Background and career
Gregory Regis Ginn ( GHIN, born June 8, 1954) is an American musician and songwriter, best known for being the leader, primary songwriter, and the only continuous member of the hardcore punk band Black Flag, which he founded and led from 1976 to 1986, and again in 2003. 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's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time."
Ginn was born June 8, 1954, in Tucson, Arizona. As a child, Ginn moved to California, living first in Wasco, then settling in Hermosa Beach. He began an electronics company in Hermosa Beach, California, called Solid State Tuners, when he was 12 years old. He was also an amateur radio operator. Ginn became a vegetarian at 17 years old in 1971 and has been a vegan since 1998. 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."
Many artists have cited Ginn as an influence or have expressed their admiration for him, including Melvins frontman Buzz Osborne, who also stated that he brought Kurt Cobain to his first punk show, a Black Flag show in 1984 where Kurt stated that he wanted that guitar sound for his band. Other musicians who have claimed him as an influence include: Omar Rodríguez-López of The Mars Volta, John Frusciante of Red Hot Chili Peppers, William DuVall of Alice in Chains, Ben Weinman of The Dillinger Escape Plan, Kurt Ballou of Converge, Justin Sane of Anti-Flag, RM Hubbert, Bill Kelliher of Mastodon, Zach Blair of Rise Against, Weasel Walter, Andrew Williams of Every Time I Die, Laurent Barnard of Gallows, and Nick Reinhart of Tera Melos.
Ginn is the older brother of artist Raymond Ginn, who goes by the pseudonym of Raymond Pettibon. Ginn owns the Texas-based independent record label SST Records (SST), an outgrowth of his original Solid State Transmitters company.
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 other substances while in their presence, had forced them to do cleaning chores until 2 a.m. despite the presence of numerous employees, "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." She also alleged that the children lived with Ginn in an industrial building that he was using for rehearsals as well as business dealings. She also alleged that their youngest daughter required hospitalization due to anxiety and stress. Her affidavit closed with: "Please grant me an emergency temporary orders hearing so my daughters don't have to live in fear." Former Black Flag member Ron Reyes subsequently testified in court in support of Marina Ginn's accusations. Ginn suffered no criminal charges. Ginn said the court decided he should retain custody of his children, and his lawyer said none of the ex-wife's allegations "were ever sustained by the court".
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 (SST Records, 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 Gumbo And Holy Water LP (SST Records, 2014) – with The Taylor Texas Corrugators
Sources
Net-worth figure: Celebrity Net Worth (October 2026), in USD. Biography and career facts: the person's Wikipedia article and linked reporting. Snapshot date for all StarWorth figures: 28 October 2026.
