Gerry Beckley Net Worth

What is Gerry Beckley's Net Worth?

Gerry Beckley is an award-winning American singer, songwriter, and musician who has a net worth of $12 million. Gerry Beckley is best known for being a founding member of the British-American rock band America, which shot straight to the top of the Billboard chart with its debut album and remained in that position for five weeks. The album's track "A Horse With No Name" – the band's most famous song – spent three weeks at the top of the chart and became a worldwide hit. Beckley is also known for his collaborations with musical artists such as the Beach Boys' Carl Wilson and his solo work, including his 2024 album "True to Form," on which he produced, arranged, engineered, mixed, and played almost all the instruments.

Early Years

Gerald Linford Beckley, professionally known as Gerry Beckley, was born in Fort Worth, Texas, on September 12, 1952. When he was 15, his father, Col. R.E. Beckley, became a commander at the United States Air Force base in West Ruislip, and the family relocated to England – his mother's birthplace.

At the age of three, Gerry began playing the piano. A few years later, he began playing the guitar.

He attended London Central High School – a United States Department of Defense Dependents School – in northwest London, where he was classmates with Dan Peek and Dewy Bunnell. The three boys formed a band – America – and began playing in local teen clubs on weekends.

America

The British rock band America was formed in London in 1970 by a trio of American students in England – Gerry Beckley, Dewey Bunnell, and Dan Peek – all sons of United States Air Force personnel. Beckley played bass, electric guitar, chimes, and piano and sang lead and backing vocals. Bunnell played acoustic guitar and sang lead and backing vocals. Peek played acoustic guitar, electric guitar, bass, and piano and sang lead and backing vocals.

After signing a record deal with Warner Bros. Records in 1971, they released their self-titled debut album, which contained the song "A Horse With No Name." The song became a worldwide hit and spent three weeks at the top of the Billboard singles chart. The album stayed at the top of the charts for five weeks and was certified platinum.

In an interview with ASZ TV in February 2022, Beckley recalled that fame came like "like a rocket ship." While most bands and musicians had to struggle for years through failed albums and unsuccessful attempts at success, America wasn't bound for the same fate. "It took off," Beckley said. "And luckily, we held on tight enough to not fall off."

As the band's success swelled, Warner Bros. Records ordered them back to the United States to prepare for a tour. They moved into the Beverly Hills home of record executive David Geffen. Beckley recalled how quickly their lifestyles changed and remembered the anxiety that came with knowing how high expectations were for their ensuing albums.

Seventeen albums followed their successful debut, including "Homecoming," which peaked on the Billboard 200 chart at number three in 1972; "Holiday," which contained the number-one song "Tin Man" in 1974; and "Hearts," which contained the number-one song "Sister Golden Hair"—written and sung by Gerry—in 1975.

Dan Peek – who had a history of abusing drugs and alcohol – left the band in 1977 after becoming deeply involved in religion and feeling the need to escape from the sex, drugs, and non-stop travel involved in the rock and roll lifestyle. As a born-again Christian, he began to record gospel music.

America's 1982 track "You Can Do Magic" from their album "View From the Ground" reached number three on the US Radio & Records chart. Their 17th album, "Back Pages," was released two days after Peek's sudden death – caused by uremic pericarditis – on July 24, 2011. Their final album, "Lost & Found" – containing material recorded between 2000 and 2011 – was released in 2015. Although the band released no further albums, they continued to tour and perform live. In 2024, Gerry announced that he would cease touring with the band, although he was committed to remaining a member.

America won a Grammy Award for Best New Artist in 1973 and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2012.

In 2024, the documentary "I Need You: 53 Years of the Band America" was released. Directed by David Breschel and Dustin Elm, the film looks back over 53 years on the road and over 5,000 performances. Viewers are given a backstage look at the band as Gerry Buckley and Dewey Bunnell say goodbye to the half-century they spent together.

Going Solo

Gerry Beckley released his first solo album, "Van Go Gan" in 1995. Ten additional solo albums followed, including "Go Man Go" in 2000, "Horizontal Fall" in 2006, "Carousel" in 2016, and "True to Form" in 2024. His 2024 track "Amnesia" was ranked as one of the year's top songs by the music memorabilia publication Gold Mine Magazine.

Collaborations

Gerry Beckley has collaborated with American actor and musician David Cassidy on several of Cassidy's albums. He has also collaborated as a trio with American musician Carl Wilson of Beach Boys fame and American musician Robert Lamm of the band Chicago. Beckley and Lamm released the album "Like a Brother" in 2000, two years after Wilson succumbed to lung cancer. It was his final recording. Beckley wrote two tracks on the album; "Watching the Time" and "Sheltering Sky." He sang lead vocals on the tracks "Watching the Time" and "Without Her."

Other musicians Beckley has also collaborated with include English singer and songwriter Dave Mason, American guitarist and singer Jeffrey Foskett, and Canadian musician, songwriter, and singer Rick Danko.

Film

Gerry Beckley appeared in the 1990 teen musical comedy "Cry-Baby" as a member of the band Baldwin and the Whiffles. He appears on the film's soundtrack, singing the tracks "Sh Boom" and "Mister Sandman."

Philanthropy

On January 30, 2025, Gerry Beckley participated in FIREaid, a double-venue concert in Inglewood, California, organized to raise funds for those affected by the January 2025 Southern California wildfires.

Personal Life

Gerry Beckley and his first wife, Eleanor, divorced in 1982 after four years of marriage. He and his second wife, Kathy, have two children: Matthew, born in 1938, and Joe, born in 1992. Beckley's third wife, Sally, is from Australia, and the couple has a home there as well as one in California. Gerry's son Matthew is a record producer who has produced tracks for musical artists such as Avril Lavigne, while his son Joe is a photographer.

Real Estate

In April 2015, Gerry paid $3.256 million for a home in Sherman Oaks, California. He listed the home for sale in January 2025 for $3.179 million.