk music revival A roots revival (folk revival) is a trend which includes young performers popularizing the traditional musical styles of their ancestors. Often, roots revivals include an addition of newly composed songs with socially and politically aware lyr ...

group with a shifting membership. "At its peak, ''Broadside'' appeared monthly, but as the folk revival lost momentum, its publication dwindled to bimonthly and ultimately semi-annually by the end of the 1960s. Although its circulation never exceeded four figures, the Friesens kept Broadside afloat until 1988, publishing 187 issues in all." In 1999, Cunningham published their collaborative memoir, ''Red Dust and Broadsides: A Joint Autobiography''.Sis Cunningham, S., & G. Friesen
''Red Dust and Broadsides: A Joint Autobiography''
(

Amherst, MA Amherst () is a city in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Connecticut River valley. Amherst has a council–manager form of government, and is considered a city under Massachusetts state law. Amherst is one of several Massac ...

University of Massachusetts Press The University of Massachusetts Press is a university press that is part of the University of Massachusetts Amherst. The press was founded in 1963, publishing scholarly books and non-fiction. The press imprint is overseen by an interdisciplinar ...

, 1999). In 2000, Smithsonian

Folkways Records Folkways Records was a record label founded by Moses Asch that documented folk, world, and children's music. It was acquired by the Smithsonian Institution in 1987 and is now part of Smithsonian Folkways. History The Folkways Records & Service ...

collected the magazine’s most notable songs on the five-CD box set ''The Best of Broadside 1962-1988'

Friesen died on October 15, 1996.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Friesen, Gordon 1909 births 1996 deaths People from Weatherford, Oklahoma American folk musicians 20th-century American musicians American Mennonites Mennonite writers Mennonite musicians