 | Thisbiography of a living personneeds additionalcitations forverification. Please help by addingreliable sources.Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced orpoorly sourcedmust be removed immediately from the article and its talk page, especially if potentiallylibelous. Find sources: "Greg Ginn" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(May 2022) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Greg Ginn | |
|---|---|
 Ginn performing in 2019 | |
| Background information | |
| Birth name | Gregory Regis Ginn |
| Born | (1954-06-08)June 8, 1954 (age 70) Tucson, Arizona, U.S. |
| Genres | Hardcore punk,punk rock,free jazz,punk jazz,sludge metal,heavy metal |
| Occupation(s) | Musician, songwriter, record producer |
| Instrument(s) | Guitar, bass, vocals, organ, theremin[1] |
| Years active | 1976–present |
| Labels | SST,Cruz |
Gregory Regis Ginn (/ˈɡɪn/GHIN,[2] born June 8, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of thehardcore punk bandBlack Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986, and again in 2003. The band announced another reunion in 2013.[3] Since the breakup of Black Flag, Ginn has recorded solo albums, and performed with such bands asOctober Faction,Gone, Confront James,Mojack, and others.[4] He was 99th onRolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[5]
Ginn was born June 8, 1954, inTucson, Arizona.[6] He began an electronics company inHermosa Beach, California, called Solid State Tuners, when he was 12 years old. He was also an amateur radio operator. Ginn became avegetarian at 17 years old in 1971 and has been avegan since 1998.[7]
Ginn claims to have never genuinely enjoyed rock music during his youth, believing it to be "just trying to interject some kind of legitimacy into making three-minute commercials."[8]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Greg Ginn" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
_(Ruhrpott_Rodeo_2013)_IMGP5891_smial_wp.jpg)
Black Flag is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1976 inHermosa Beach, California. 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 whenHenry Rollins joined the band as lead singer in 1981. Most of the band's material was released on Ginn's SST Records.
"Dale Nixon" is a pseudonym andmultiple-use name originally used by Ginn to obfuscate the fact that he played bass on the later Black Flag albums,My War andWhat 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 includeDave Grohl, who filled in on drums for the 1992 EP,King Buzzo, andBrian Baker, a founding member ofMinor Threat, credited as Nixon on the 1992Dag Nasty albumFour on the Floor. The name appears once again, listed as a bass player, on theRyan Adams albumOrion; it is likely Adams himself, or his sound engineer, Charlie.[citation needed]
Many artists have cited Ginn as an influence or have expressed their admiration for him, includingBuzz Osborne ofMelvins,[9]Omar Rodríguez-López ofThe Mars Volta,[10]John Frusciante ofRed Hot Chili Peppers,[11]William DuVall ofAlice in Chains,[12]Ben Weinman ofThe Dillinger Escape Plan,[13]Kurt Ballou ofConverge,[14]Justin Sane ofAnti-Flag,[citation needed]RM Hubbert,[15]Bill Kelliher ofMastodon,[16]Zach Blair ofRise Against,[17]Weasel Walter,[18] Andrew Williams ofEvery Time I Die,[19] Laurent Barnard ofGallows,[20] and Nick Reinhart ofTera Melos.[21]
| This section of abiography of a living persondoes notinclude anyreferences or sources. Please help by addingreliable sources. Contentious material about living people that is unsourced or poorly sourcedmust be removed immediately. Find sources: "Greg Ginn" – news ·newspapers ·books ·scholar ·JSTOR(October 2024) (Learn how and when to remove this message) |
Ginn's earliest guitar was aAmpeg Dan Armstrong electric guitar. He eventually started using anWestone Spectrum SX andModulus Graphite Black Knife Stratocaster guitars in later albums.
He would play both guitars through a head ampPeavey Series 260 Standard PA andAmpeg SVT-410HLF bass cabinet.
Ginn never uses any effects or distortion pedals, as depicted in theNervous Breakdown EP.
Ginn is the older brother of artist Raymond Ginn, who goes by the pseudonym ofRaymond Pettibon.[citation needed]
Ginn owns theTexas-based independent record labelSST Records (SST), an outgrowth of his original Solid State Tuners company.[citation needed]
On October 10, 2014, Ginn's ex-wife Marina filed a motion in court to prevent Ginn from having access to their two daughters, claiming Ginn was "routinely denying them food and threatening them," "abusing alcohol and drugs in front of them," had "forced [the children] to do cleaning chores until 2 a.m." "locked [them] in a room alone with no contact with the outside world through cell phone or emails," and had "throw[n] 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."[22] Former Black Flag memberRon Reyes subsequently testified in court in support of Marina Ginn's accusations.[23] Ginn suffered no criminal charges.[citation needed]
 |
[...] Greg Ginn was certainly a huge influence on my guitar playing. I put him up there with people likeEddie Van Halen. [...] he definitely changed everything.
When Black Flag came along I was like, 'This is it. This is exactly what the doctor ordered.' That unhinged guitar playing that Greg Ginn was doing was amazing. As a fan ofHendrix andavant-garde jazz, he was right there at the centre of all of that and he embraced all of it in his playing. I could tell that what he was doing was deliberate, too. It wasn't just like, 'Oh this guy can't play.' It was discipline. Later on, I got to know Greg Ginn and it was all confirmed for me. He was like, 'This is method.'
[...] I'm not such a fan of crazy, loose playing, but I think Greg Ginn of Black Flag was brilliant and did it in a way where it sounded like he was playing sloppy but that was exactly how he wanted to play it. He was actually playing tighter than anyone I had ever seen. He was making tight sound that way. [...]
[...] People don't want to hear it, but that's my main writing influence, Greg Ginn. Anything he wrote on a guitar was what I wanted to do on a guitar. [...]
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
| Artists | |
