What Is Ray LaMontagne's Net Worth?
Ray LaMontagne is an American singer, songwriter, and musician who has a net worth of $6 million. Ray LaMontagne's musical styles include folk, rock, blues, and soul, and he plays guitar, piano, and harmonica. Ray has released the studio albums "Trouble" (2004), "Till the Sun Turns Black" (2006), "Gossip in the Grain" (2008), "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise" (2010), "Supernova" (2014), "Ouroboros" (2016), "Part of the Light" (2018), and "Monovision" (2020). "Trouble" was certified Platinum in the U.S. and the U.K., and "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise" won a Grammy. Several of LaMontagne's singles have reached the top 10 on the "Billboard" Adult Album Alternative chart, including "Trouble," "You Are the Best Thing," "Beg, Steal, or Borrow," "Supernova," "Hey, No Pressure," "Such a Simple Thing," and "Strong Enough."
Early Life
Ray LaMontagne was born Raymond Charles Jack LaMontagne on June 18, 1973, in Nashua, New Hampshire. Ray and his five siblings were raised by a single mother. During his early teens, LaMontagne lived in Utah and took more interest in drawing "Dungeons & Dragons" images than doing his schoolwork. After he graduated from high school, Ray relocated to Lewiston, Maine, and took a job in a shoe factory.
Career
After LaMontagne heard the Stephen Stills song "Treetop Flyer," he was inspired to pursue a music career. He started performing in the late '90s, and in 1999, he recorded a 10-song demo that resulted in Maine's Oddfellow Theater hiring him to open for Jonathan Edwards and John Gorka. Ray was discovered by business executive Ron Clayton at a Maine musical festival, and Clayton introduced him to someone at Chrysalis Music Publishing. In 2004, LaMontagne recorded his debut album, "Trouble," and sold it to RCA Records (U.S.) and Echo Records (U.K.). The album was released in September 2004, and it reached #4 on the Irish Albums chart and #5 on the UK Albums chart and went Platinum in the U.S. and U.K. The title track reached #5 on the "Billboard" Adult Album Alternative chart, and that single and "Jolene" were both certified Platinum in the U.S. In 2005, Ray performed on the PBS series "Austin City Limits," and he released the EP "Live from Bonnaroo 2005." His second studio album, 2006's "Till the Sun Turns Black," was certified Gold in the U.S. and U.K. and peaked at #28 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The album featured the single "Three More Days," which reached #5 on the Adult Album Alternative chart.
Ray's next three albums, 2008's "Gossip in the Grain," 2010's "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise," and 2014's "Supernova," reached #3 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and "Gossip in the Grain" and "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise" went Gold in the U.S. LaMontagne won a Grammy for "God Willin' & the Creek Don't Rise," and he earned a nomination for "Beg, Steal, or Borrow," which was his first #1 single on the Adult Album Alternative chart. That album also included the singles "For the Summer" and "Repo Man," which reached #5 and #11, respectively, on the Adult Album Alternative chart. Two singles from "Supernova" were top 10 singles on that chart, the title track (#3) and "Drive-In Movies" (#9). Ray's sixth album, 2016's "Ouroboros," reached #13 on the "Billboard" 200 chart, and the single "Hey, No Pressure" peaked at #2 on the Adult Album Alternative chart. Next, he released 2018's "Part of the Light," and it reached #40 on the "Billboard" 200 chart. The single "Such a Simple Thing" was certified Gold in the U.S. and reached #3 on the Adult Album Alternative chart. LaMontagne's eighth album, "Monovision," was released in 2020, and he had his second #1 single on the Adult Album Alternative chart with "Strong Enough."
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Personal Life
Ray is married to poet Sarah Sousa, and they have two sons. Sarah has written the poetry books "Hex," "Yell," "See the Wolf," "Split the Crow," and "Church of Needles," and in 2014, she published "the fully transcribed 1886 diary of Esther Small, the abused wife of a Civil War veteran; with introduction and afterword placing the diary in historical and cultural context."
Awards and Nominations
In 2011, LaMontagne earned two Grammy nominations, winning Best Contemporary Folk Album for "God Willin' and the Creek Don't Rise." His other nomination was for Song of the Year for "Beg, Steal or Borrow." Ray has received eight Boston Music Award nominations, taking home the prize for Album of the Year for "Trouble," Song of the Year for the Platinum single "Trouble," and Best Male Singer-Songwriter in 2005. That year he also won an XM Nation Music Award for Acoustic Rock Artist of the Year and earned a "MOJO" Award nomination for Best New Act, a New Pantheon Music Prize Shortlist Music Prize nomination for the album "Trouble," and a Pollstar Concert Industry Award nomination for Best New Touring Artist. In 2006, LaMontagne won an Esky Music Award for Best Voice, and in 2007, he received a BRIT Award nomination for International Breakthrough Act.
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Massachusetts Estate
In December 2008, Ray and Sarah paid $1.05 million for a 104-acre estate in Ashfield, Massachusetts. The estate, which is surrounded by 438 acres of protected land, includes an 1800s-era farmhouse that was once home to U.S. Ambassador William C. Bullitt, who served in the FDR administration. The primary home is over 10,000 square feet, and the property features a number of additional structures, including a two-story guest house that LaMontagne used as a recording studio where he recorded several albums. In August 2023, Ray and Sarah put the home on the market for $5.25 million. They sold it in early 2024 for $4.5 million. Here is a video tour:
