Net Worth Ranker
What Is Carly Simon’s Net Worth?
Carly Simon, a prominent figure in the American music scene, has accumulated a net worth of $80 million. This substantial wealth is primarily attributed to her successful career as a singer, songwriter, musician, and children’s author.
Early Career and Breakthrough Success
Carly Simon’s journey began in the Bronx, New York City, where she was born on June 25, 1945. Her father, Richard Simon, co-founded the renowned publishing house Simon & Schuster. Growing up in the Riverdale neighborhood, Carly’s early life was marked by a severe stutter at the age of eight. This challenge led her to explore singing and songwriting as a form of expression.
After graduating from Riverdale Country School, Carly briefly attended Sarah Lawrence College before dedicating herself to a music career. She embarked on her professional journey with the Simon Sisters, a music group formed with her sister Lucy. In 1964, they signed with Kapp Records and released two albums, starting with “Meet The Simon Sisters.” The lead single, “Winkin’, Blinkin’ and Nod,” achieved minor success. Their second album, “Cuddlebug,” followed shortly after. In 1969, they recorded one more album together, “The Simon Sisters Sing the Lobster Quadrille and Other Songs for Children,” before Lucy left the group.
In 1970, Simon signed with Elektra Records as a solo artist. Her self-titled debut album, released in March 1971, featured the top-ten hit “That’s the Way I’ve Always Heard It Should Be,” which peaked at #10 on the “Billboard” charts and earned her a Grammy nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance. Her second album, “Anticipation,” came out in November of the same year. It peaked at #30, and the title track became a major hit, reaching #3 on Easy Listening Radio and #13 on the “Billboard” Pop Singles chart. It earned her a second nomination for Best Female Pop Vocal Performance at the Grammys. Carly mentioned that the single was written in just 15 minutes, as she was waiting for Cat Stevens to pick her up for a date.
The year 1972 marked a significant turning point in Simon’s career with the release of “You’re So Vain.” This iconic song reached #1 on both the U.S. Pop and Adult Contemporary charts, selling over a million copies in the United States alone. It propelled her album “No Secrets” to the top of the U.S. album charts, where it remained for five consecutive weeks. The album achieved Gold status that year and platinum by its 25th anniversary in 1997. The song received Grammy nominations for Record of the Year, Song of the Year, and Best Pop Vocal Performance. The subject of the song was shrouded in mystery, with most press speculation hinting at Mick Jagger, who sings backup vocals on the track. In 2015, Simon confirmed that the song was about Warren Beatty.
Continued Musical Success and Accolades
Following the success of “No Secrets,” Carly Simon released “Hotcakes,” which reached #3 on the “Billboard” charts and was certified gold. In 1977, she gained international recognition with “Nobody Does It Better,” the theme song for the James Bond movie “The Spy Who Loved Me.” Her album “Boys in the Trees” further solidified her success in 1978. Throughout the late 1970s, Simon contributed backup vocals to several James Taylor songs and albums.
In 1988, Carly Simon achieved a historic milestone by becoming the first artist to win a Grammy Award, Golden Globe, and Academy Award for a single song written and performed by one artist. This honor was for her song “Let the River Run” from the film “Working Girl.” She was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1994 and the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2004 for “You’re So Vain.” Over her extensive career, Carly went on to release 22 studio albums and numerous compilation albums, garnering 24 “Billboard” Hot 100 charting singles and 28 “Billboard” Adult Contemporary charting singles.
She has received two Boston Music Awards Lifetime Achievement honors and an Honorary Doctor of Music Degree from Berklee College of Music. Simon has also authored two memoirs: “Boys in the Trees: A Memoir” in 2015, focusing on her childhood and early life, and “Touched by the Sun: My Friendship with Jackie” in 2019, which recounts her friendship with former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis.
Real Estate Holdings: Martha’s Vineyard and Beyond
Carly Simon’s real estate portfolio includes a property on Martha’s Vineyard, Massachusetts, which she first visited in the early 1970s with her then-husband James Taylor, who owned a small cabin on 145 acres of the island. After her divorce from Taylor, Simon purchased her own place, which she continues to own today. The property spans more than 25 secluded acres and is currently valued at approximately $5 million based on comparable sales. Her former husband, James Taylor, still owns his property, which is about a 25-minute drive across the island.
In New York City, Simon was famously denied ownership of a unit in the Dakota building by the co-op board. However, she eventually acquired two units in the West Village, which were combined into a single residence. This property was sold in 2013 for $2.3 million, after being initially listed for $3.8 million.
Personal Life and Relationships
Carly Simon’s personal life has been marked by several notable relationships. She was briefly engaged to William Donaldson in the 1960s. From 1972 to 1983, she was married to James Taylor, with whom she has two children: Sarah Taylor and Ben Simon Taylor, both musicians and political activists. Despite sharing two children, Simon and Taylor reportedly have not seen each other or spoken since their break up in 1983.
After a brief engagement to musician Russ Kunkel, Simon married James Hart in December 1987. They divorced in 2007. Simon later began dating a surgeon named Richard Koehler, who is ten years her junior.
