Bruce Pavitt
Encyclopedia
History
After briefly attending Blackburn College in Carlinville, IllinoisCarlinville, Illinois
Carlinville is a city in Macoupin County, Illinois, United States. As of the 2000 Census, the population was 5,685, and 5,912 at a 2009 estimate. It is the county seat of Macoupin County, and so it is an outlying part of the Metro-East region of the Greater St...
and subsequently transferring to The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College
The Evergreen State College is an accredited public liberal arts college and a member of the Council of Public Liberal Arts Colleges. It is located in Olympia, Washington, USA. Founded in 1967, Evergreen was formed to be an experimental and non-traditional college...
in Washington State, Pavitt started a fanzine entitled Subterranean Pop in Olympia, Washington
Olympia, Washington
Olympia is the capital city of the U.S. state of Washington and the county seat of Thurston County. It was incorporated on January 28, 1859. The population was 46,478 at the 2010 census...
in 1980, about American independent rock bands. 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
The Rocket (newspaper)
The Rocket was a free biweekly newspaper serving the Pacific Northwest region of the United States, published from 1979–2000. The newspaper's chief purpose was to document local music. This focus distinguished it from other area weeklies such as the Seattle Weekly and the Willamette Week, which...
, 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
Gramophone record
A gramophone record, commonly known as a phonograph record , vinyl record , or colloquially, a record, is an analog sound storage medium consisting of a flat disc with an inscribed, modulated spiral groove...
: the Sub Pop 100
Sub Pop 100
The Sub Pop 100 is a rock compilation album, released in July 1986 by the Sub Pop label.There were only 5000 of the compilation made, making it extremely popular amongst collectors.-Track listing:# "Spoken Word Intro Thing" - Steve Albini...
. Green River
Green River (band)
Green River was an American rock band from Seattle, Washington that was active from 1984 to 1988. Although the band had little commercial impact outside of its native Seattle, Green River proved to have significant influence on the genre later known as grunge, both with its own music and with the...
's Dry As a Bone
Dry As a Bone
-Personnel:Green River*Jeff Ament – bass guitar, production, engineering*Mark Arm – vocals*Bruce Fairweather – guitar*Stone Gossard – guitar*Alex Vincent – drumsProduction*Jack Endino – production, engineering...
EP followed in 1987.
Pavitt initially met Jonathan Poneman in 1986, when Poneman invited Pavitt for an on-air interview on KCMU, to promote Sub Pop 100. In 1987, Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil
Kim Thayil is an American guitarist best known as the lead guitarist of the Seattle-based grunge band Soundgarden, which he cofounded with singer Chris Cornell and bassist Hiro Yamamoto in 1984...
of Soundgarden suggested that the two join forces. Pavitt and Thayil had both attended Rich East High School in Park Forest, Illinois in the mid-1970s. Subsequently Soundgarden
Soundgarden
Soundgarden is an American rock band formed in Seattle, Washington in 1984 by singer Chris Cornell, lead guitarist Kim Thayil, and bassist Hiro Yamamoto...
's Screaming Life
Screaming Life
-Outtakes:The song "Toy Box" was recorded during the sessions for Screaming Life. It was later featured on the "Flower" single. The instrumental track "The Telephantasm" was recorded mostly during these sessions and was released as a separate single in late 2010 and as an iTunes bonus track on...
EP was released, and the grunge
Grunge
Grunge is a subgenre of alternative rock that emerged during the mid-1980s in the American state of Washington, particularly in the Seattle area. Inspired by hardcore punk, heavy metal, and indie rock, grunge is generally characterized by heavily distorted electric guitars, contrasting song...
phenomenon quickly followed.
He is also credited with signing Nirvana to Sub Pop. He became a multimillionaire from this move. In 1996, Pavitt parted company with Sub Pop records. Contributing factors in the decision to leave are reported to have been disagreements between Pavitt and fellow Sub Pop partner Johnathan Poneman, on the direction the label's future should take; also the apparent unease Pavitt felt with the change in the business environment following the selling of 49% of Sub-Pop's stake to Warner Bros Records contributed to his decision to part ways with Sub Pop.