What is John Petrucci's Net Worth?
John Petrucci is a guitarist, songwriter, and record producer who has a net worth of $10 million. John Petrucci is best known as a founding member of the progressive metal band Dream Theater. He has produced or co-produced all of the band's albums since 1999's "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory," and has written many of the band's songs. Beyond Dream Theater, Petrucci has released albums as part of the supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment, and has also released the solo albums "Suspended Animation" and "Terminal Velocity."
Early Life and Education
John Petrucci was born on July 12, 1967 in Kings Park, New York into an Italian-American family. He began playing the guitar at an early age, and started practicing six hours a day when it grew into his passion. Petrucci was heavily inspired by such rock bands as Led Zeppelin, AC/DC, and Black Sabbath, and later on by Rush, Iron Maiden, and Metallica, among others.
Dream Theater
While attending Boston's Berklee College of Music, Petrucci and his childhood friend John Myung, a bassist, met drummer Mike Portnoy. Together, they formed the progressive metal band Majesty, before changing the name to Dream Theater. The three young men subsequently dropped out of college to focus on their music. They released their first album as Dream Theater, entitled "When Dream and Day Unite," in 1989. The band followed that with its bestselling album, 1992's "Images and Words," which peaked at number 61 on the Billboard 200. More success came with "Awake" in 1994. Dream Theater's subsequent albums were "Falling into Infinity," "Metropolis Pt. 2: Scenes from a Memory," "Six Degrees of Inner Turbulence," and "Train of Thought." In 2005, the band released "Octavarium," and in 2007 released "Systematic Chaos." Dream Theater achieved its highest-charting album on the Billboard 200 with 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings," which reached number six. Incidentally, that was the group's final album before Portnoy's departure in 2010.
After Portnoy left Dream Theater, Mike Mangini took over as drummer. The band went on to release "A Dramatic Turn of Events" in 2011. Peaking at number eight on the Billboard 200, the album earned Dream Theater its first-ever Grammy Award nomination, for Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance for the track "On the Backs of Angels." The band earned another nomination in the same category for "The Enemy Inside," which was the lead single from its self-titled 2013 album. Dream Theater went on to have further success with its 2016 concept album "The Astonishing." Subsequent albums have included 2019's "Distance Over Time" and 2021's "A View from the Top of the World." Throughout its existence, Dream Theater has sold millions of records worldwide and received multiple Gold and Platinum album certifications from the RIAA. The group is widely regarded as one of the "big three" bands of the progressive metal genre, alongside Fates Warning and Queensrÿche.
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Liquid Tension Experiment
In 1997, Petrucci joined the progressive metal supergroup Liquid Tension Experiment, which was founded by his Dream Theater band mate Mike Portnoy. The other members of the group were Jordan Rudess and Tony Levin. Liquid Tension Experiment released its self-titled debut album in 1998, followed by a sequel in 1999. The band released its third studio album much later, in the spring of 2021.
Solo Career
Petrucci released his first solo album, "Suspended Animation," in 2005. He didn't release a follow-up until the summer of 2020, with "Terminal Velocity." That album features his Dream Theater band mate Mike Portnoy on drums.
Other Musical Activities
In 2000, Petrucci released a collaborative album with his Dream Theater band mate Jordan Rudess entitled "An Evening with John Petrucci and Jordan Rudess." The album features the duo's live recording at the Helen Hayes Performing Arts Center in Nyack, New York.
Among his other musical projects, Petrucci has toured multiple times on Joe Satriani's popular G3 tour. He first appeared on the tour in 2001, and returned in 2005, 2006, 2007, 2012, and 2018. On the tour, Petrucci has been joined by such artists as Paul Gilbert, Dave LaRue, and Mike Mangini.
Personal Life
With his wife Rena Sands, Petrucci has three children named Samantha, Renato, and Kiara. The couple lives in St. James, New York. When he's not involved with his music, Petrucci devotes much of his time to weight training.
