Gregory Regis Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, bassist, singer and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the

hardcore punk Hardcore punk (also known as simply hardcore) is a punk rock music genre and subculture that originated in the late 1970s. It is generally faster, harder, and more aggressive than other forms of punk rock. Its roots can be traced to earlier p ...

band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986, and again in 2003. The band announced another reunion in 2013. Since the breakup of Black Flag, Ginn has recorded solo albums, and performed with such bands as October Faction, Gone, Confront James, Mojack, and others. He was 99th on ''

Rolling Stone ''Rolling Stone'' is an American monthly magazine that focuses on music, politics, and popular culture. It was founded in San Francisco, California, in 1967 by Jann Wenner, and the music critic Ralph J. Gleason. It was first known for its ...

''s list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".

Personal life

Ginn was born June 8, 1954, in

Tucson, Arizona , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...

. He began an electronics company in

Hermosa Beach, California Hermosa Beach (''Hermosa'', Spanish language, Spanish for "Beautiful") is a beachfront city in Los Angeles County in the U.S. state of California, United States. Its population was 19,728 at the 2020 United States Census, 2020 U.S. Census. The c ...

, called Solid State Tuners, when he was 12 years old and an amateur radio operator. Ginn became a

vegetarian Vegetarianism is the practice of abstaining from the consumption of meat (red meat, poultry, seafood, insects, and the flesh of any other animal). It may also include abstaining from eating all by-products of animal slaughter. Vegetariani ...

at 17 years old in 1971 and has been a

vegan Veganism is the practice of abstaining from the use of animal product—particularly in diet—and an associated philosophy that rejects the commodity status of animals. An individual who follows the diet or philosophy is known as a vegan. ...

since 1998. Ginn is the older brother of artist Raymond Ginn, who goes by the pseudonym of Raymond Pettibon. Ginn owns the

Texas Texas (, ; Spanish: ''Texas'', ''Tejas'') is a state in the South Central region of the United States. At 268,596 square miles (695,662 km2), and with more than 29.1 million residents in 2020, it is the second-largest U.S. state by ...

-based independent record label

SST Records SST Records is an American independent record label formed in 1978 in Long Beach, California by musician Greg Ginn. The company was formed in 1966 by Ginn at age 12 as Solid State Tuners, a small business through which he sold electronics equipm ...

(SST), an outgrowth of his original Solid State Tuners company. On October 10, 2014, Ginn's ex-wife Marina filed a motion in court to prevent Ginn from having access to their children, claiming Ginn was "routinely denying them food and threatening them," "abusing alcohol and drugs in front of them," had "forced he childrento do cleaning chores until 2 a.m." "locked

hem A hem in sewing is a garment finishing method, where the edge of a piece of cloth is folded and sewn to prevent unravelling of the fabric and to adjust the length of the piece in garments, such as at the end of the sleeve or the bottom of the g ...

in a room alone with no contact with the outside world through cell phone or emails," and had "throw cups of water in their face." She also claimed he had told his daughters "you're hot" and "whistled at them," and told them "they are getting fat and need to lose weight and that their diets will have to be more strenuous." Ex-Black Flag member Ron Reyes later submitted an affidavit to the court supporting Marina Ginn's statements.

Black Flag

Black Flag is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1976 in

. The band was established by Ginn, the guitarist, primary songwriter, and sole continuous member through multiple personnel changes in the band. They are widely considered to be one of the first hardcore punk bands. After breaking up in 1986, Black Flag briefly reunited in 2003 and again in 2013. Black Flag's sound mixed the raw simplicity of the Ramones with atonal guitar solos and frequent tempo shifts. The lyrics were written mostly by Ginn, and like other punk rock bands of the late 1970s and early 1980s, Black Flag voiced an anti-authoritarian and non-conformist message, in songs punctuated with descriptions of social isolation, neurosis, poverty, and paranoia. These themes were explored further when

Henry Rollins Henry Lawrence Garfield (born February 13, 1961), known professionally as Henry Rollins, is an American singer, writer, spoken word artist, actor, and presenter. After performing in the short-lived hardcore punk band State of Alert in 1980, Roll ...

joined the band as lead singer in 1981. Most of the band's material was released on Ginn's SST Records.

Use of pseudonym

"''Dale Nixon''" is a pseudonym and multiple-use name originally used by Ginn to obfuscate the fact that he played bass on the later Black Flag albums, '' My War'' and '' What The...'' It has since been used by other artists (typically punk) to appear on albums without being in breach of record label contracts that stipulate label exclusivity. Other artists using the "Dale Nixon" moniker include Dave Grohl, who filled in on drums for the Melvins' 1992 album '' King Buzzo'', and Brian Baker, a founding member of

Minor Threat Minor Threat was an American hardcore punk band, formed in 1980 in Washington, D.C. by vocalist Ian MacKaye and drummer Jeff Nelson. MacKaye and Nelson had played in several other bands together, and recruited bassist Brian Baker and guitar ...

, credited as Nixon on the 1992

Dag Nasty Dag Nasty is an American punk rockGreenwald, p. 14. " Ian Mackaye was such a huge Rites of Spring fan that he not only recorded what was to be the band's only album in 1985 and served as a roadie for them while on tour, but his own new band, ...

album '' Four on the Floor''. The name appears once again, listed as a bass player, on the

Ryan Adams David Ryan Adams (born November 5, 1974) is an American singer-songwriter, record producer, artist, and poet. He has released 23 albums, as well as three studio albums as a former member of alt-country band Whiskeytown. In 2000, Adams lef ...

album '' Orion''; it is likely Ryan himself.

Legacy and praise

Many artists have cited Ginn as an influence or have expressed their admiration for him, including

Buzz Osborne Roger "Buzz" Osborne (born March 25, 1964), also known as King Buzzo, is an American guitarist, vocalist and songwriter. He is a founding member of the rock band Melvins, as well as Fantômas and Venomous Concept. Biography Born in Morton, ...

of Melvins,

Omar Rodríguez-López Omar Alfredo Rodríguez-López (born September 1, 1975) is an American guitarist and songwriter. He has formed or played in several bands, including the Mars Volta, At the Drive-In, Antemasque, and Bosnian Rainbows. He was the bassist for the ...

The Mars Volta The Mars Volta is an American progressive rock band from El Paso, Texas, formed in 2001. The band's only constant members are Omar Rodríguez-López (guitar, producer, direction) and Cedric Bixler-Zavala (vocals, lyrics), whose partnership for ...

William DuVall William Bradley DuVall (born September 6, 1967) is an American musician best known as the current co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the rock band Alice in Chains. He joined Alice in Chains in 2006, replacing the band's original lead s ...

Alice in Chains Alice in Chains (often abbreviated as AIC) is an American rock band from Seattle, Washington, formed in 1987 by guitarist and vocalist Jerry Cantrell and drummer Sean Kinney, who later recruited bassist Mike Starr and lead vocalist Layne ...

Ben Weinman Benjamin A. Weinman (born August 8, 1975) is an American musician, film composer, and music manager, most notable for being the lead guitarist and primary songwriter of the metalcore band The Dillinger Escape Plan. He was the founder and sole con ...

The Dillinger Escape Plan The Dillinger Escape Plan was an American metalcore band. The band was formed in 1997 in Morris Plains, New Jersey by guitarist Ben Weinman, bassist Adam Doll, vocalist Dimitri Minakakis, and drummer Chris Pennie. The band's use of odd time si ...

Kurt Ballou Kurt Ballou (born February 1, 1974) is an American musician and producer based in Massachusetts, best known as the guitarist for hardcore punk band Converge and for his prolific recording and production work at his own GodCity Studio. Early an ...

Converge Converge may refer to: * Converge (band), American hardcore punk band * Converge (Baptist denomination), American national evangelical Baptist body * Limit (mathematics) * Converge ICT, internet service provider in the Philippines *CONVERGE CFD s ...

Justin Sane Justin Cathal Geever (born February 21, 1973), known professionally as Justin Sane, is an American musician. He is the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter of Anti-Flag, a punk rock band formed in 1988 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, known for i ...

of Anti-Flag, RM Hubbert,

Bill Kelliher William Breen Kelliher (born March 23, 1971) is an American musician, best known as the rhythm guitarist of heavy metal band Mastodon, and being the only band member who doesn't share the lead vocal duty. Early life Kelliher is an Irish citize ...

Mastodon A mastodon ( 'breast' + 'tooth') is any proboscidean belonging to the extinct genus ''Mammut'' (family Mammutidae). Mastodons inhabited North and Central America during the late Miocene or late Pliocene up to their extinction at the end of th ...

, Zach Blair of Rise Against,

Weasel Walter Weasel Walter (born Christopher Todd Walter, May 18, 1972) is an American composer, improviser, multi-instrumentalist, producer, and founder of ugEXPLODE Records. Walter's work has been informed by techniques and traditions of music including A ...

, Andrew Williams of

Every Time I Die Every Time I Die was an American metalcore band from Buffalo, New York, formed in 1998. For most of the band's career, the line-up was centred on brothers Keith (vocals) and Jordan Buckley (guitar), as well as rhythm guitarist Andy Williams wit ...

, Laurent Barnard of

Gallows A gallows (or scaffold) is a frame or elevated beam, typically wooden, from which objects can be suspended (i.e., hung) or "weighed". Gallows were thus widely used to suspend public weighing scales for large and heavy objects such as sacks ...

, and Nick Reinhart of

Tera Melos Tera Melos is an American math rock band from Sacramento, California, formed in 2004. They incorporate many styles of rock, ambient electronics and unconventional song structures. They are currently a three-piece, consisting of guitarist/keyboard ...

Equipment

Guitars

Ginn's earliest guitar was a Dan Armstrong electric guitar. He eventually started using an Ibanez Roadstar and

Fender Stratocaster The Fender Stratocaster, colloquially known as the Strat, is a model of electric guitar designed from 1952 into 1954 by Leo Fender, Bill Carson, George Fullerton, and Freddie Tavares. The Fender Musical Instruments Corporation has continuousl ...

guitars in later albums.

Amplification

He would play both guitars through an Ampeg SVT-410HLF bass cabinet.

Effects

Ginn never uses any effects or distortion pedals, as depicted in the ''

Nervous Breakdown A mental disorder, also referred to as a mental illness or psychiatric disorder, is a behavioral or mental pattern that causes significant distress or impairment of personal functioning. Such features may be persistent, relapsing and remitt ...

'' EP.

Partial discography

Solo

*'' Getting Even'' LP ( Cruz Records, 1993) *''Dick'' LP (Cruz Records, 1993) *''Payday'' EP (Cruz Records, 1993) *''Don't Tell Me'' EP (Cruz Records, 1994) *''Let It Burn (Because I Don't Live There Anymore)'' LP (Cruz Records, 1994) *''Bent Edge'' LP (

, 2007) – with The Taylor Texas Corrugators *''Goof Off Experts'' LP (SST Records, 2008) – with The Taylor Texas Corrugators *''Freddie'' 7" (Electric Cowbell, 2010) – with The Taylor Texas Corrugators *''Legends of Williamson County'' LP (SST Records, 2010) – with The Taylor Texas Corrugators *''We Are Amused'' LP (SST Records, 2011) – with The Royal We *''We Are One'' 12" (SST Records, 2011) – with The Royal We *''Fearless Leaders'' LP (SST Records, 2013) – with The Royal We

Black Flag

*''

'' EP (SST Records, 1979) *'' Jealous Again'' EP (SST Records, 1980) *'' Six Pack'' single (SST Records, 1981) *'' Louie, Louie'' single ( Posh Boy Records, 1981) *'' Damaged'' LP (SST Records/Unicorn Records, 1981) *'' TV Party'' single (SST Records/Unicorn Records, 1982) *'' Everything Went Black'' double LP (SST Records, 1983) *'' The First Four Years'' compilation LP (SST Records, 1983) *'' My War'' LP (SST Records, 1983) *'' Family Man'' LP (SST Records, 1984) *'' Slip It In'' LP (SST Records, 1984) *'' Live '84'' live cassette (SST Records, 1984) *'' Loose Nut'' LP (SST Records, 1985) *''

The Process of Weeding Out ''The Process of Weeding Out'' is the fifth EP by American band Black Flag. One of the most potent realizations of guitarist Greg Ginn's fascination with the avant-garde, ''The Process of Weeding Out'' is described by critic Chris True of AllM ...

'' EP (SST Records, 1985) *'' In My Head'' LP (SST Records, 1985) *'' Who's Got the 10½?'' live LP (SST Records, 1986) *'' Annihilate This Week'' live EP (SST Records, 1987) *'' I Can See You'' EP (SST Records, 1989) *'' What The...'' LP (SST Records, 2013)

Minutemen

*'' Paranoid Time'' EP (SST Records, 1980) (Producer)

SWA

*''Your Future (If You Have One)'' LP (SST Records, 1985) (Producer)

October Faction

*''October Faction'' live LP (SST Records, 1985) *''Second Factionalization'' LP (SST Records, 1986)

Tom Troccoli's Dog

*''Tom Troccoli's Dog'' LP (SST Records, 1985)

Gone

*''Let's Get Real, Real Gone for a Change'' LP (

, 1986) *''Gone II – But Never Too Gone!'' LP (SST Records, 1986) *''Criminal Mind'' LP (SST Records, 1994) *''Smoking Gun'' remix EP (SST Records, 1994) *''All the Dirt That's Fit to Print'' LP (SST Records, 1994) *''Damage Control'' remix EP (SST Records, 1995) *''Best Left Unsaid'' LP (SST Records, 1996) *''Country Dumb'' LP (SST Records, 1998) *''The Epic Trilogy'' double CD (SST Records, 2007)

Minuteflag

*'' Minuteflag'' EP (SST Records, 1986)

Lawndale

*''Sasquatch Rock'' LP (SST Records, 1987) (guest)

Rig

*''Belly to the Ground'' LP (Cruz Records, 1994) (Producer, guest)

Mojack

*''Merchandizing Murder'' CD (SST Records, 1995) *''Home Brew'' CD (SST Records, 1997) *''Rub-A-Dub'' CD (SST Records, 2003, unreleased) *''Under The Willow Tree'' CD (SST Records, 2007) *''The Metal Years'' CD (SST Records, 2008) *''Hijinks'' CD (SST Records, 2011) *''Car'' CD (SST Records, 2013)

Hor

*''House'' CD (SST Records, 1995) *''Slo N' Sleazy'' CD (SST Records, 1996) *''A Faster, More Aggressive Hor'' CD (SST Records, 1998) *''Bash'' CD (SST Records, 2003, unreleased) *''Culture Wars'' CD (SST Records, 2010)

Confront James

*''Test One Reality'' CD (SST Records, 1995) *''Just Do It'' CD (SST Records, 1995) *''Ill Gotten Hatred'' CD (SST Records, 1996) *''Chemical Exposure'' CD (SST Records, 1996) *''Black Mountain Bomb'' CD (SST Records, 1997) *''We Are Humored'' CD (SST Records, 2003, unreleased)

El Bad

*''Bad Motherfucker'' CD (SST Records, 1996) *''Trick or Treat'' CD (SST Records, 1997)

Hotel X

*''Uncommon Ground'' CD (SST Records, 1996) (guest)

Bias

*''Model Citizen'' CD (SST Records, 1997)

Get Me High

*''Taming the Underground'' CD (SST Records, 1997)

Killer Tweeker Bees

*''Tweaker Blues'' CD (SST Records, 1997)

Fastgato

*''Feral'' CD (SST Records, 2003, unreleased)

Limey LBC

*''Life of Lime'' CD (SST Records, 2003, unreleased)

The Perfect Rat

*''Endangered Languages'' CD (Alone Records, 2007)

Jambang

*''Connecting'' CD (SST Records, 2008) *''200 Days in Space'' DVD (SST Records, 2010)

Ten East

*''Robot's Guide to Freedom'' CD (Lexicon Devil, 2008)

Libyan Hit Squad/Round Eye

*"Full Circle" EP (Ripping Records, 2010) (Guest)

Good for You

*''Life Is Too Short Not to Hold a Grudge'' LP (SST Records, 2013) *''Too!'' LP (SST Records, 2013) *''Fucked Up'' "7"(SST Records, 2013) *''Full Serving'' (SST Records, 2013)

References

External links

Greg Ginn's Official websiteSST/Cruz Records
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ginn, Greg 1954 births American male singers American people of Estonian descent American punk rock guitarists Hardcore punk musicians Black Flag (band) members Lead guitarists Living people People from Tucson, Arizona SST Records artists American male guitarists 20th-century American guitarists Amateur radio people