Dewey Bunnell Net Worth

What is Dewey Bunnell's Net Worth?

Dewey Bunnell is an English-born American singer, songwriter, and guitar player who has a net worth of $12 million. Dewey Bunnell is best known for being a founder of the British-American rock band America and for providing vocals, guitar, and songwriting for the band. His most famous composition is the controversial folk-rock track "Horse With No Name," which he wrote when he was 19. While several radio stations refused to air the song, claiming the title was a drug reference, Dewey was adamant that the title was meant to depict a vehicle that would take one away from all of life's confusion into a more peaceful place.

"A Horse with No Name" was certified Gold in the US and reached #1 on the Billboard Hot 100, #2 in Australia, and #3 in the UK. The band also found success with the singles "I Need You," "Ventura Highway," "Muskrat Love," "Tin Man," "Lonely People," "Sister Golden Hair," "Daisy Jane," "Today's the Day," "Amber Cascades," "California Dreamin'," "You Can Do Magic," "Right Before Your Eyes," "The Border," and "Special Girl." America received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and has been inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Early Life

Lee Merton Bunnell, professionally known as Dewey Bunnell, was born on January 19, 1952, in Harrogate, Yorkshire, England. His father was an American serviceman stationed at the United States Air Force base at RAF South Ruislip, and his mother was English. Bunnell graduated from London Central High School, a United States Department of Defendants School that housed the children of military servicemen and servicewomen. While attending high school, he met fellow musicians and future America band members Dan Peek and Gerry Beckley. He cites his adolescence influences as The Beatles and The Beach Boys.

As a military kid, Bunnell moved around a lot. For a while, he and his family lived in Biloxi, Mississippi, where he received his first electric guitar while in the eighth grade. The time Bunnell spent in Biloxi – and an old man who ran a bait shop there – inspired the America song "Old Man Took," which appeared on America's album "Holiday."

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The Formation of America

Dewey Bunnell's initial attempt to start a band in the late 1960s wasn't successful. Eventually, in 1969, he put together America with fellow musicians Dan Peek and Gerry Beckley. Bunnell, who provided vocals and played guitar for the band, also contributed heavily to the songwriting process.

In 1970, America signed with the Warner Bros. record label and released their self-titled debut album the following year. Bunnell later explained the inspirations for many of the songs, citing "A Horse With No Name" as a metaphor for attempting to escape the confusion of life and find some peace. He also stated that "Sandman," another song that he wrote for the band, was inspired by his conversations with Vietnam veterans. The veterans had described to him how they attempted to stay awake as long as possible – either naturally or through pharmaceuticals – due to post-traumatic stress disorder and the constant anxiety of possibly being murdered in their sleep.

The band's second album, "Homecoming," was released in 1972 and contained their hit song "Ventura Highway." Later that year, America won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist.

Their third album, "Hat Trick," was released in 1973 and produced only one semi-successful single, "Muskrat Love," which reached number 62 on the US Top 100 Chart. Disappointed by the performance of the album, the band enlisted the help of legendary Beatles producer George Martin. The band's fourth studio album, "Holiday," was released in 1974, and the band members decided they would begin consciously naming all their albums with words that started with the letter "H." The albums that followed had titles such as "Hearts," "Hideaway," "Harbor," "Hourglass," and "Human Nature."

Many of Bunnell's songs for America were sampled and reused by other artists. American singer Michael Jackson reworked America's hit "A Horse With No Name" into a song entitled "A Place With No Name," and the opening guitar riff of "Ventura Highway" was sampled on Michael's sister Janet Jackson's song "Someone to Call My Lover."

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Horse With No Name

After the release of America's song "A Horse With No Name," several radio stations refused to air it as it was highly speculated that the title was an overt reference to drugs – the word "horse" being a slang term for heroin. Dewey Bunnell wrote the song when he was 19 years old and argued that the song was not about drugs and that the title was meant to describe a vehicle that would take one away from all of life's confusion into a more peaceful place. In the drug culture of the 1970s, many continued to believe the song was about heroin use, while others were certain it was about LSD. Band member Dan Peek later admitted to using hash, marijuana, cocaine, Quaaludes, and alcohol while he was in the band, and the connection between drugs and music at that time was strong. While Dewey pushed back against the drug theory and a good percentage of listeners ignored it, the song shot to number one on the US Billboard Hot 100 chart.

America's Aftermath

Dewey Bunnell is still a member of America, along with one of the other original members, Gerry Beckley. Dan Peek passed away in his sleep from the effects of pericarditis on July 24, 2011, although he had officially left the band in 1977. Before Peek's departure – although it had been talked about in the media and by the band members themselves multiple times – the trio did not reunite. Peek stated in his autobiography that he was ousted from the band after missing a tour rehearsal, a claim that Bunnell denied vehemently at the time, saying that Peek had a religious awakening following a long history of recreational drug usage and wanted to pursue a musical sound that diverged from America.

America still tours, with Bunnell being the only original member. Although Beckley remains a member of the band, he quit touring in 2024 to spend more time at home with his family. Andy Barr, who was briefly employed to tour with the band in 2015, was brought back in 2024 to fill in for Buckley.

Personal Life

Dewey Bunnell and his wife Vivian divorced in 1999 after having two children together: Dylan and Lauren. In 2002, Bunnell married his second wife, Penny, and legally adopted her daughter, Destry. Penny is highly involved in horse conservation efforts, and she and Bunnell share a horse named "Noname" as a nod to America's hit song.

The couple lives in Portuguese Bend in California but also owns over 50 acres in Penny's home state of Wisconsin, where they spend a good portion of their summers. They live near a small regional airport to accommodate flights to a larger airport in Minneapolis when Bunnell needs to meet his band for engagements. Bunnell stated in an interview with Easy Reader News that he enjoys the "instant gratification" and energy that comes from live performances.

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