Biography

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Founded in 1997 by activist attorney Jim Musselman, Appleseed Recordings is an independent, idealistic and internationally distributed record label devoted to contemporary folk and roots music, frequently with a streak of sociopolitical commentary. The company’s policy of allowing full creative control to its artists, with no demands for a hit single and no corporate ownership dictating censorship of controversial lyrics, has led to a catalog of more than one hundred CDs, two Grammy Awards, ten Grammy nominations, and, most importantly, has produced music that is actually helping to change the world.

Appleseed’s roster includes the modern father of protest folk, Pete Seeger, “heritage” artists such as Tom Paxton, Tom Rush, David Bromberg, Jesse Winchester, Sweet Honey In The Rock, Donovan, Jonathan Edwards, and Al Stewart, and international musical activists Buffy Sainte-Marie and South Africa’s Johnny Clegg, among others. Alongside these familiar names are equally talented but lesser-known musicians like Anne Hills and Kim and Reggie Harris, the hard-touring embodiments of the folk tradition.

The label’s dedication to releasing music of substance has also attracted numerous guest artists such as Bruce Springsteen (six songs recorded for Appleseed), Jackson Browne, Steve Earle, Joan Baez, Billy Bragg, Wyclef Jean and Ani Difranco, all creative and politically involved firebrands.

Following its mission statement of “sowing the seeds of social justice through music and exploring the roots and branches of folk and world music,” Appleseed has released CDs of lasting and historical value. There are albums of Underground Railroad and Spanish Civil War songs, archival recordings of previously unreleased traditional American folk ballads, a fund-raising CD to combat homelessness, and expanded reissues of out-of-print LPs alongside the contemporary music in Appleseed’s catalogue. The company also backs up its altruistic outlook by contributing a percentage of its profits to environmental, human rights, and other progressive organizations.