What is Michael Anthony's Net Worth?
Michael Anthony is an American musician who has a net worth of $50 million. Michael Anthony earned his fortune and fame as a singer and bass guitar player for the band Van Halen. Michael Anthony met guitarist Eddie Van Halen while both were students at Pasadena City College, where he was pursuing an Associate's Degree in Music. He auditioned to be the bassist in the Van Halen brothers' band Mammoth, which in 1974 became known as Van Halen with Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, David Lee Roth, and Anthony as members. Van Halen experienced phenomenal success, and Anthony was a member of the band in some capacity for 30 years, from 1976 to 2006 (though he technically departed after their 2004 reunion tour). Anthony is a founding member and the bassist and backing vocalist for the band Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Joe Satriani. The band released its first studio album in Europe on June 5, 2009. Anthony has been married to his wife, Sue, since 1981. They met while students at Arcadia High School, and they have two daughters. Anthony and his family live in Newport Beach, California.
Early Life
Michael Anthony was born on June 20, 1954, in Chicago, Illinois. The family later moved to California in 1966. Anthony attended Dana Junior High School in Arcadia, California, from 1967 to 1969. He developed an interest in music from a young age, as his father played the trumpet. He also began playing the trumpet and joined the marching band at Dana Junior High School. He also ran track and played in the catcher position in baseball but discontinued sports in order to focus on music in high school. During this time, he began playing guitar and bass. He graduated from Arcadia High School in 1972. He later attended Pasadena City College, where he majored in music.
Early Bands
Anthony was in a number of bands before joining Van Halen. His first band was called Poverty's Children. He was also in Black Opal, Balls, and Snake. The last band he was in before Van Halen was the three-person group Snake, which featured Anthony on lead vocals and bass guitar. The band covered songs from ZZ Top, Lynyrd Skynyrd, and Foghat, in addition to playing some original songs. Snake once opened for the band Mammoth, to which the Van Halen brothers belonged before creating Van Halen.
Van Halen
While at Pasadena City College, Anthony met Eddie Van Halen, who was also a student there. Van Halen's band, Mammoth, had recently lost their bass player, and Anthony auditioned as a replacement. He was accepted into the band, which reformed in 1974 to be called Van Halen. It included Anthony, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and David Lee Roth.
Van Halen, the band, was signed to Warner Bros. in 1977 after creating a 29-track demo that was produced by Kiss's Gene Simmons. The band released their self-titled debut album on February 10, 1978. Over the next two decades, Van Halen released a total of eleven studio albums, one live album, and two greatest hits compilations during Anthony's tenure with the band.
From his beginnings with the band until 1984, Anthony was a 20% member of all debts and profits. The other three members of the band also got 20%, and their manager, Noel Monk, got the remaining 20%. However, after tensions rose in 1984, the Van Halen brothers and Roth insisted that Anthony sign away all future songwriting credits and royalties, which he agreed to do.
Around 1996, rumors began periodically surfacing that Anthony had been fired from Van Halen. However, Anthony, in reality, continued working with the band though in a diminished role. His involvement with the recording of the 1998 album "Van Halen III" was much less than in previous albums. He played bass on only three songs, while Eddie Van Halen played on the remainder. He joined the band on their 1998 tour and also participated in the various reunion efforts throughout the early 2000s after Roth's departure from the band. After the 2004 reunion tour, he officially left the band.
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After Van Halen
During these final years with Van Halen, Anthony began working on other projects. In 1998, he produced a demo for his brother's band, Asylum Suite. He also began to make periodic appearances with Sammy Hagar, who had also been in Van Halen during his solo tours. He often played as part of both the Waboritas and Los Tres Gusanos, two of Hagar's bands. During the 2002 tour featuring Roth and Sammy Hagar, Anthony made guest appearances at concerts.
In 2002, Anthony, Hagar, Neal Schon, Deen Castronovo, and Joe Satriani formed the supergroup Planet Us. The group recorded two songs, including the track "Psycho Vertigo." The group ultimately dissolved. After leaving Van Halen in 2004, Anthony spent the summer of 2006 touring as a member of the Other Half along with Sammy Hagar. The duo performed classic Van Halen songs from both the Roth and Hagar periods of Van Halen.
In March of 2007, Van Halen was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Anthony and Hagar were the only members, former or current, of the band to appear at the ceremony as Eddie Van Halen was in rehab, and both Alex Van Halen and David Lee Roth declined to appear.
In 2009, Anthony became a founding member, bassist, and backing vocalist for the band Chickenfoot with Sammy Hagar, Red Hot Chili Peppers drummer Chad Smith, and guitarist Joe Satriani. The band released their first solo studio album in Europe on June 5, 2009. It was released in North America a few days later. In 2011, they released their second album, "Chickenfoot III."
In 2014, Anthony joined the supergroup Sammy Hagar and the Circle. It also features Hagar, guitarist Vic Johnson, and Drummer Jason Bonham.
(Photo by Paul Natkin/Getty Images)
Personal Life
While a student at Arcadia High School, Anthony met Sue Hendry. They later began dating and were married in 1981. They had a daughter, Elisha, in 1985 and another daughter, Taylor, in 1992. Anthony and his family live in Newport Beach, California. He enjoys classic cars and motorcycles and often attends car shows in the area and is sometimes seen in televised interviews discussing this hobby. Anthony never fell into the hard-partying and drug lifestyle typically associated with rock and roll bands.
Real Estate
In 2012, Michael paid $2.865 million for a waterfront home in Newport Beach, California.
Michael previously owned a home in Glendora, California. He sold this home in October 2011 for $1.77 million. He continues to own a modest property in Glendora.
