Another Orbit.
Happy New Year from Dead Horse Records!
When the earth completes its orbit around the sun—moving through spring, summer, autumn, and winter—we mark the passing of time and, on the first of January, say Happy New Year. But before we do, we pause. We look back at the year we’ve lived: what we accomplished, what we’re still not quite ready to release, and what continues to ask for our patience, care, and work before it can fully take shape.
In 2025, we lost many extraordinary artists who helped light the way: Roberta Flack, Bunky Green, Eddie Palmieri, Roy Ayers, Ray Drummond, Sheila Jordan, Anthony Jackson, Sylvester Stewart (Sly Stone), Hal Galper, Jack DeJohnette, Al Foster, George Freeman, Louis Moholo-Moholo, Hermeto Pascoal, Dame Cleo Laine, Andy Bey, and Chuck Mangione, Jimmy Cliff, D’Angelo, Alan Bergman, Connie Francis. I know this list is incomplete—and that’s only within the world of music. Beyond it lie the worlds of theater, dance, film, photography, painting, sculpture, and writing. I invite you to take ten minutes or so and do your own search. Billboard has an extensive list. You never truly know what you’ve lost until it’s no longer there.
Looking ahead, 2026 promises to be a challenging year for the arts. Even now, we’re witnessing deep cuts to arts and culture programs and grants, alongside an intensified effort to silence those who dare to separate truth from falsehood—who speak honestly and without flinching against injustice, hatred, and inhumanity. We griots are storytellers and truth-bearers. We chronicle history through our voices, staying faithful to our hearts, carrying the resilience required to continue our mission. To create with integrity is to stand apart, to be an outlier—but it is also to be necessary.
Once again, we thank our fearless artists and the vibrant community that supports them.
Let’s keep pushing boundaries and freeing the sound that leads us toward inspiration, compassion, prosperity, and joy.
Stay fearless.
Stay authentic.
Stay musical.
With gratitude,
Dead Horse Records 🎶