Greg Ginn

Greg Ginn
Greg Ginn performing with Black Flag in 2013
Background information
Birth name	Gregory Regis Ginn
Also known as	Dale Nixon
Born	(1954-06-08) June 8, 1954 (age 62) Tucson, Arizona, U.S.
Genres	Hardcore punk, punk rock, free jazz, punk jazz, heavy metal
Occupation(s)	Musician, songwriter, record producer
Instruments	Guitar, bass guitar, theremin, vocals
Years active	1976–present
Labels	SST, Cruz
Associated acts	Black Flag, Gone, Confront James, Mojack
Notable instruments
Ampeg Dan Armstrong Lucite

Gregory Regis "Greg" Ginn (born June 8, 1954) is an American guitarist, songwriter, and singer, best known for being the leader of and primary songwriter for the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976-86, and again in 2003. The band announced another reunion on January 25, 2013. He was born in Tucson, Arizona. Since breaking up Black Flag, Ginn has recorded a few solo albums, and has performed with such bands as October Faction, Gone, Confront James, Mojack, and others. He also owns the Texas-based independent record label, SST, originally begun as an electronics company called Solid State Transmitters when he was a teenager and amateur radio operator (in Hermosa Beach, California).

Ginn was 99th on Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time". Ginn is the older brother of artist Raymond Ginn, who goes by the pseudonym of Raymond Pettibon.

Black Flag is an American hardcore punk band formed in 1976 in Hermosa Beach, California. The band was established by Greg 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 joined the band as lead singer in 1981. Most of the band's material was released on Ginn's independent label, SST Records.