Ardent Records

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Ardent Records, often shortened to "Ardent," was a Memphis-based record label of the early 1970s. Ardent featured pop-music acts and was distributed by Stax Records. It is best remembered today for Big Star, whose first two albums, released 1972 and 1974, helped define the style known as power pop. The label, an attempt by the R&B-focused Stax to move into rock music, was also infamous for the promotion and distribution problems that prevented any of its releases from succeeding.

The label was revived in the 1990s, and former Big Star guitarist Alex Chilton released recordings on the Ardent label in the mid-1990s.

The label's albums are recorded at Ardent Studios in Memphis.