What is David Gilmour's Net Worth?
David Gilmour is an English musician, singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist who has a net worth of $180 million. David Gilmour is best known for being the guitarist and co-lead guitarist for Pink Floyd. Pink Floyd is one of the most commercially successful bands in history. To date, they have sold over 250 million albums worldwide.
After Roger Waters left Pink Floyd, David Gilmour became the band's new leader. He also embarked on a successful solo career of his own while maintaining his ties with Pink Floyd. Rolling Stone considers him to be one of the top 15 guitarists of all time, and he is also noted for his vocal abilities. Over the years, Gilmour has emerged as a philanthropist who is passionate about climate change, homelessness, and many other issues.
David Gilmour joined Pink Floyd in 1968, replacing founding member Syd Barrett. His arrival marked a turning point for the band, bringing with him a distinctive guitar style characterized by intricate solos and emotive, bluesy tones. This change steered the band toward a more expansive and experimental sound, setting the stage for their forthcoming success.
Gilmour was integral to the creation of Pink Floyd's seminal albums, including "The Dark Side of the Moon," "Wish You Were Here," and "The Wall," each of which remains iconic in the annals of rock history. These albums showcased not only his virtuosity as a guitarist but also his skills as a vocalist and songwriter. Songs like "Comfortably Numb" and "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" are considered masterpieces of rock music, blending ethereal soundscapes with deeply personal lyrics.
His unique style of guitar playing, incorporating techniques like string bending, finger-sliding, and delay effects, has had a profound influence on generations of musicians. His use of the Fender Stratocaster has made him one of the signature artists associated with this iconic guitar model.
In addition to his work with Pink Floyd, Gilmour has had a successful solo career. Albums like "David Gilmour" "About Face," "On an Island," and "Rattle That Lock" allowed him to explore musical ideas outside the collective identity of his band.
Early Life
David Jon Gilmour was born on March 6th, 1946, in Cambridge, England. Raised in Grantchester by a teacher and a zoology professor, David was encouraged to pursue music at a young age. He listened to various Rock 'N Roll albums and taught himself how to play the guitar before the age of ten. While attending school, he met Roger Waters and Syd Barrett – two future members of Pink Floyd.
Career
In the early 60s, David Gilmour joined a blues rock band, although the group was never successful. After having his equipment stolen while touring with another blues rock band in France, Gilmour returned to London. Once there, he stopped in to watch Pink Floyd record a song. By this point, Syd Barrett's mental state was beginning to deteriorate, and he didn't recognize Gilmour despite being close friends with him during university.
Initially, the plan wasn't for Gilmour to replace Syd Barrett but rather play guitar for him while he continued to contribute to the band in other ways – such as songwriting. Eventually, Barrett's erratic behavior became too much for the band to bear, and Gilmour completely took over his duties.
During the next period, Pink Floyd reached an incredible level of commercial success with albums such as The Dark Side of the Moon, Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and The Final Cut. After the latter album, Gilmour and Waters began to butt heads. Since then, Gilmour has continued to release successful solo albums well into the 2010s.
In 1985, Roger Waters left the band, leaving Gilmour to lead the remaining members forward. Their first post-Waters album was 1987's A Momentary Lapse of Reason.
In 1994, the band released The Division Bell. Thanks to The Division Bell Tour, the members of Pink Floyd collectively grossed more than $250 million.
Intrepid Aviation
David Gilmour was once the owner of Intrepid Aviation, a company that specializes in the collection of antique aircraft. Although the business was simply a vehicle for his hobby, he ended up taking a serious interest in the financial performance of the company and eventually sold it for an undisclosed fee.
Relationships
In 1975, David Gilmour married Virginia Hasenbein, an American model. They had four children together before separating. In 1994, David Gilmour married Polly Samson, a novelist. The couple then had three children and adopted a fourth.
(Photo by Matthew Eisman/Getty Images)
Guitar Auction
David Gilmour is famous for his extensive collection of guitars, and at one point, he was reported to own over 100. In 2019, David Gilmour auctioned off some of his most famous guitars in Los Angeles. In total, David Gilmour managed to earn over $21.5 million thanks to the auction, which was more successful than he predicted.
A single black Stratocaster sold for almost $4 million, while another white Stratocaster sold for $1.8 million. The same guitar Gilmour played during the solo for "Another Brick in the Wall" sold for $447,000. David Gilmour donated all proceeds from the auction to climate change charities.
Real Estate
In 2002, David Gilmour sold his home in West London for 4.5 million pounds, donating all of the money to a charity that supported homeless people. He later stated that it was "the right thing to do" and that he originally purchased the property for 300,000 pounds more than twenty years prior.
In 2014, it was reported that Gilmour's mansion in Greece was going up for sale with a price of about $1.5 million. The 5,000-square-meter property features a regal design with breathtaking views of the ocean and mountains. It is unclear how much Gilmour originally paid for the property.
In 2015, David Gilmour made quite a stir in the town of Hove, East Essex, after acquiring a derelict property and submitting development proposals. Local townspeople were initially up in arms over the proposed development, which involved knocking down a historic building that had once been a Turkish bathhouse. A group of artists had previously been squatting there until being told to leave prior to Gilmour's acquisition of the property.
Residents complained about the proposed installation of three air conditioners for David Gilmour's new home, suggesting that the additional noise could disturb the community. However, opinions seemed to sway in Gilmour's favor after he rebuilt the property to resemble the historic building that was once there. Townsfolk praised Gilmour for "keeping the character of Bright and Hove alive." Gilmour had previously purchased a 3-million-pound seafront property just minutes away from the bathhouse.
In addition, David Gilmour once allegedly paid over 90,000 pounds just for a garage to store his collection of Ferraris.
Songwriting Credits
It's worth pointing out that Pink Floyd splits their income equally across all band members, with a few notable exceptions. Songwriting credits play a major role in how the money is divided, and this came into play with the release of Dark Side of the Moon.
Although Wright and Waters wrote most of the songs on their most commercially successful album, Waters "gave" Gilmour various songwriting credits on the album despite the fact that he didn't contribute much to that part of the creative process (by Gilmour's own admission).
