Eric Bernay
Eric Bernay (March 25, 1906 – November 2, 1968) was an American record producer who started Keynote Records. He was born Bernstein in Odessa, then part of the Russian Empire, and came to the United States as an infant. He later owned a Midtown Manhattan record store called The Music Room and founded Keynote Records in 1937.
Bernay was deeply involved in left-wing politics and used Keynote to share his views. Early on, the label released recordings like the Red Army Chorus and the Spanish Republican Army Chorus, and many left-leaning folk and protest songs by Woody Guthrie, Pete Seeger, and Paul Robeson. Notable early releases included Songs of the Lincoln Battalion, Six Songs for Democracy (Spanish Civil War songs sung by Ernst Busch), Dear Mr. President, and the Almanac Singers’ Songs for John Doe (1941). Songs for John Doe was controversial for its anti-war messages and drew strong reactions.
When the Allies attacked the Soviet Union in World War II, Bernay supported the war and issued pro-war material, including Dear Mr. President, a song by Pete Seeger that reflected his new stance. In 1943 he shifted toward jazz and produced records with top musicians, helped by Harry Lim. Keynote released important jazz records, including Lester Young’s first session as a leader and Dinah Washington’s recording debut (late 1943), which included Evil Gal Blues with the Lionel Hampton band.
Bernay has been described as having ties to the Communist underground. He said he was a member of the Communist Party from 1936 to 1938 and published for The New Masses. He hired Irving Lerner and Arthur Adams at Keynote; Adams was later identified as a Soviet spy. Bernay helped Adams escape FBI surveillance in 1945, a fact noted by investigators.
Capitol Records handled pressing for Keynote, but business troubles and a poor investment in a pressing plant led to its end. Bernay sold Keynote to Mercury Records in 1948 to avoid bankruptcy. In 1965 he started the music division of the United Jewish Appeal and managed performers such as Eartha Kitt, Charlotte Rae, and Dorothy Dandridge. He died in 1968 while leading a record distribution company.
Keynote’s jazz releases from 1941–1947 were reissued in 1986 and 2013, earning praise for documenting 1940s jazz. Bernay helped introduce artists like Guthrie, Seeger, Burl Ives, Lee Hays, and Josh White, and he believed songs could help build a fairer, more peaceful society.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:51 (CET).