Record Owner Brett Gurewitz

Brett Gurewitz

Brett Gurewitz is a guitarist, songwriter, and record label owner. A member of the well-known band, Bad Religion, he founded Epitaph Records in 1981 as a means to publish the group’s music. Since then, the label has grown to become one of the largest independent pop music labels, signing groups such as Rancid and The Offspring. Epitaph also has several sister labels, including ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records.



In 1979, when he was 19, Gurewitz joined Bad Religion. He has been a member on and off since then. He recorded two albums and one EP with the band from 1979 until 1983, when Gurewitz had to quit to go into drug rehabilitation. They reunited with them again in 1986 until 1994, recording a further six albums. In the mid-nineties, Epitaph garnered widespread popularity when The Offspring and Rancid released new albums with stunning success.



Gurewitz became immersed in Epitaph’s success, but from 1996 until 1999 he developed a strong drug addiction and had to leave the label for a short time after an overdose. After cleaning up, Gurewitz again began working with Bad Religion alongside his responsibilities at Epitaph, first co-writing a song for an album and later rejoining the band in 2001. He has been with the band ever since, but often does not travel for live performances unless they are nearby.



Brett Gurewitz has also been involved with several other bands outside of Bad Religion as both a producer and a guest artist—NOFX, Pennywise, Daredevils, The Distillers, Matchbook Romance, Parkway Drive, Heartsounds, and many others. Through his many years of ups and downs, drug problems, and personal woes, one thing has remained strong: his drive to succeed in creating great music. That’s why, apart from so many other great musicians, Brett Gurewitz is still around today inspiring musicians to succeed.