What Is John Popper's Net Worth?
John Popper is an American singer-songwriter, guitarist, and accomplished harmonica player who has a net worth of $10 million. John Popper is best known for being the frontman for the Grammy Award-winning rock band Blues Traveler.
Early Life
John Popper was born on March 29, 1967, in Chardon, Ohio. During high school in Stamford, Connecticut, and Princeton, New Jersey, he took piano, cello, and guitar lessons but didn't connect with any of them. He wanted to become a comedian, but when Popper and a friend performed a routine as The Blues Brothers, he found he enjoyed musical performance. After high school, the members moved to New York City, where John enrolled in The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music. John attended for three years but decided to devote himself entirely to Blues Traveler once they signed a record contract in 1990.
Blues Traveler
Popper took up the harmonica after not clicking with any other instrument, and today he is widely considered a harmonica virtuoso. John formed several garage bands in Princeton, New Jersey. One of those bands evolved into Blues Traveler in 1987. Popper became a prolific songwriter, and he composed the majority of the lyrics and music of Blues Traveler's songs. They released their self-titled, debut album in 1990. But it wasn't until their fourth studio release, "four," that they crossed over into mainstream pop/rock radio success. The single "Run-Around" garnered the group extensive media exposure and resulted in winning The Grammy Award for Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal at the 1996 awards show. The song peaked at #8 on the U.S. "Billboard" Hot 100.
In addition to his band, John has done some solo work and has co-written songs with other notable artists such as Jonny Lang and Warren Haynes. He has also performed with the Spin Doctors, Dave Matthews Band, and Phish. As a side project, Popper created and ran the HORDE Festival from 1992 until 1998 as a venue to help independent musicians gain exposure.
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Acting Career
John Popper isn't just a musician, he has also had his fair share of TV and movie success. He sang his hit song "But Anyway" in the comedy "Kingpin," starring Woody Harrelson, Randy Quaid, and Vanessa Angel. He had a speaking role on one episode of the television series "Roseanne," in which he played a fictional musician similar to himself. John has also appeared on some reality TV shows, such as A&E's "Storage Wars" and History Channel's "Pawn Stars."
Personal Life
John has lived in various locations since the success of Blues Traveler, including rural Pennsylvania, New Orleans, and Washington. In 1992, he was in a motorcycle accident that put him in a wheelchair for months, but he continued touring despite the difficulties. In 1999, Popper had a near-fatal heart attack due to compulsive overeating after being diagnosed with diabetes a few years earlier. On November 23, 2015, John and his now ex-wife, Jordan, welcomed their first child, Eloise Ann, into the world. The couple divorced in 2018. Popper's father was a Hungarian immigrant who left Budapest in 1948, and through him, John is related to David Popper, the 19th-century European cellist. Both John's mother and brother found careers as lawyers.
In March 2007, John was arrested in Spokane, Washington, after his black Mercedes SUV was clocked by Washington State Police for going 111 miles per hour. Utilizing a police dog, the police conducted a search of the SUV and subsequently found the following items stored in hidden compartments:
- Four rifles
- Nine handguns
- One switchblade knife
- One taser
- Night vision goggles
- Flashing emergency headlights
- One Siren
- And a public address system
- A small amount of marijuana
Popper was not actually the driver at the time. He told the officers he stored the items because he didn't want them to be left behind in the event of a natural disaster.
Real Estate
In 2004, John paid $450,000 for a five-acre property in Snohomish, Washington. According to public records, he listed this home for sale in 2018 for $625,000 but ultimately removed the listing.
