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What Is Isaac Tigrett Net Worth’ Net Worth
Isaac Tigrett, an American businessman born in Jackson, Tennessee, in November 1948, has an estimated net worth of $500 million. He is primarily known as the co-founder of the Hard Rock Café and House of Blues. Tigrett’s career is marked by his innovative contributions to the restaurant and entertainment industries, blending music, memorabilia, and dining into unique experiences.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Isaac Tigrett comes from a well-to-do business family, his grandfather being a banker who developed railroads in the Deep South. Tigrett attended McCallie School in Chattanooga, Tennessee, but was expelled. He then graduated from Baylor School in Chattanooga. He is an alumnus of Centre College, where he received an honorary degree in 1997 for his promotion of African American culture and racial harmony. Tigrett’s early exposure to a diverse cultural environment and his family’s business background laid the groundwork for his entrepreneurial ventures.
Before venturing into the restaurant business, Tigrett imported used British luxury cars to the U.S. This early business endeavor provided him with the capital to start the Hard Rock Café in London.
The Hard Rock Café Era
On June 14, 1971, Isaac Tigrett, along with Peter Morton, established the first Hard Rock Café in London’s Mayfair district. They started their American-style diner in a deserted Rolls Royce dealership. The concept combined American cuisine with rock music and memorabilia, creating the first theme restaurant chain in the world. The famed logo was created by Alan Aldridge, a graphic designer for The Beatles, modeling it after the Chevrolet car hood ornament. Tigrett bought out Morton, acquiring the rights to the name in London and east of the Mississippi. The second Hard Rock Cafe was opened in Jackson, TN on January 20, 1983, followed by New York in 1984, Stockholm in 1985, and Dallas in 1986. Tigrett relaunched the Hard Rock as the world’s first “Rock & Roll Hall of Fame” on New York’s 57th Street in 1984, showcasing musical treasures donated by rock, blues, R&B, and country music icons.
Under Tigrett’s leadership as Chairman and CEO, Hard Rock achieved notable valuations in three IPOs as a public company on both the American and London Stock Exchanges. After building the Hard Rock brand for 20 years, Tigrett sold his interest auspiciously twenty years to the day he had founded the company in the United Kingdom.
Today, Hard Rock International is one of the most globally recognized companies in the world and has venues in over 74 countries, with cafes, casinos, and hotels. *Forbes* estimates HRCs present value at $12.5 billion USD.
House of Blues and Subsequent Ventures
In 1992, Tigrett co-founded the House of Blues with Dan Aykroyd, with the first location opening in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on November 26, 1992. The company was financed by Dan Aykroyd, Aerosmith, Paul Shaffer, River Phoenix, Jim Belushi, John Candy, and Harvard University, among others. The venture aimed to celebrate blues music and African American culture. However, Tigrett left the House of Blues in 1998 due to differences with other board members over operations.
Following his departure from the House of Blues, Tigrett launched The Spirit Channel in the late 1990s, focusing on spirituality and health via the Internet and traditional media, but it didn’t gain traction. In 2004, he started the Bozo Project, a restaurant business influenced by his guru, Sathya Sai Baba.
Personal Life and Philanthropy
Isaac Tigrett married Maureen Cox Starkey, the former wife of Beatles drummer Ringo Starr, in 1989. They had one daughter, Augusta King Tigrett, born on January 4, 1987, in Dallas, Texas. Maureen passed away in 1994 due to leukemia.
Beyond his business ventures, Tigrett is involved in philanthropic activities. Through his Rama Foundation of Zurich, Switzerland, he funded and built the Sri Sathya Sai Institute Of Higher Medical Sciences, a 500-bed super specialty surgical hospital in Andhra Pradesh, India. To date, 3 million patients have received state-of-the-art medical treatment completely free of cost.
Tigrett also established the House of Blues Foundation, which has provided over 1 million urban school kids with numerous music and art programs across the USA and has awarded hundreds of college scholarships in concert with public school district partners across America.
