What is Nick Rhodes' Net Worth?
Nick Rhodes is an English musician who has a net worth of $60 million. Nick Rhodes is best-known for being a founding member and keyboardist for the new wave sensation Duran Duran. The band name, Duran Duran, came from the villain Dr. Durand Durand in Roger Vadium's 1968 sci-fi cult classic "Barbarella", which starred actress Jane Fonda. The only continuous member of the group, he has helped record such albums as "Rio," "Notorious," "Big Thing," "Paper Gods," and "Future Past." Outside of Duran Duran, Rhodes has performed as part of the bands Arcadia, the Devils, and TV Mania.
Early Life
Nick Rhodes was born as Nicholas James Bates on June 8, 1962 in Birmingham, England as the only child of wealthy toy shop-owning parents. He was educated at Woodrush High School in Wythall, but left when he was 16 to pursue a music career.
Duran Duran
After dropping out of high school in 1978, Rhodes founded the band Duran Duran with his childhood friend John Taylor and Taylor's art school friend Stephen Duffy. The boys named the group after Dr. Durand Durand, a character from the science-fiction film "Barbarella." Rhodes performed on keyboards, Taylor contributed guitar and vocals, and Duffy did bass and vocals. Duran Duran soon added Simon Colley on bass and clarinet; however, he and Duffy both left not long after in June of 1979. Eventually, after some more personnel changes, the band settled on its official lineup with Simon Le Bon as the lead vocalist, Roger Taylor as the drummer, and Andy Taylor as guitarist.
Duran Duran went on to release its self-titled debut album in 1981. The band followed it up the next year with "Rio," which spawned the hit singles "Hungry Like the Wolf" and the title track. Duran Duran subsequently released "Seven and the Ragged Tiger," a critically despised album that nevertheless was a major commercial success, reaching number one in the UK and number eight in the US. The group continued its commercial success with 1986's "Notorious" and 1988's "Big Thing."
In 1990, Duran Duran released its sixth studio album, "Liberty," which made it to number eight in the UK. The band had a bigger hit in 1993 with its second self-titled album, which peaked inside the top ten in both the US and UK and launched the hit singles "Ordinary World" and "Come Undone." Subsequent albums were "Thank You" and "Medazzaland," the latter of which didn't receive a physical release in Europe until 2022. Duran Duran's albums in the 21st century have included "Pop Trash," "Astronaut," "Red Carpet Massacre," "All You Need is Now," "Paper Gods," and "Future Past."
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Side Projects
Rhodes has performed with a number of side projects outside of Duran Duran. In 1985, he formed the band Arcadia with fellow Duran Duran members Simon Le Bon and Roger Taylor. Arcadia released a single album, "So Red the Rose," which spawned the hit single "Election Day." The band ultimately broke up in 1986. Later, in 1995, Rhodes formed the electronic band TV Mania with Duran Duran guitarist Warren Cuccurullo. The band recorded the album "Bored with Prozac and the Internet?," which was presumed to be lost until it was released in 2013. Among his other side projects, Rhodes reunited with former Duran Duran vocalist Stephen Duffy in 1999 to form the electronic band the Devils. They released the album "Dark Circles," based on some early Duran Duran music Rhodes and Duffy had written together.
Style
With Duran Duran, Rhodes was known for his experimentation with analog synthesizers, which resulted in distinctive warbling, stabbing, and string sounds on certain tracks. Such idiosyncratic contributions are especially pronounced on such songs as "Come Undone," "Save a Prayer," and the James Bond theme song "A View to a Kill."
In addition to his unique instrumentations, Rhodes had a frequently flamboyant visual style characterized by heavy makeup and vivid, variable hair color. His penchant for flashy imagery drove his efforts to make Duran Duran's music videos stand out even before the advent of MTV.
Record Producing
Rhodes served as a co-producer on many of Duran Duran's later albums. He also produced or co-produced various songs by other artists, including Kajagoogoo's debut single "Too Shy," nine tracks from the Dandy Warhols' album "Welcome to the Monkey House," and the debut EP of Riviera F.
Personal Life
In August of 1984, Rhodes married heiress Julie Anne Friedman, whom he had met a couple years earlier at a yacht party while on tour with Duran Duran. The pair had a daughter named Tatjana Lee Orchid before divorcing in 1992. Although he has had a number of romantic relationships since then, Rhodes has never remarried.
Rhodes resides in central London. In 2011, he received an honorary doctoral degree from the University of Bedfordshire for his services to music.
