The Seattle Walk of Fame event was held yesterday to honor Sub Pop record founders, Jonathan Poneman and Bruce Pavitt outside of the Downtown Seattle Nordstrom Store. Jonathan and Bruce were on hand to unveil their prints, and Nordstrom President of Merchandising Pete Nordstrom served as host for the event. Nordstrom also made a $5,000 donation to KEXP in the spirit of community giving.
The Nordstrom Walk of Fame is a project that first started in 1998 in conjunction with the opening of the new Downtown Seattle Nordstrom store. It consists of a series of bronze footprints that have been placed in the sidewalk all around the store to honor individuals who have played a hand in shaping Seattle’s history. Some past honorees include Apolo Ohno (recently inducted in August 2013), Quincy Jones, Jimi Hendrix, Steve Largent, Bill and Mary Gates.
As the founders of the record label Sub Pop, Bruce Pavitt and Jonathan Poneman played a major role in developing the defining sound of not just a city, but a decade. Early releases from bands like Nirvana (who will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame later this week), Mudhoney, Soundgarden, and TAD put Sub Pop and the “Seattle Sound” at the center of the grunge rock movement that swept the music scene in the early 90s. Since then, Sub Pop has continued to be at the forefront of new sound releasing the full-length albums of bands like The Shins, Iron & Wine, Band of Horses, Wolf Parade, and The Postal Service.
For more behind the scenes coverage of this event check out Nordstrom Men’s Shop Daily Blog