Greg Ginn

One of Hardcore Punk's founding fathers, Black Flag founder Greg Ginn got his start as the one common thread running through that band's sundry personnel changes. His condensed, frantic fret-threshing paved the way for a whole generation of hyperkinetic Punk guitarists. When Ginn goes for the jugular, he is without rival. But Ginn is also prone to spells of gratuitous, jazz-inspired experimentation that can camouflage the basic riff with a flurry of excess notes. No doubt these pretensions inspired him to create the avant-Punk project Gone. Like Blind Idiot God and Skullflower, Gone savagely trampled Instrumental Rock's Progressive tendencies with Hardcore Doc Marten boots. Ginn's solo albums find this lead guitarist, bass player, producer and SST label chief ably adding gruff, pointed singing to his list of can-do's.