Peter Lawrence Buck was born on 6 December 1956, in Berkeley, California USA, and is a musician, songwriter and record producer, best known as a co-founder and lead guitarist of the band R.E.M.
So just how rich is Peter Buck? According to sources, Buck has accumulated a net worth of over $50 million, as of mid-2016, acquired during his music career which began in the early ’80s.
Peter Buck (REM) Net Worth $50 Million
During his childhood years, Buck’s family moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he attended Crestwood High School. Upon matriculating in 1975, he enrolled in Emory University, then transferred to Athens, Georgia, to attend the University of Georgia, but which he left without graduating.
Later, working at Athens’ Wuxtry Records store, Buck met musicians Michael Stipe, Mike Mills and Bill Berry, with whom he formed the alternative rock band called R.E.M. in 1980, with Buck serving as the lead guitarist, Stipe as the lead vocalist, Mills as bassist and backing vocalist and Berry as the drummer. In 1981 the band signed with a small label, Hib-Tone and released their debut single “Radio Free Europe”, receiving critical acclaim. The following year they signed with I.R.S. Records, releasing their EP “Chronic Time”. The band went on to release five albums under I.R.S., “Murmur”, “Reckoning”, “Fables of the Reconstruction” and “Lifes Rich Pageant”, all of them achieving decent chart success and making a huge splash in the college radio circuit. Their 1987 album “Document” was the band’s commercial breakthrough, containing a Top Ten hit “The One I Love”. Peter’s net worth was on the rise.
In 1987 R.E.M. signed with Warner Bros. Records and released the album “Green”, which sold over four million copies. Following the Green Tour, the band released their 1990 album “Out of Time”, which won three of its seven Grammy Award nominations, with singles “Losing My Religion” and “Shiny Happy People” becoming worldwide hits. The top-charting album “Automatic for the People” followed in 1992, containing the hits “Drive”, “Man on the Moon” and “Everybody Hurts”, and selling over 15 million copies. The band was gaining international popularity, and Buck’s net worth was boosted.
R.E.M.’s next two albums “Monster” and “New Adventures on Hi-Fi” both dominated the charts, however, their later albums “Up” and “Reveal” didn’t follow that success. Their thirteenth album, the 2004 “Around the Sun”, became a #1 hit in the UK, but, it was the band’s first album to miss the U.S. Top 10. Although R.E.M.’s success improved with their 2008 album “Accelerate” and the 2010 “Collapse into Now”, the group decided to disband in 2011.
In 2012 Buck went on with his solo career, signing with Mississippi Records and releasing two vinyl-only albums: the 2012 “Peter Buck” and the 2014 “I Am Back to Blow Your Mind Once Again”. His most recent album was the 2015 “Warzone Earth”, released under Little Axe Records. All have added to Buck’s wealth.
Aside from R.E.M., Buck has also formed and been a member of a number of other side-project groups, such as Hindu Love Gods, The Minus 5, Tuatara, the Venus 3, The Baseball Project and Robyn Hitchcock, without conspicuous success.
As a record producer, he has released numerous records, including the ones by Uncle Tupelo, Vigilantes of Love, Dreams So Real, The Fleshtones, The Feelies and The Jayhawks. He has also contributed to albums of various other musicians, such as The Replacements, Billy Bragg, The Decemberists and Robyn Hitchcock.
In his personal life, Buck was married to an Athens’ club owner Barrie Buck(1987-94). After their divorce, he married Stephanie Dorgan(1995-2007), with whom he has two children. Since 2013, he has been married to Chloe Johnson. In 2001 the musician was involved in an airline incident. Reportedly, during a flight to London, he behaved in an extremely bizarre manner, which resulted in two charges of common assault on the flight attendants. The trial ended with Buck being cleared on the grounds of non-insane automatism.
Throughout his career with R.E.M., Buck has been involved in charity, such as raising funds for environmental, feminist and human rights causes, and campaigns encouraging voter registration. During his solo carrer, he launched a charitable festival Todos Santos Music Festival, which has been held regularly over the years.
