Robert R. (Bob) MacKenzie entered the music field in the early 1960s with the John T. Benson Publishing Company. As Creative Director for that record label, he produced almost all the albums they released in the 1960s and in the 1970s up until 1975. He had a long association with Bill Gaither, and in 1975, MacKenzie left Benson to join Gaither in a partnership called Paragon Associates, headquartered at 803 18th Avenue South, in Nashville. Paragon was both a publishing company and a record label. The early label was red with black print and a silver logo. It was distributed by Word.

In 1976, the Paragon Record label joined forces with Gary S. Paxton, who was starting the NewPax label at the same time, and the two labels shared a catalog series.

NewPax was established by Gary Paxton in 1975. Paxton had been responsible for several huge pop hits in the 1960s, including as an artist ("It Was I" by Skip & Flip, "Alley Oop" by the Hollywood Argyles) and as a producer ("Monster Mash" by Bobby Pickett). Through most of the 1960s, Paxton lived the rock & roll star's life, complete with alcohol and pills, and was often quite ill due to liver problems. In 1971, he converted to Christianity. He changed his behavior and things improved. NewPax issued albums by Paxton himself along with husband-and-wife duo Farrell & Farrell, folky Christian artist Don Francisco, Noel Paul Stookey (of Peter Paul & Mary) and others, including Tammy Faye Bakker.

Paragon issued albums in the Christian field, but also issued country albums as well as chorale music. One of the more prolific artists was the group Truth, an 8-to-16 person traveling Christian troupe (much like the Continentals) with ever-changing personnel. Truth is still active today. (They should not be confused with the 1980s rock group The Truth, who recorded for I.R.S. and other labels.)

NewPax and Paragon were distributed by Word Records until 1980. That year, MacKenzie formed a partnership with Zondervan Records of Michigan, an established label in the Christian/Gospel field, and this new partnership purchased Benson Records. Up until this time, the Benson company had been known as "John T. Benson Records," but MacKenzie and Zondervan changed its name to "The New Benson Company." Both Paragon and NewPax switched to distribution by Benson in 1980, and MacKenzie became the President of Benson. In 1984, MacKenzie sold Paragon's interest in Benson to Zondervan, and the label reverted to simply "Benson Records."

Along the way, MacKenzie helped establish dozens of Contemporary Christian artists. He gave Michael W. Smith his first job in the music industry, hiring him in 1978 as a songwriter for $200 per week. This was before he began playing piano for Amy Grant on the road, and before he joined the newly-formed Reunion Records in 1982. This helpfulness was rewarded a few years ago when he was named to the Gospel Music Hall of Fame. MacKenzie died in 2000 at the age of 62.












The first NewPax label was blue with silver print, but it soon changed to orange with black print, with a simple logo at the top of the label. The blue label was used at least until 33010. The Paragon label was red while being distributed by Word, with the squared-off "P" logo at the top. After switching to Benson, the design remained essentially the same, but the color changed to a light reddish-brown.

Both NewPax and Paragon shared the 33000 series. The NewPax prefix was NP-, while the Paragon prefix was PR-. In 1985, NewPax switched to a Benson numbering system. We have found nothing after 1985 released on the two labels, but MacKenzie's Fortress Records retained the masters and put out a series of CD reissues on that label in the 1990s.

We would appreciate any additions or corrections to this discography. Just send them to us via e-mail. Both Sides Now Publications is an information web page. We are not a catalog, nor can we provide the records listed below. We have no association with NewPax or Paragon Records. Should you be interested in acquiring albums listed in this discography (all of which are out of print), we suggest you see our Frequently Asked Questions page and follow the instructions found there. This story and discography are copyright 2001 by Mike Callahan.