What Is Matt Sorum's Net Worth?
Matt Sorum is an American drummer who has a net worth of $10 million. Matt Sorum is best known as the former drummer for the rock band Guns N' Roses. Sorum's career with Guns N' Roses began after guitarist Slash saw him drumming with rock band The Cult. After that, he was recruited to replace the band's former drummer, Steven Adler.
Sorum's drumming can be heard on the Guns N' Roses albums "Use Your Illusion I" (1991), "Use Your Illusion II" (1991), and "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993), as well as on a variety of live recordings, including the band's cover of the Rolling Stones song "Sympathy for the Devil." In 2002, Sorum found a home with the supergroup Velvet Revolver, which also counts Slash among its members. Matt has also gotten work as an endorser of various drumming related products, including Yamaha Drums, Mapex, Drum Workshop, and Ludwig. Sorum has released the solo albums "Hollywood Zen" (2004) and "Stratosphere" (2014), and he published the autobiography "Double Talkin' Jive: True Rock 'n' Roll Stories from the Drummer of Guns N' Roses, the Cult, and Velvet Revolver" in 2020.
Early Life
Matt Sorum was born Matthew William Sorum on November 19, 1960, in Mission Viejo, California. Matt learned to play the drums after he saw Ringo Starr during the Beatles' 1964 appearance on "The Ed Sullivan Show." His later influences included Keith Moon, John Bonham, Neil Peart, Buddy Rich, and Roger Taylor. Sorum attended Mission Viejo High School, where he was a member of the marching band, jazz band, and wind ensemble. As a teenager, he was in a band called Prophecy, and they played at the West Hollywood nightclub The Starwood on amateur nights.
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Career
After Matt left Mission Viejo for Hollywood, he played with bands such as Hawk and Population Five before going on tour with a blues guitarist. In 1988, he played drums for Tori Amos on her band Y Kant Tori Read's debut album. Sorum then joined The Cult for their 1989/1990 tour. In 1989, Slash, Guns N' Roses' lead guitarist, saw Matt on that tour was impressed with his drumming. Sorum soon replaced Steven Adler in Guns N' Roses. He played on the band's cover of Bob Dylan's "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" (1990) and their cover of the Rolling Stones' "Sympathy for the Devil" (1994), as well as the studio albums "Use Your Illusion I" (1991), "Use Your Illusion II" (1991), and "The Spaghetti Incident?" (1993) and the live album "Live Era: '87-'93" (1999). "Use Your Illusion I" reached the top 10 on the charts in more than 15 countries (including #2 on the "Billboard" 200 chart), and it was certified 7× Platinum in the U.S., 5× Platinum in Argentina, 4× Platinum in Australia, and Diamond in Canada. "Use Your Illusion II" topped the charts in five countries and went Platinum or higher in nearly 20 countries. "The Spaghetti Incident?" reached the top 10 in 11 countries and was certified Platinum or higher in 10 countries. Sorum drummed during all 194 concerts of the "Use Your Illusion Tour," which lasted from January 1991 to July 1993.
In 1994, Matt, Slash, and Gilby Clarke formed the band Slash's Snakepit and released the album "Five O'Clock Somewhere." Sorum played drums on the theme song for 1995's "Mighty Morphin Power Rangers: The Movie." That year Matt and his Guns N' Roses bandmate Duff McKagan formed a supergroup called Neurotic Outsiders, and they released a self-titled album in 1996.
In 1997, Axl Rose fired Sorum from Guns N' Roses after an argument. In 1998, Matt released the instructional drum video "Drum Licks and Tricks from the Rock n Roll Jungle," and the following year, he rejoined The Cult for their album "Beyond Good and Evil" and their subsequent tour. He teamed up with Slash and McKagan in 1999 to promote a concert for the film "Soundman" at the Slamdance Film Festival. Sorum was a composer on the film. The three then formed the supergroup Velvet Revolver with Scott Weiland and Dave Kushner, and they released the albums "Contraband" (2004) and "Libertad" (2007). "Contraband" topped the charts in the U.S. and Canada, and it was certified 2× Platinum in those countries. "Libertad" reached the top 10 in eight countries and went Gold in Canada and New Zealand. Matt has also released the solo albums "Hollywood Zen" (2004) and "Stratosphere" (2014), and he played drums on Hollywood Vampires' 2015 debut self-titled album.
Personal Life
Matt married fashion designer Ace Harper on October 12, 2013, in Palm Springs, California. The couple welcomed daughter Lou Ellington on June 11, 2021. In 2014, Sorum revealed in an interview that he had become a vegetarian.
Awards and Nominations
Sorum was nominated for three Grammys with Velvet Revolver in 2005, winning Best Hard Rock Performance for "Slither." Their other nominations were for Best Rock Album for "Contraband" and Best Rock Song for "Fall to Pieces." Matt had previously earned a Grammy nomination for Best Hard Rock Performance With Vocal for "Use Your Illusion I" with Guns N' Roses. Velvet Revolver also won a "Kerrang!" Award for Best International Newcomer (2004) and received a "Billboard" Music Award nomination for Rock Artist of the Year (2005).
Real Estate
In 2021, Matt and Ace sold their 3,966-square-foot home in Los Angeles for $3 million. The renovated home was built in 1929, and it includes six bedrooms and four bedrooms. The property also features a guest house that Sorum converted into a music studio, as well as a koi pond.
