James Hetfield is a name that is recognized all over the world, among young and old, fans or haters.
He is considered to be one of the godfathers of metal, and has earned his place in the metal hall of fame long time ago.
Let’s talk a bit about this living legend, and see where it all started and where he is today.
The Duo That Started It All
At the age of 14, James Alan Hetfied from peaceful Downey, California realized that his true passion is music, and that there is nothing else he wanted to do in life more than play rock and live that unpredictable and exciting lifestyle.
In 1981 Hetfield and Lars Ulrich co-founded Metallica, neither of them knowing just how important their band is going to become, and how many people it will end up influencing all around the world.
While everyone in the band, all of its members past and present, is a talented musician, Hetfield stands out for unique voice and singing style. If he was to sing a tune from something as insignificant as your regular TV commercial, you would instantly know that Hetfield is behind the microphone.
Combined with solid guitar skills and imagination necessary to come up with what are some of the most iconic riffs known to man, James Hetfield helped Metallica grow in popularity at a very fast pace.
Rise To Fame
Once they’ve become popular, Metallica began riding that wave and producing music that was just unparalleled at the time. Before they knew it, they were booking shows all over the country with a significant fan base forming in just about any country that had access to a radio. They were no longer a small town band, they were well on their way to become the legends we know them to be today.
As the gigs kept lining up, the band started earning some serious money. Records were selling great and almost every next one they published was accepted as well or better than the last one.
Just How Much Is James Hetfield Worth?
By the time this article was written, James Hetfield was worth around $220 million. That is a fairly large net worth for a musician whose genre of music is generally considered not to be profitable. This sum is the result of hard work, a lot of touring and 13 very successful albums which brought him and Metallica 9 Grammys in total.
When you think about it, he is worth more than most musicians who write music that belongs to far more popular genres, with a much larger fan base to reach.
If by any chance you’re wondering how come he didn’t earn more, keep in mind that all of the earnings made by Metallica were divided among the band members and the rest of their decently large crew.
The remainder of Metallica members also live very comfortably. For example, Lars Ulrich, the other co-founder of Metallica is also worth around $220 million. That tells just how close the band members are and how little the pay gap is between them.
What Is Next For Hetfield?
The 52 years old frontman of Metallica is still writing music and working on new material for the band. He has since expanded his horizons to include other interests. Music production is something that comes natural to most experienced musicians, so it’s no wonder that Hetfield got involved in that quite early in his career.
He is mostly responsible for the evolution of Metallica’s sound over the years, which was pretty noticeable. What began as an above average trash metal band, is now one of the best sounding bands with the ability to express themselves likes of which you will rarely find these days.
On a different note, he is also been dwelling into film territory. The way he expresses himself through music is bound to yield similarly awesome results on film as well. Hetfield has done some acting, and is trying to develop his film production skills as well.
If his previous track record is any indication of things to come, you can rest assured that the great Hetfield has a lot more great things in store for use.
