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Jim Guerinot is an American music manager and record executive. He is the owner of Rebel Waltz, an entertainment company based in Laguna Beach.

Early life and education
Jim Guerinot was born in St. Louis, MO and moved to Rochester, NY before the age of one. At 13 years old he moved to Fullerton, CA. At 16, he took the GED, and started classes at Cypress Junior College, transferring to Fullerton Junior College to obtain an AA degree before graduating from UC Irvine in 1985 with a BA degree in English.

While at Fullerton College Guerinot began bringing bands to the school while booking a local nightclub, Ichabod’s, on Sunday nights. Simultaneously, he began managing his friend’s local band, Big Beat, but had not tried his hand at management beyond that. Through a chance meeting with Social Distortion guitar player Dennis Danell, Guerinot offered to book the band into the local club and pay them $1000. After procuring the band several more gigs, Danell suggested to the band’s manager, Monk Rock, they bring Guerinot on board as an agent to handle the band’s bookings.

Guerinot transferred to UC Irvine in the fall of 1983 and secured the positions of concert commissioner, booking the 2000 seat Crawford Hall and the 400 seat Heritage Room. Between these two venues, Guerinot would act as the student promoter for The Cure, X, Oingo Boingo, George Thorogood, the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Romeo Void, The Three O’Clock, Green on Red, Social Distortion and many more. While co-promoting X with Steve Rennie, Guerinot developed both a friendship and a working relationship that would launch his career when he graduated from UCI in June of 1985.

At this point there was a band personnel change in Social Distortion due to Mike Ness’ heroin habit, and their manager departed Southern California. Ness moved in with Guerinot and got clean in ’84. With a clean Mike Ness and a reconstituted lineup, Guerinot took on full time management of the group.

At the same time Guerinot moved into “Bad Otis” Link’s office in Signal Hill and began working for Gary Tovar’s Goldenvoice Concert company. Along with Mike Vraney, manager of the Dead Kennedys and TSOL, Guerinot and Vraney started booking bands’ tours in the back of Link’s silk screen warehouse, creating the Goldenvoice agency for Tovar. The two would book Vraney clients Dead Kennedys, TSOL and Guerinot client Social Distortion as well as 45 Grave, The Dickies, Agent Orange, The Vandals (whom Guerinot would take on as manager), and other groups that Tovar would fly to Southern California for concerts. Guerinot began making flyers for the shows he booked and created the artwork for the weekly Goldenvoice ads that ran in the LA Times.

Career
While doing this he completed his studies at UCI in June of 1985, and Guerinot joined his friend Steve Rennie at Southern California concert promotion powerhouse, Avalon Attractions. With Bruce Springsteen scheduled to perform four sold out concerts at the 80,000 capacity LA Coliseum, Guerinot was hired under what Avalon owner Brian Murphy would call, the “Bruce Excuse”. It was at Avalon Guerinot would begin co management of Dramarama with Steve Rennie.

Larry Vallon and Jay Marciano hired Guerinot away from Avalon in 1987 and brought him aboard to book the legendary Universal Amphitheatre. This coincided with MCA Concerts expansion into amphitheaters in Denver and Atlanta. While here Guerinot handled much of the “alternative” bookings. In mid 1988, at the suggestion of his friend agent Marc Geiger, Guerinot was approached to join A&M Records by Michael Leon and President Gil Friesen.

From 1988 until July 1984, Guerinot rose through the ranks, eventually departing as Senior Vice President/General Manager of the label. In April of 1984, Guerinot added the very hot indie band The Offspring to his management roster of Social Distortion, and prepared to begin his own full time management company Rebel Waltz, Inc., named for a song on “Sandinista” by The Clash.

Laguna Beach became his home and place of business in September 1994. After turning down the presidency of Columbia Records, Guerinot started Time Bomb Recordings, his own label, through Clive Davis’ Arista Records and BMG while Rebel Waltz took on management of Chris Cornell after Chris left Soundgarden, and Rancid. Eventually Guerinot would add Beck, Hot Hot Heat, Trent Reznor/Nine Inch Nails, No Doubt/ Gwen Stefani, and Robbie Robertson.

Guerinot also co-founded SLAM Management, an action sports management company, with Pat Hawk and Terry Hardy. Clients included Tony Hawk, Kelly Slater, Shaun White, Bam Margera, and others. Jim was also a co-owner of Tony Hawk's "Boom Boom Huck Jam" arena sized action sports touring exhibition.

Guerinot co-wrote the best-selling children’s book, “Legends, Icons, and Rebels”, which came out in 2013.

He assumed the role of producer of the documentary film, “20 Feet From Stardom,” when his friend and mentor from A&M, Gil Friesen, passed away. The film went on to win the Academy Award for Best Documentary in 2014.

Jim has taught AP US History for 11th graders, a one-week, 20-hour series focused on the 60s for several years, pausing during the pandemic. Separately, he also guest lectured at schools, focusing on music history in a 50-minute, multi-media presentation.