Born Benjamin Baldwin on the 27th June 1942, in Peoria, Illinois, USA, Bruce Johnston is a Grammy Award-winning songwriter, guitarist, and singer, best known as a member of “The Beach Boys’ from 1965 to 1972, and then from 1978 to date. Johnston also collaborated with Terry Melcher as Bruce & Terry, as well as with the surf band the Rip Chords. His career started in 1957.
Have you ever wondered how rich Bruce Johnston is, as of early 2017? According to authoritative sources, it has been estimated that Johnston’s net worth is as high as $30 million, earned through his successful career in music. In addition to being a member of The Beach Boys, Johnston also released three solo albums, which have improved his wealth too.
Bruce Johnston Net Worth $30 Million
Bruce was adopted by Irene and William Johnston, and grew up in Los Angeles, California, where he went to the private Bel Air Town and Country School while studying classical piano early in life. During his high school days, Bruce began working with such musicians as Kim Fowley, Phil Spector, and Sandy Nelson, and soon after, he served as a back-up for the Everly Brothers, Ritchie Valens, and Eddie Cochran.
In 1962, Johnston recorded his debut album entitled “Surfers’ Pajama Party”, released by Del-Fi Records, while a year later he released “Surfin’ Round the World” under Columbia Records. In the meantime, Bruce started a collaboration with Terry Melcher, and the two of them recorded numerous songs together, but then Melcher turned to producing, and Johnston joined The Beach Boys in 1965.
Bruce replaced Glen Campbell as the band’s new bassist, and although he had never played bass before, Johnston excelled in his new role. The Beach Boys’ album “Summer Days (And Summer Nights!!)” (1965) peaked at the No. 2 on the US Billboard 200 Albums Chart and at No. 4 on UK Top 40 Albums Chart, while the single “Help Me, Rhonda” topped the US Billboard Hot 100 Singles Chart, and “California Girls” was third on the chart. Also in 1965, they released “Beach Boys’ Party!”, which reached No. 6 on the Billboard 200 Albums, and No. 3 on UK Top 40 Albums Chart, while the song “Barbara Ann” made it to 2nd on the Billboard Hot 100.
By the end of the ‘60s, The Beach Boys had recorded five more albums, three of which entered Billboard’s Top 50: “Pet Sounds” (1966), “Smiley Smile” (1967), and “Wild Honey” (1967). The early success with the band helped Johnston to increase his net worth significantly. Bruce participated on two more albums before departing to pursue a solo career, “Sunflower” (1970) and “Surf’s Up” (1971). Johnston wrote “I Write Songs” for Barry Manilow, for which he won the Grammy Award for Song of the Year, and in 1977 he released his third solo album entitled “Going Public”, under Columbia Records.
Bruce returned to The Beach Boys at Brian Wilson’s request, and the band released “L.A. (Light Album)” in 1979. In 1980, they made “Keepin’ the Summer Alive”, which reached No. 75 on Billboard 200 and No. 54 on the UK Albums Chart, and then recorded “The Beach Boys” (1985) and “Still Cruisin’” (1989). The Beach Boys had two more albums in the ‘90s: “Summer in Paradise” (1992) and “Stars and Stripes Vol. 1” (1996), while most recently, they released “That’s Why God Made the Radio’ (2012), which peaked at the No. 8 on the US Billboard 200 and No. 15 on UK Albums Chart.
Regarding his personal life, Bruce Johnston is married to Harriet Diamond and has four children with her. Johnston is a vegetarian, and currently resides in Los Angeles, California.
