Donald McLean III was born on the 2nd October 1945, in New Rochelle, New York, USA and is a singer and songwriter most popular for his “American Pie” album released in 1971, including two hit singles – American Pie and Vincent.
Have you ever wondered how much money this musician has accumulated so far? How rich Don McLean is? According to sources, it is estimated that the total amount of Don McLean’s net worth, as of mid- 2016, is $6 million. Don’s hit single mentioned above, American Pie, is still spinning daily on numerous radio stations all over the world, and generates from $300,000 to $500,000 annually in royalties.
Don McLean Net Worth $6 Million
Don was born to Elizabeth and Donald McLean, and besides American, his ancestors include Italian descent. His interest in music dates back to his childhood days when, at the age of five, he started listening to the radio and his father’s records. As a teenager he became interested in folk music, and at the age of 16 he bought his first guitar. Don McLean matriculated from Iona Preparatory School in 1963, and later enrolled at Villanova University, although he dropped out after just four months to pursue his music career.
Subsequently he befriended Herb Gart, who served as his personal manager for the next 18 years. Some of Don’s first gigs include perennial performances at the Gaslight Cafe and The Bitter End in NY City, Troubadour in LA, and The Cellar Door in Washington D.C. as well as at the Newport Folk Festival. These engagements provided the basis for Don McLean’s net worth.
In 1968, Don McLean graduated from Iona College night school with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. Subsequently, he declined a scholarship from Columbia University Graduate School, and began serving as a resident singer at Caffe Lena in NY City as well as Hudson River Troubadour at the New York City Council for Arts. These involvements certainly increased Don McLean’s net worth.
A year later in 1969, Don McLean released his debut album – “Tapestry” – which earned good reviews from critics as well as achieving some commercial success. It was followed by “American Pie”, released in 1971, with an eponymous hit single which was listed No.5 on the 365 Songs of the Century and still is regularly played on numerous international radio stations. The original working manuscript for the song was sold in 2015 at Christie’s in NY City for the huge sum of $1.2 million, positively impacting Don McLean’s overall net worth.
In his career so far, Don McLean has released 20 studio albums, three live albums and eight compilations of which the most famous are “Don McLean” (1972), “Solo” (1976) “Favorites and Rarities” (1993) and “American Troubadour” (2012). “American Pie” was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2002, while in 2004, Don McLean was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Lori Lieberman’s “Killing Me Softly with His Song” was inspired by Don’s performance of Empty Chairs song. Don McLean was rewarded with a BBC Folk Music Lifetime Achievement award in 2012. All these accomplishments have helped add a significant sum to the overall net worth of Don McLean.
When it comes to his personal life, Don McLean was married to Carol from 1969-72, and then to Patrisha with whom he has two children, but after 30 years of marriage, in March 2016 Patrisha filed for divorce, no doubt as a consequence of Don being arrested for alleged misdemeanor – domestic violence.
