Brett Gurewitz is best known as guitarist and songwriter for neo punk/hard rock band Bad Religion. As well as the band, he owns the record label Epitaph as well as associated labels ANTI-, Burning Heart Records, Fat Possum Records, and Hellcat Records.
Brett Gurewitz was born in 1962 in Los Angeles. He formed his band Bad Religion when he was 17 years old with schoolmates from El Camino Real High School.
The first Bad Religion album was released in 1982 and titled “How Could Hell Be Any Worse?”. This was financed by Brett Gurewitz’s father who put up $1000. The band sold 10, 000 copies.
The second album was “Into the Unknown” released in 1983. This album had a progressive rock sound was unsuccessful, causing the band to split. Bad Religion reformed without Brett Gurewitz in 1985 and produced a punk style EP before halting the band.
Brett Gurewitz formed Epitaph records in the 1980s with the idea of using it to market Bad Religion; the label became synonymous with punk and pop-punk bands that Gurewitz signed to the label.
Brett Gurewitz rejoined Bad Religion and released other albums. The 1988 album “Suffer” is considered to be one of the best punk albums in the world. The 1994 “Stranger Than Fiction” brought them to the notice of a wider audience.
Since then Brett Gurewitz has joined and left Bad Religion several times and formed the new band Daredevils between 1995 and 1996, and Error. an electro hardcore project in 2004.
Brett Gurewitz has released over thirty albums on which he has played guitar, written songs, and produced. Bad Religion have released 15 albums in total.
Today Epitaph Records produces mainly post hardcore bands and is one of the largest independent record labels in the world. One of their most well known signings was the 90’s band The Offspring.
Brett Gurewitz is still a member of Bad Religion and new musical projects are planned for the future.