Nick Cave Net Worth

What is Nick Cave's Net Worth?

Nick Cave is an Australian musician, author, director, performer, and composer with a net worth of $8 million. He is best known as the frontman of Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds. Before that, he led the post-punk band the Birthday Party. Cave has also ventured into film, writing screenplays and collaborating with Warren Ellis on composing scores for films such as 'The Proposition,' 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,' and 'Blonde.'

Early Life and Education

Nick Cave was born on September 22, 1957, in Victoria, Australia. His mother, Dawn, was a high school librarian, and his father, Colin, taught English and math. Through his father's influence, he developed a love for literature. Inspired by his older brother, he became fond of progressive rock music. Despite getting expelled at age 13 from Wangaratta High School, he continued his education at Caulfield Grammar School in Melbourne. He briefly studied painting at Caulfield Institute of Technology before dropping out. At 21, after being arrested for burglary, he discovered his father had died in a car crash.

The Birthday Party

In 1973, Cave and five schoolmates from Caulfield Grammar School formed a band. Initially a cover band, they evolved into the Boys Next Door, playing original music. A cornerstone of the post-punk scene in Melbourne, they became infamous for provocative performances after relocating to London in 1980 and rebranding as the Birthday Party. The band disbanded in 1983.

Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds

After the Birthday Party disbanded, Cave formed Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds with Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld. Known for blending blues, gothic rock, and post-punk, the band gained acclaim in the 1980s and 90s. Key albums include 'From Her to Eternity,' 'The Firstborn is Dead,' 'Tender Prey,' and 'The Good Son.' By the late 1990s and early 2000s, they achieved mainstream success with albums like 'Murder Ballads' and 'The Boatman's Call.' Following the departure of founding member Blixa Bargeld, the band adopted electronic and ambient styles for albums like 'Push the Sky Away,' 'Skeleton Tree,' and 'Ghosteen,' the latter influenced by the death of Cave's son Arthur.

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Grinderman

In 2006, Cave formed Grinderman with Warren Ellis, Martyn P. Casey, and Jim Sclavunos. The band released two albums, 'Grinderman' (2007) and 'Grinderman 2' (2010). Although they officially disbanded in 2011, they reunited briefly for a performance at the 2013 Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival.

Film Scores

Cave and Warren Ellis have composed scores for multiple films, starting with John Hillcoat's 2005 film 'The Proposition.' They continued with Andrew Dominik's 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,' 'The Road,' 'Lawless,' 'Hell or High Water,' 'Wind River,' and 'Blonde.' They have also scored documentaries including 'West of Memphis' and 'Prophet's Prey.'

Other Musical Collaborations

Cave has collaborated with many artists, including the Go-Betweens, Lydia Lunch, Die Haut, Johnny Cash, Shane MacGowan, Marianne Faithfull, Kylie Minogue, and Debbie Harry. Additionally, he has written librettos for Nicholas Lens's operas 'Shell Shock' and 'L.I.T.A.N.I.E.S.'

Books and Screenplays

Cave has authored various books, including 'King Ink' and novels like 'And the Ass Saw the Angel' and 'The Death of Bunny Munro.' As a screenwriter, he wrote the screenplays for 'The Proposition' and 'Lawless,' both directed by John Hillcoat.

Personal Life

From the late 1970s to mid-80s, Cave was in a relationship with Anita Lane. He later married Brazilian journalist Viviane Carneiro in 1990, with whom he had a son named Luke. They divorced in 1996. He also has a son named Jethro, who passed away in 2022. In the mid-90s, Cave dated singer-songwriter PJ Harvey. He met British model Susie Bick, whom he married in 1999. They had twin sons, Arthur and Earl. Arthur died in 2015 after an accidental fall from a cliff near Brighton, England.