What Is Butch Vig’s Net Worth?
Butch Vig is an American musician, songwriter, and record producer who has a net worth of $60 million. Vig has earned his net worth as a prolific music producer and drummer of the alternative rock band Garbage, and he produced Nirvana’s 1991 album “Nevermind,” which was certified Diamond. Since 1995, Garbage has released the studio albums “Garbage” (1995), “Version 2.0” (1998), “Beautiful Garbage” (2001), “Bleed Like Me” (2005), “Not Your Kind of People” (2012), “Strange Little Birds” (2016), and “No Gods No Masters” (2021). The band has sold more than 17 million albums. Vig has also produced albums for bands such as The Smashing Pumpkins, Sonic Youth, Soul Asylum, Jimmy Eat World, Green Day, and Foo Fighters. In 2012, “NME” magazine ranked Butch #9 on its list of “50 Of The Greatest Producers Ever.”
Early Life
Butch Vig was born Bryan David Vig on August 2, 1955, in Viroqua, Wisconsin. His father, DeVerne, was a doctor, and his mother, Betty, was a music teacher. Vig grew up with two siblings, Lisa and Chris, and he was given the nickname “Butch” during his childhood after his father gave him a crew cut. Vig spent six years studying piano, then he switched to drums after seeing The Who on “The Smothers Brothers.” Butch attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison and studied film direction. As a college student, he was a member of the bands Fire Town and Spooner.
Career
While attending the University of Wisconsin, Vig met future Garbage bandmate Steve Marker. Butch began contributing electronic music pieces to low-budget films such as “Slumber Party Massacre,” and he joined several garage pop bands. In 1979, Vig and Marker built a home studio in Steve’s basement, then they co-founded a record label, Boat Records, to release records by Spooner and other bands. The two opened Smart Studios in Madison in 1984, and they later formed the band First Person with Phil Davis. Vig and Davis also started the band Fire Town with Spooner’s Duke Erikson, and after the band released their first album, 1987’s “In the Heart of the Heart Country,” they signed with Atlantic Records. Fire Town released their second album, “The Good Life,” in 1989, but it was not a success, and the band soon split up. With Spooner, Butch released the albums “Every Corner Dance” (1982), “Wildest Dreams” (1985), and “The Fugitive Dance” (1990). As a producer, Vig worked on his first major albums in 1991, Nirvana’s “Nevermind” and The Smashing Pumpkins’ “Gish.” He would work with The Smashing Pumpkins again on 1993’s “Siamese Dream.” In 1992, he produced Sonic Youth’s “Dirty,” L7’s “Bricks are Heavy,” and Drain’s “Pick Up Heaven,” followed by the 1994 Sonic Youth album “Experimental Jet Set, Trash and No Star” and 1995’s “Let Your Dim Light Shine” (Soul Asylum) and “This Perfect World” (Freedy Johnston).
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In 1993, Butch formed Garbage with Marker and Erikson, and in 1994, Scottish singer Shirley Manson became the band’s lead vocalist. The band’s self-titled debut album was released on August 15, 1995, and it reached #20 on the “Billboard” 200 chart. The album was certified 2x Platinum in several countries and featured the singles “Vow,” “Only Happy When It Rains,” “Queer,” “Stupid Girl,” and “Milk.” Their follow-up, 1998’s “Version 2.0,” reached #1 on the charts in France, New Zealand, and the U.K., and the singles “Push It” and “I Think I’m Paranoid” were top 10 hits on the “Billboard” Modern Rock Tracks chart. The band was chosen to perform the theme song for the 1999 James Bond film “The World Is Not Enough,” then they released 2001’s “Beautiful Garbage,” which “Rolling Stone” named one of the year’s 10 best albums. Their 2005 album, “Bleed Like Me,” reached #4 on the “Billboard” 200 chart, then they went on hiatus.
Vig went back to producing albums for other bands, working on Against Me!’s “New Wave” (2006) and “White Crosses” (2010), Jimmy Eat World’s “Chase This Light” (2007), The Subways’ “All or Nothing” (2008), Tom Gabel’s “Heart Burns” (2008), and Never Shout Never’s “Harmony” (2010), and he won Grammys for Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” (2009) and Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” (2011). He also produced the 2010 Muse single “Neutron Star Collision (Love Is Forever)” for “The Twilight Saga: Eclipse: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack.” Garbage reunited in 2010 and released the album “Not Your Kind of People” in 2012, followed by “Strange Little Birds” in 2016 and “No Gods No Masters” in 2021. In 2011, Vig, Pete Anderson, Frank Anderson, and Phil Davis formed the alt-country band The Emperors of Wyoming, and they released a self-titled album in 2012. He won his third Grammy for 2013’s “Sound City: Real to Reel,” and in 2014, he produced Foo Fighters’ “Sonic Highways.” In 2017, Butch formed the band 5 Billion in Diamonds, releasing a self-titled album in 2017 and the album “Divine Accidents” in 2020. In 2019, he produced the Silversun Pickups album “Widow’s Weeds,” and he produced the “Puppy Love” soundtrack in 2021.
Personal Life
Butch married Beth Halper in 2003, and they have a daughter named Bo Violet. Beth formerly worked as an A&R executive for DreamWorks. In 2001, Vig was diagnosed with hepatitis A and was unable to tour with Garbage. The band announced the news on their website, writing, “Butch Vig was diagnosed with Hepatitis A. He is on the road to a complete recovery, getting the rest he needs, and would like to thank you all for your well wishes. However, under doctor’s orders, he will be unable to play with the band during their upcoming European shows.”
Awards and Nominations
Vig has been nominated for numerous Grammys, winning Best Rock Album for Green Day’s “21st Century Breakdown” (2010) and Foo Fighters’ “Wasting Light” (2012) and Best Compilation Soundtrack for Visual Media for “Sound City: Real To Reel” (2014). With Garbage, he earned nominations for Best New Artist (1997), Best Rock Song and Best Rock Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal for “Stupid Girl” (1997) and “Special” (2000), and Best Rock Album and Album of the Year for “Version 2.0” (1999). With Foo Fighters, Butch received an Album of the Year nomination for “Wasting Light” and Producer of the Year, Non-Classical in 2012.