What Is Roy Bittan's Net Worth?
Roy Bittan is an American keyboardist who has a net worth of $40 million. Roy Bittan made a name for himself as a member of Bruce Springsteen's E Street Band. Ever since he was introduced to the group in August 1974, Bittan has been known by the nickname "The Professor." Roy has been a longtime member of the band and has contributed to most of Springsteen's albums, starting with "Born to Run" in 1975.
With the E Street Band, Bittan has mostly used a Yamaha grand piano, as well as Yamaha, Korg, and Kurzweil keyboards as part of his live performances. His riffs and melody lines are said to have become signatures for the Springsteen sound. Roy, who plays the piano, organ, accordion, and synthesizers, has also showcased his talents playing on numerous albums as a session musician for notable singer-songwriters, as well as distinguished rock and pop artists. Some of the names with whom he had the chance to work with include Jon Bon Jovi, David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, Catie Curtis, Dire Straits, Ian Hunter, Meat Loaf, Stevie Nicks, RVIVR, Bob Seger, Celine Dion and Nelly Furtado. In 2014, Roy released his debut solo album "Out of the Box" and was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with his fellow E Street Band members.
Early Life
Roy J. Bittan was born on July 2, 1949, in Queens, New York. He comes from a Jewish family. In a 2009 interview with "The Austin Chronicle," Roy was asked how music came into his life, and he responded, "Music entered my life when I saw an accordion player on 'The Ed Sullivan Show' named Dick Contino, and I said, 'I want to play that.' He was pre-Elvis; from like 1949 to 1952, he was one of the biggest entertainers in the U.S. – very Italian-looking guy, muscular. Women in those days would throw their hotel room keys at him. I was too little to understand that part, but I loved the instrument, so I wanted to take accordion lessons, and my parents indulged me. I studied the accordion, and until Danny [Federici] passed away, the E Street Band held the dubious distinction of probably being the only band in the world with three accordion players."
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Career
In 1974, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band were playing at a New York club on the same bill as the band Bittan was in. Roy joined the band that September, along with drummer / future "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" bandleader Max Weinberg. Bittan performed on Springsteen's 1975 album "Born to Run," and subsequently lent his talents to most of Bruce's albums.
When Springsteen split from the E Street Band in 1989, Bittan was the only member of the band he kept on. Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band did their first reunion tour in 1999, and they headlined the Super Bowl XLIII Halftime Show in 2009. They have embarked on several tours since their 1999 reunion, including "The River Tour" / "Summer '17" tour and the "2023 Tour." Though Roy is best known for his work with the E Street Band, he has also served as a session musician for artists such as David Bowie, Tracy Chapman, Jon Bon Jovi, Chicago, Bob Dylan, Stevie Nicks, Celine Dion, Lou Reed, Patty Smyth, and Jackson Browne. He played piano on the 1977 Meat Loaf album "Bat Out of Hell," and he collaborated with Meat Loaf again on three more albums. Bittan played on the 1978 self-titled Peter Gabriel album, the 1980 Dire Straits album "Making Movies," and the David Bowie albums "Station to Station" (1976) and "Scary Monsters" (1980), and he toured with Stevie Nicks in the early '80s. He played accordion on the 1998 Lucinda Williams album "Car Wheels on a Gravel Road" (which he also produced) and on the 2012 Nelly Furtado album "The Spirit Indestructible." In 2014, Roy released his debut solo album, "Out of the Box."
Awards and Nominations
Bittan has earned two Grammy nominations, winning for Album of the Year for Celine Dion's "Falling Into You" in 1997. His other nomination was for Best Rock Instrumental Performance (Orchestra, Group or Soloist) for Bruce Springsteen's "Paradise by the 'C'" in 1988.
Personal Life
Roy and his wife, Amy, have welcomed two children together.
Malibu House
In June 2001, Roy paid $1.125 million for a home in Malibu. Today this home is worth around $6 million.
