Editing Greg Shaw

{{short description|American journalist}}
{{other people}}
{{Infobox writer
|name=Greg Shaw
|image=Suzy Shaw and Greg Shaw.jpg
|caption=Greg Shaw (right) and Suzy Shaw (left)
|birth_date=January 1949
|birth_place=[[San Francisco]], [[California]], United States
|death_date=October 19, 2004 (aged 55)
|death_place=[[Los Angeles]], [[California]], United States
|genre=[[Journalism]], [[music]]
|occupation= Writer, publisher, magazine editor, music historian, record executive
|language=English
}}

'''Greg Shaw''' (January 1949 &ndash; October 19, 2004) was an American writer, publisher, magazine editor, music historian and record executive.<ref name=NYT>{{cite web|work=[[The New York Times]]|title=Greg Shaw, 55, Rock Enthusiast Who Loved Underground Music, Dies|author=Sisari, Ben|date=October 27, 2004|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2004/10/27/arts/music/greg-shaw-55-rock-enthusiast-who-loved-underground-music-dies.html?_r=0}}</ref>

==Biography==
Shaw was born in [[San Francisco]], [[California]].<ref name=NYT/> He began writing about [[rock and roll]] music as a young teenager. His first [[science fiction fanzines|zines]] were [[J. R. R. Tolkien|Tolkien]]-related,<ref name="NYT" /> but among them was also a mimeographed sheet called ''Mojo Navigator'' (full title, "''Mojo-Navigator Rock and Roll News''") which he founded in 1966 with David Harris.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Franklin |first1=Ieuan |title=Grey Matter/Literature/Area: Bucketfull of Brains, Fanzine Form and Cultural Formation |url=https://eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk/34913/3/BoB%20article%20Franklin%20FINAL%20DRAFT%20w%20captions.pdf |website=eprints.bournemouth.ac.uk |publisher=Bournemouth University |pages=15–16}}</ref> ''Mojo Navigator'' is said to have been an early inspiration for ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' magazine, as its co-founder [[Jann Wenner]] befriended Shaw and learned how to produce a rock magazine.<ref name="Guardian">{{cite news |last1=Cartwright |first1=Garth |title=Greg Shaw Obituary |url=https://www.theguardian.com/media/2004/oct/29/guardianobituaries.artsobituaries |work=The Guardian |date=29 October 2004}}</ref>

In the 1970s Shaw moved to Los Angeles with wife and partner Suzy Shaw and started the fanzine called ''[[Who Put the Bomp]]'', popularly known as simply ''Bomp!'', or ''Bomp magazine''.<ref name="Talevski">{{cite book |last1=Talevski |first1=Nick |title=Rock Obituaries: Knocking On Heaven's Door |date=2010 |publisher=Omnibus Press |isbn=9780857121172 |page=587 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DykffzkFALoC&pg=PA587}}</ref><ref name="Bomp">{{cite web |title=Bomp! History |url=https://www.bompstore.com/history/ |website=bompstore.com}}</ref> He was hired by [[United Artists]] as assistant head of creative services.<ref name="Guardian" /> Shaw's writing appeared in ''Bomp!'', of which he was editor and publisher, as well as in ''[[Creem]]'', ''[[Phonograph Record (magazine)|Phonograph Record]]'' (where he again served as editor) and occasionally ''Rolling Stone''.<ref name="NYT" /><ref name="Independent">{{cite news |title=Greg Shaw |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/greg-shaw-30743.html |work=The Independent |date=28 October 2004}}</ref> During this time, he pursued a long-time project ''The Encyclopedia Of British Rock''. He also later wrote a book about [[Elton John]].<ref name="Talevski" /> ''Bomp'' featured many writers who would later become prominent, including [[Lester Bangs]], [[Greil Marcus]], [[Richard Meltzer]], and Ken Barnes.<ref name="Bomp" />

During the 1970s, Shaw worked for [[Sire Records]], and was instrumental in the signing of [[Flamin' Groovies]], a band that he also managed for a couple of years.<ref name="Talevski" /> In 1974, Bomp! became a record label, and Shaw released records by [[Devo]], [[the Weirdos]] and [[Iggy Pop]], and worked with several artists including [[Stiv Bators]] and [[the Dead Boys]].<ref name="Kaleta">{{cite news |last1=Kaleta |first1=Sabrina |title=Accidental Genius |url=https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/music/accidental-genius-6418350 |work=Phoenix New Times |date=November 18, 1999}}</ref> He signed, and distributed, [[power pop]] and new wave acts such as [[Shoes (band)|Shoes]], [[the Nerves]], [[the Plimsouls]] and [[the Romantics]].<ref name="Kaleta" /> [[Bomp! Records]] was an LA record store for a couple of years, as well as one of the first independent distributors in the U.S.<ref name="Kaleta" />

In the 1980s, Shaw helped launch the [[garage rock|garage]] revival scene with bands such as [[the Miracle Workers]] and [[the Pandoras]].<ref>{{cite news |title=Greg Shaw |url=https://www.thetimes.com/world/us-world/article/greg-shaw-p3c0mcm6str |work=[[The Times]] |date=2 November 2004}}</ref> He also released music by [[Spacemen 3]] and [[the Brian Jonestown Massacre]] in the mid to late-1990s, and appears in the Sundance award-winning documentary ''[[Dig!]]''.<ref name="Independent" /> In 1994, he associated with Patrick Boissel's [[Alive Records]], a label with music by [[the Black Keys]], [[Two Gallants (band)|Two Gallants]], [[the Bobby Lees]], [[Radio Moscow (band)|Radio Moscow]], [[Swamp Dogg]] and many other artists.

In addition, he was known as a record collector, and historian, and started the ''[[Pebbles (series)|Pebbles]]'' collection album series in the early 1980s.<ref name="Guardian" /><ref name="Independent" />

Greg Shaw died of heart failure in [[Los Angeles]] at the age of 55.<ref name=NYT/>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071205020519/http://bomp.com/book.html Bomp: Saving The World One Record At A Time (by Suzy Shaw and Mick Farren)]
*[http://rockcriticsarchives.com/features/gregshaw/tributes.html Tributes to Greg Shaw by Greil Marcus, Ken Barnes, and other rock critics]
*[http://bomp.com/ Bomp! Records website]

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Shaw, Greg}}
[[Category:1949 births]]
[[Category:2004 deaths]]
[[Category:Journalists from San Francisco]]
[[Category:American music critics]]
[[Category:American music industry executives]]
[[Category:Record collectors]]
[[Category:20th-century American journalists]]
[[Category:American male journalists]]