What Is Frankie Sullivan's Net Worth?
Frankie Sullivan is an American guitarist, songwriter, and record producer who has a net worth of $20 million. Frankie Sullivan is best known for being a founding member of the band Survivor, and he has been the only permanent fixture in the band's line-up. Frankie co-wrote the band's hit singles with Jim Peterik, and he produced several of their albums. Survivor formed in 1978, and the band went on to release eight studio albums, including the Platinum albums "Eye of the Tiger" (1982) and "Vital Signs" (1984). Their biggest hit, "Eye of the Tiger," was the theme song for the 1982 Sylvester Stallone sports drama "Rocky III," and it reached #1 in nine countries and was certified Platinum or higher in six countries. The song earned the band a Grammy Award as well as nominations from the Academy Awards, Golden Globes, and BAFTA Awards. Sullivan has also appeared in the film "Chaplin" (1992) and the TV movie "Face of a Stranger" (1991).
Catalog Sale
In 2018, Frankie reportedly sold 50% of his song catalog to Sony for $12.9 million (before taxes).
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Early Life
Frankie Sullivan was born Frank Michael Sullivan III on February 1, 1955, in Chicago, Illinois. Frankie reportedly began his music career as a teenager. Sullivan enjoyed playing sports during his youth, and he began running at the age of 17.
Survivor
In 1976, Sullivan joined the hard rock band Mariah. In 1978, he began writing songs with rhythm guitarist/keyboardist Jim Peterik, and the two formed the band Survivor with vocalist Dave Bickler, bassist Dennis Keith Johnson, and drummer Gary Smith. After signing a contract with John Kalodner, an Atlantic Records A&R executive, the band released their self-titled debut album on the Atlantic subsidiary Scotti Bros. in early 1980.
The album reached #169 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and the single "Somewhere in America" peaked at #70 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. Survivor's 1981 album "Premonition" reached #82 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and the single "Poor Man's Son" reached #33 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and #19 on the Mainstream Rock chart.
Their third album, 1982's "Eye of the Tiger," reached #2 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and it was certified Platinum in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. The title track, which served as the theme song for the film "Rocky III," went 8× Platinum in the U.S., 3× Platinum in the U.K., and 2× Platinum in Canada, Denmark, and Italy and was 1982's second most-successful single. The band won a Grammy for the song, and they also earned an Academy Award nomination.
After the success of "Eye of the Tiger," Survivor released the 1983 album "Caught in the Game," which reached #82 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The album's title track reached #16 on the Mainstream Rock chart. The 1984 album "Vital Signs" peaked at #16 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and it was certified Platinum in the U.S. and Gold in Canada. The album spawned three top 10 hits: "I Can't Hold Back" (#1 on the Mainstream Rock chart), "High on You" (#8 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock charts), and "The Search Is Over" (#4 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart and #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart). Next, the band released the albums "When Seconds Count" (1986) and "Too Hot to Sleep" (1987), which reached #49 and #187 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, respectively. "Is This Love" from "When Seconds Count" reached #9 on the "Billboard" Hot 100 chart. The band went on hiatus after the release of "Too Hot to Sleep," and they would not release another studio album until 2006's "Reach."
In 2007, Survivor performed "Eye of the Tiger" on the ABC competition series "Dancing with the Stars." During the band's hiatus, Sullivan sued his bandmate Jimi Jamison (who joined Survivor in 1984) twice for touring under the name Survivor, and in 1999, Frankie won ownership of the name. In March 2023, "Eye of the Tiger" became the first Survivor song to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.
Personal Life
Frankie has a son named Ryan, who has played drums for Survivor since 2014. In a 2015 interview with SI.com, Sullivan said that he worships Muhammad Ali and met him at O'Hare airport in Chicago right after he began reading a "Sports Illustrated" issue honoring the boxer. Frankie stated, "Now, I perform in front of a lot of people and don't get nervous, but for this, my knees were shaking and I didn't have the guts to ask him for his autograph. I got on the airplane and I sat down and I was mad that I hadn't spoken to The Champ. The captain came on and said, 'We have to board one more passenger,' and there was an open seat next to me. Guess who got on? The Champ. And they sat him right next to me. So it took me about two hours, and I finally asked one of his assistants for his autograph." He added, "I have it framed and it's hanging in my house to this day. It was the only thing he signed that day."
Awards and Nominations
"Eye of the Tiger" won a Grammy for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and it earned a People's Choice Award for Best New Song. The song also received an Academy Award nomination for Best Music, Original Song, a Golden Globe nomination for Best Original Song – Motion Picture, a BAFTA Award nomination for Best Original Song, and an American Music Award nomination for Favorite Pop/Rock Song.
