What is Dave Koz's Net Worth?
Dave Koz is a saxophonist, composer, record producer, and radio and television personality who has a net worth of $6 million. Since releasing his self-titled debut album in 1990, he has had success with such albums as "Lucky Man," "The Dance," "A Smooth Jazz Christmas," "Saxophonic," and "Hello Tomorrow," racking up multiple Grammy Award nominations in the process. As a radio personality, Koz hosted "The Dave Koz Radio Show" and co-hosted "The Dave Koz Morning Show."
Early Life and Education
Dave Koz was born on March 27, 1963 in the San Fernando Valley region of Los Angeles, California to Jewish parents Audrey and Norman. He has a brother named Jeff and a sister named Roberta. After graduating from William Howard Taft High School, Koz attended UCLA, from which he earned a degree in mass communications in 1986.
Career Beginnings
Just weeks after his graduation from UCLA, Koz decided to pursue a professional career in music. The stars aligned when he was recruited as a member of singer-songwriter and musician Bobby Caldwell's tour. Meanwhile, Koz served as a session musician for several rock bands, and toured with Richard Marx's band. Originally a rock saxophonist, Koz transitioned to smooth jazz at the end of the 1980s. In 1989, he played in the house band of the short-lived late-night television talk show "The Pat Sajak Show."
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Albums
Signed to Capitol Records, Koz released his self-titled debut studio album in 1990. He had his commercial breakthrough with his second album, "Lucky Man," which came out in 1993 and peaked at number two on the Billboard Top Contemporary Jazz Albums chart. One of the tracks from the album, "Faces of the Heart," was subsequently used as the theme song for the television soap opera "General Hospital" from 1993 to 2004. Koz continued his success with his third studio album, "Off the Beaten Path," which came out in 1996. That was followed by "December Makes Me Feel This Way" in 1997 and "The Dance" in 1999. Koz's next album was 2001's "A Smooth Jazz Christmas," which earned him his first Grammy Award nomination, for Best Pop Instrumental Album. He earned his second Grammy Award nomination in that category for his 2003 album "Saxophonic," and a third nomination in the category for his 2007 album "At the Movies." From the latter, Koz also received a nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Performance for his cover of "Over the Rainbow."
Koz had one of his greatest hits with his 2010 album "Hello Tomorrow," which reached number one on the Billboard Jazz Albums chart and earned him yet another Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album. In 2013, he released the collaborative album "Summer Horns" with Mindi Abair, Gerald Albright, and Richard Elliot. The album received a Grammy Award nomination for Best Pop Instrumental Album, the sixth of Koz's career. He continued to release various collaborative albums after that, including "The 25th of December" (2014), "20th Anniversary Christmas" (2017), and "Summer Horns II From A to Z" (2018). Koz's other albums have included "Gifts of the Season" (2019), "A New Day" (2020), and "A Romantic Night In (The Love Songs Albums)" (2021). He also released the 2021 album "The Golden Hour" with guitarist and songwriter Cory Wong.
(Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage)
Radio and Television
In 1994, Koz began hosting his own syndicated radio program called "The Dave Koz Radio Show," featuring music and interviews with jazz artists. He later co-hosted "The Dave Koz Morning Show" on 94.7 The Wave in Los Angeles. Elsewhere on the radio, Koz hosts a weekly show on Sirius XM Radio's Watercolors channel called "The Dave Koz Lounge."
On television, Koz hosts a weekly half-hour series called "Frequency," on which he has interviewed such musical artists as Kelly Sweet and Earth, Wind & Fire. Previously, he served as the bandleader on the weekly television talk program "The Emeril Lagasse Show." Koz's other television credits include guest appearances on "Desperate Housewives" and "The Eric Andre Show."
Rendezvous Music
In 2002, Koz co-founded the record label Rendezvous Entertainment (later Rendezvous Music) with Frank Cody and Hyman Katz. Artists on the label have included such jazz musicians as Jonathan Butler, Kyle Eastwood, Marc Antoine, Praful, and Wayman Tisdale. In 2008, Rendezvous was acquired by Mack Avenue Records.
Other Ventures
Among his other ventures, Koz opened a restaurant and live music venue in Beverly Hills, California in late 2014 with his business partners Cary Hardwick and Laurie Sisneros, who own Spaghettini in Seal Beach.
Personal Life
Koz is openly gay, having come out publicly in an interview with The Advocate magazine in 2004. He lives in Sausalito, California, where he bought a home in 2013 for $1.428 million. Today his Sausilito home is worth around $2.5 million.
