Richard Alan Nielsen was born on 22 December 1948, in Elmhurst, Illinois, USA. He is a vocalist, songwriter, and guitarist, best known for being a member of the rock band Cheap Trick. He owns numerous custom-made guitars, with the most popular one being his five-neck guitar. All of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Rick Nielsen? As of mid-2016, sources estimate a net worth that is at $22 million, mostly earned through a successful career in the music industry. Rick has collaborated with numerous artists, and has made multiple appearances on television, in films and on radio. He’s also toured several countries, and all of these activities have ensured the position of his wealth.
Rick Nielsen Net Worth $22 million
Rick was born into a very music oriented family, with both his parents being opera singers. They owned a music store in Rockford and he used this opportunity to learn how to play several instruments. After learning the drums for six years, Rick then decided to switch to playing the keyboard and guitar. He started his own school band called The Phaetons, and soon they would change their name to The Grim Reapers.
After using that name for a while, they changed their name to Fuse and released a studio album that didn’t sell well. This led to them disbanding in 1970, and Rick would go on and join the band Nazz for a short time. He also formed the short-lived Sick Man of Europe, before creating Cheap Trick in 1973 with Bun E. Carlos, Tom Petersson, and Robin Zander. During their first few albums, Nielsen would be responsible for writing almost all of their songs, and they found success as a band and even had a No. 1 US single, “The Flame”. He also started to work with other artists such as John Lennon.
With Cheap Trick, Rick has made numerous television and radio appearances. They’ve also performed on multiple music shows and made appearances on late night shows hosted by David Letterman, Jay Leno, and Conan O’Brien. Rick also appeared in the film “Disorderlies”, and in an episode of “American Pickers”. In 2013, he made another appearance in “Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me”, and would participate in Dave Grohl’s documentary “Sound City”. He also performed with the Foo Fighters for a while, and one of his latest appearances was in “Live From Daryl’s House”. All added to his net worth.
Nielsen has worked with multiple artists throughout his career including Hall & Oates, Alice Cooper, Motley Crue, and House of Lords. He has also written songs for artists such as The News and Rick Derringer.
Aside form music, Rick owns his own brewery and pizzeria, and does local charity work as well. His collection of guitars has been featured in various exhibits around the US.
For his personal life, Rick is married to Karen, and they have three sons and a daughter. Rick is reputed to have owned around two thousand guitars through the years, with reports stating that he now owns around 250 various instruments. In 2002, he displayed 34 guitars at a free exhibit. He’s well known to wear a flipped ball cap when performing, showing similarities to Huntz Hall of The Bowery Boys. He also has a black and white motif for clothes, but has made a lot of fashion changes over the years.
