BOMP! Records

BOMP! Records is an American independent record label based in Los Angeles and associated with the underground rock culture developed around publisher and music historian Greg Shaw. Shaw and his wife, Suzy Shaw, established the label in 1974 after building an audience through the music fanzine Who Put the Bomp. The publication, launched in 1970, took its name from Barry Mann's 1961 doo-wop hit “Who Put the Bomp (in the Bomp, Bomp, Bomp).” Its title was later shortened to Bomp!, providing the identity for the label and related publishing activities. The label emerged from Shaw's conviction that commercially neglected rock music deserved focused documentation and distribution. Rather than functioning as a nostalgia publication or a collector's catalogue, the magazine promoted artists whom Shaw considered creatively important, often using an emphatic and highly opinionated editorial style. That perspective carried into BOMP! Records, whose catalogue has covered garage rock, punk, power pop, new wave, neo-psychedelia, and other forms of independent or alternative rock. BOMP!'s roster has included influential and cult-oriented acts such as the Modern Lovers, Iggy and the Stooges, Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys, 20/20, Shoes, Devo, the Weirdos, the Romantics, Spacemen 3, the Germs, SIN 34, Jeff Dahl, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Black Lips. The catalogue therefore spans several generations of artists, linking 1960s-inspired garage sounds with the first-wave punk and power-pop movements, later alternative rock, and neo-psychedelic scenes. The label's importance lies less in scale than in its role as a persistent outlet for music that larger companies often treated as commercially risky or marginal. The label was part of a broader cultural network around Who Put the Bomp. Writers associated with the magazine included Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus, both of whom later became prominent music journalists. Ken Barnes served as a co-editor, while underground-comics figure Jay Kinney worked as art director. These connections helped place BOMP! within the overlapping worlds of rock criticism, fanzine publishing, independent retail, and artist discovery. Greg Shaw led BOMP! Records until his death from heart failure on October 19, 2004, at age 55. Suzy Shaw subsequently headed the label and continued its publishing and archival activities. She later co-authored Bomp: Saving the World One Record at a Time with Mick Farren, a book published in 2007. In 2009, Bomp! and Ugly Things collaborated on Bomp 2 – Born in the Garage, edited by Suzy Shaw and Mike Stax. These projects reflect the label's continuing identity as both a record company and a custodian of underground rock history. Publicly available reference material does not establish detailed current ownership, revenue, distribution arrangements, or a specific official website URL.

BOMP! Records developed from the music journalism and fanzine work of Greg Shaw. Shaw had already participated in science-fiction fandom and, in 1966, founded Mojo Navigator and Rock 'n Roll News, one of the early fanzines devoted to rock music. In 1970, he and Suzy Shaw began publishing Who Put the Bomp, a magazine named after Barry Mann's 1961 doo-wop song. The publication sought to identify and champion artists that Shaw believed deserved attention, rather than simply preserving collector curiosities or reproducing mainstream consensus. Who Put the Bomp became known for an individualistic and strongly argued editorial voice. Its contributors and staff included figures who later became important in music criticism and underground culture. Lester Bangs and Greil Marcus were among the writers associated with the magazine; Ken Barnes served as a co-editor, and Jay Kinney worked as art director. The magazine consequently operated as more than a periodical: it was a network connecting critics, musicians, artists, collectors, and independent music enthusiasts. The name was shortened to Bomp! and then applied to the record label formed in 1974 by Greg and Suzy Shaw. BOMP! Records translated the magazine's curatorial approach into releases. Its catalogue ranged across garage rock, punk, power pop, new wave, old-school rock, and neo-psychedelia. The label worked with artists who were sometimes influential within specialist scenes even when they lacked the scale or commercial profile required by major record companies. Its roster included the Modern Lovers, Iggy and the Stooges, Stiv Bators and the Dead Boys, 20/20, Shoes, Devo, the Weirdos, the Romantics, Spacemen 3, the Germs, SIN 34, Jeff Dahl, the Brian Jonestown Massacre, and Black Lips. Greg Shaw remained the central figure in the label's operation until his death from heart failure on October 19, 2004. Suzy Shaw then headed BOMP! Records. The label's subsequent public profile continued to be connected with historical documentation and the preservation of underground rock traditions. In 2007, Suzy Shaw and Mick Farren published Bomp: Saving the World One Record at a Time. In 2009, Bomp! collaborated with Ugly Things on Bomp 2 – Born in the Garage, edited by Suzy Shaw and Mike Stax. These books extended the Bomp identity from record issuing into music history and archival storytelling. Available reference material does not provide a complete release chronology, corporate structure, financial record, distribution history, or confirmed current web address. BOMP! Records is best understood as a long-running independent label and cultural imprint whose significance comes from its artist selection, its connection to fanzine criticism, and its documentation of successive underground rock movements.

1. 2009Bomp 2 – Born in the Garage is published

   Bomp! and Ugly Things publish a second volume centered on garage-rock history.

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2. 2007Bomp history book is published

   Suzy Shaw and Mick Farren publish Bomp: Saving the World One Record at a Time.

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3. 2004Greg Shaw dies

   Greg Shaw dies from heart failure on October 19, and Suzy Shaw becomes the label's head.

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4. 1974BOMP! Records is formed

   The Shaws extend the Bomp! identity from music publishing into independent record releases.

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5. 1970Who Put the Bomp begins publication

   Greg and Suzy Shaw launch the fanzine that supplies the name and cultural foundation for the later label.

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6. 1966Greg Shaw launches Mojo Navigator and Rock 'n Roll News

   Greg Shaw establishes an early rock-music fanzine, helping form the editorial and curatorial foundation that later leads to BOMP!.

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A curator-led independent label focused on historically significant, unconventional, and cult-oriented rock music, especially garage rock, punk, power pop, new wave, and neo-psychedelia.

• BOMP! Records catalogueRecorded music1974

  The label's core offering is a catalogue of independent rock recordings. Its releases represent garage rock, punk, power pop, new wave, old-school rock, and neo-psychedelia, with an emphasis on artists whose cultural or musical importance exceeded their mainstream commercial visibility.

• Bomp! archival and reissue releasesReissues and archival recordings

  BOMP!'s identity is closely tied to the preservation and circulation of underground rock history. Archival-oriented releases and reissues complement new or contemporary catalogue activity by keeping influential, cult, and historically overlooked recordings available to specialist audiences.

• Bomp-related music publicationsMusic publishing2007

  The Bomp name has also been used for historical publishing connected with the label and its surrounding culture. These projects document the people, artists, scenes, and editorial ideas associated with independent rock, extending the brand beyond recorded music.

• 2004Leadership passes to Suzy ShawStrategy

  Greg Shaw, the label's founder and long-time head, died from heart failure on October 19, 2004.

  What changed. Suzy Shaw took over leadership of BOMP! Records.

  Aftermath. The Bomp identity continued through record-related activity and historical publishing projects, including books about the label and garage-rock culture.

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• 1974Expand the Bomp! publishing identity into a record labelStrategy

  Greg and Suzy Shaw had established an audience through Who Put the Bomp, a fanzine devoted to artists and music outside mainstream critical and commercial priorities.

  What changed. They formed BOMP! Records and used the Bomp! name for independent releases spanning garage rock, punk, power pop, new wave, and related styles.

  Aftermath. The label became a durable outlet for underground and cult rock artists and connected fanzine criticism with record production and distribution.

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• 2009Bomp 2 – Born in the Garage is published

  BOMP! and Ugly Things issued a second history-oriented volume, edited by Suzy Shaw and Mike Stax, focused on garage-rock culture.

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• 2007Bomp: Saving the World One Record at a Time is published

  Suzy Shaw and Mick Farren co-authored a book documenting the label's history and its role in independent rock culture.

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• 2004Greg Shaw dies and Suzy Shaw takes over leadership of BOMP! Records

  Greg Shaw died from heart failure on October 19, 2004. Suzy Shaw subsequently headed BOMP! Records, continuing the label's independent publishing and recording activities.

  Leadership change
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1. BOMP! Records