What is Sully Erna's Net Worth?
Sully Erna is a singer-songwriter and musician who has a net worth of $6 million. Sully Erna is best known as the co-founder and frontman of the rock band Godsmack. With the band, he had three consecutive number-one albums on the Billboard 200 with "Faceless," "IV," and "The Oracle." Erna also has a career as a solo artist, having released such albums as "Avalon" and "Hometown Life."
Early Life
Sully Erna was born as Salvatore Erna Jr. on February 7, 1968 in Lawrence, Massachusetts to an Italian immigrant trumpeter father. He got into music early on in life, playing the drums from the age of three. Finding it was easier to listen to music and play it back than read sheet music, Erna practiced at home by rehearsing to records by such artists as Led Zeppelin and Rush.
Strip Mind
Erna signed his first record deal in 1993 with the band Strip Mind. The band's debut album was "What's in Your Mouth." Due to tensions within the group, Erna was soon kicked out of Strip Mind.
Godsmack
In early 1995, after leaving Strip Mind, Erna decided to start a new band. With bassist Robbie Merrill, guitarist Lee Richards, and drummer Tommy Stewart, he formed the Scam, which very soon became Godsmack. In 1996, Richards left and Tony Rombola stepped in. The band performed at bars in Boston and throughout the New England area before self-releasing its debut album, "All Wound Up…," in early 1997. After signing with Universal Records and Republic Records the following year, Godsmack released a remixed, self-titled version of the album. The band's next album was "Awake," which came out on Halloween in 2000; it debuted at number five on the Billboard 200. Godsmack had its biggest commercial hit yet with 2003's "Faceless," which debuted at number one on the Billboard 200. After releasing the acoustic EP "The Other Side" in 2004, the band had another number-one album with 2006's "IV." Godsmack notched a third consecutive number-one album on the Billboard 200 with "The Oracle," which came out in 2010. The band's subsequent album, 2014's "1000hp," debuted at number three on the chart. Next came "When Legends Rise" in 2018. Godsmack released its final studio album, "Lighting Up the Sky," in 2023.
During Godsmack concerts, Erna is known to play the bongos and a large drum set, staging a drumming duel with Shannon Larkin dubbed "Batalla de los Tambores." The duel is considered a staple of the band's live performances. Additionally, Erna often plays the harmonica at live shows. Among its many tours and festivals, Godsmack has toured with Ozzfest. In terms of its accolades, the band received four Grammy Award nominations between 2001 and 2004 for the songs "Vampires," "I Stand Alone," and "Straight Out of Line."
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Solo Career
Erna embarked on a solo career in the early 00s, performing Godsmack tracks, new original tunes, and cover songs in performances across the country. After a nearly seven-year period of production and postproduction, he finally released his debut solo album, "Avalon," in 2010. Departing significantly from Godsmack's sound, the album features Native American tribal rhythms and bluesy vocals along with eclectic instrumentation. In 2016, Erna released his second solo album, "Hometown Life."
Television and Film Appearances
Erna has made several appearances both on television and film. Close friends with magician and musician Criss Angel, he has shown up in several episodes of the reality television series "Criss Angel Mindfreak." Erna has also appeared in the mockumentary film "Pauly Shore is Dead" and the biographical boxing film "Bleed for This," as well as in an episode of the FX television series "Dirt." Elsewhere, he has participated in multiple World Series of Poker main events, including in 2006, 2009, and 2013.
(Photo by Olly Curtis/Total Guitar Magazine/Future via Getty Images)
Car Crash
One evening in 2007, Erna was involved in a three-car chain-reaction car crash in Methuen, Massachusetts. His vehicle and two others collided at an intersection, leaving one passenger, a young woman named Lindsay Taylor, in a coma with a traumatic brain injury. She later sued, and a settlement was reached in 2010.
Personal Life
Previously, Erna was engaged to his longtime girlfriend Jennifer Cabezon. After they broke up, he married Joanna Wortham in 2014. Sully has a daughter named Skylar.
