Bruce Pavitt

Bruce S. Pavitt (born March 7, 1959) is the Chicago-born founder of independent record label Sub Pop. He attended Evergreen State College where he hosted a show on Evergreen's KAOS radio station before founding Sub Pop.

History

After briefly attending Blackburn College in Carlinville, Illinois and subsequently transferring to The Evergreen State College in Washington State, Pavitt started a fanzine entitled Subterranean Pop in Olympia, Washington in 1980, about American independent rock bands. Pavitt wrote:

"When people buy a record, they are not only plugging into the music, but into the values and lifestyle that are implied by the artist. By supporting huge Hollywood music corporations, you (yes you), are noy only allowing middle aged capitalists to dictate what goes over the airwaves, but promote macho pig-fuck bands whose entire lifestyle revolves around cocaine, sexism, money and more money. The 80s need new sounds and just as much they need new heroes."

Three cassette compilations were released through the fanzine. In 1983, Pavitt moved to Seattle and started a record store, Fallout, as well as writing a Sub Pop column for The Rocket, and hosting an independent-label specialty show on KCMU. 1986 saw the release of Sub Pop's (the "-terranean" was dropped earlier from the name) first LP: the Sub Pop 100. Green River's Dry As a Bone EP followed in 1987.