Brett Gurewitz
The punk guitarist who co-founded Bad Religion and built Epitaph Records into an independent empire that defined 90s skate-punk.
Born 1962 (age 64)·American guitarist·Birthday: May 12·Baby Boomers
Biography
Brett Gurewitz is the shrewd, creative force who operated at the nexus of punk rock's rebellious spirit and sharp business acumen. As a teenager in Los Angeles, he co-founded Bad Religion with Greg Graffin, his guitar providing the fast, melodic backbone for the band's intellectually charged anthems. His true legacy, however, is Epitaph Records. Started in the 1980s to release Bad Religion's music, Gurewitz grew it from a DIY operation into the most powerful independent punk label of the 1990s. His golden ear and supportive ethos brought the world bands like NOFX, Rancid, The Offspring, and Pennywise, creating the signature Southern California punk sound that dominated the decade. A period of personal struggle led him to step away from the band, but he returned, and his dual role as Bad Religion's guitarist and chief songwriter and Epitaph's owner has remained unique. Beyond music, he co-founded the politically charged comic book publisher Black Mask Studios, proving his punk ethos extended to other narrative forms.
Baby Boomers
1946–1964
The largest generation in history at the time. Shaped by postwar prosperity, the Vietnam War, the sexual revolution, and Watergate. They questioned every institution their parents built — then ran them.
Brett was born in 1962, placing them squarely in the Baby Boomers. The events that shaped this generation — postwar prosperity, civil rights, Vietnam, and the counterculture — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brett Was Born
The biggest hits of 1962
#1 Movie
Lawrence of Arabia
Best Picture
Lawrence of Arabia
#1 TV Show
Beverly Hillbillies
Brett's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1962Born
Cuban Missile Crisis brings the world to the brink
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,800Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Stranger on the Shore" — Acker BilkBest Picture: Lawrence of Arabia
1967Started school
Summer of Love in San Francisco; first Super Bowl
Gas: $0.33/galHome: $14,250Min wage: $1.40/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"To Sir, with Love" — LuluBest Picture: In the Heat of the Night
1975Became a teenager
Fall of Saigon ends the Vietnam War
Gas: $0.57/galHome: $27,600Min wage: $2.10/hrPresident: Gerald Ford"Love Will Keep Us Together" — Captain & TennilleBest Picture: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
1978Could drive
First test-tube baby born
Gas: $0.63/galHome: $35,300Min wage: $2.65/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Shadow Dancing" — Andy GibbBest Picture: The Deer Hunter
1980Could vote
John Lennon shot and killed in New York
Gas: $1.19/galHome: $47,200Min wage: $3.10/hrPresident: Jimmy Carter"Call Me" — BlondieBest Picture: Ordinary People
1983Turned 21
Internet adopts TCP/IP, creating the modern internet
Gas: $1.16/galHome: $57,700Min wage: $3.35/hrPresident: Ronald Reagan"Every Breath You Take" — The PoliceBest Picture: Terms of Endearment
1992Turned 30
LA riots after Rodney King verdict
Gas: $1.13/galHome: $84,300Min wage: $4.25/hrPresident: George H.W. Bush"End of the Road" — Boyz II MenBest Picture: Unforgiven
2002Turned 40
Euro currency enters circulation
Gas: $1.36/galHome: $137,800Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"How You Remind Me" — NickelbackBest Picture: Chicago
2012Turned 50
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2022Turned 60
Russia invades Ukraine; Queen Elizabeth II dies
Gas: $3.97/galHome: $348,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Joe Biden"As It Was" — Harry StylesBest Picture: Everything Everywhere All at Once
2026Age 64 today
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Co-founded the influential punk band Bad Religion and has been a primary songwriter and guitarist across their decades-long career.
- Founded and owns Epitaph Records, the independent label that launched the careers of NOFX, Rancid, and The Offspring.
- Produced landmark punk albums for Epitaph artists, including NOFX's 'Punk in Drublic' and Rancid's '...And Out Come the Wolves.'
- Co-founded the comic book and graphic novel publisher Black Mask Studios in 2012.
Did You Know?
His nickname in the punk scene is 'Mr. Brett.'
He wrote Bad Religion's song '21st Century (Digital Boy)' about his experiences in the early software industry.
He struggled with heroin addiction in the early 1990s, which led to his temporary departure from Bad Religion.
He had an electronic side project called Error with Atticus Ross and Greg Puciato in the mid-2000s.
“Punk rock is a word used by dilettantes and heartless manipulators about music that takes up the energies, the bodies, the hearts, the souls, the time and the minds of young men who give everything they have to it.”
