Net Worth Ranker
What Is Vikki Carr Net Worth?
Vikki Carr, born Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona on July 19, 1940, in El Paso, Texas, has an estimated net worth of $5 million as of 2024. This wealth has been accumulated over her six-decade-long career through various avenues including album sales, live performances, and royalties.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Florencia Vicenta de Casillas-Martínez Cardona, who would become known as Vikki Carr, was raised in the San Gabriel Valley of California, the eldest of seven children. From a young age, Carr showed a passion for music, performing publicly at the age of four, singing “Adeste Fidelis” in Latin at a Christmas program. By 1958, she graduated from Rosemead High School in Rosemead, California. In 1961, Vikki Carr signed with Liberty Records, marking the beginning of her professional music career.
Her initial success came in Australia with the single “He’s a Rebel”. Producer Phil Spector heard Carr cutting the song in the studio and produced his own version with the Blossoms, which reached No. 1 in the United States. Her breakthrough in the US came with the 1967 release of “It Must Be Him,” which garnered three Grammy nominations and reached No. 3 on the Billboard Hot 100. This track sold over 1 million copies and received a gold disc. Around this time, Dean Martin called her “the best girl singer in the business”. She followed with two US Top 40 hits: 1968’s “The Lesson” and 1969’s “With Pen in Hand”. Carr had 10 singles and 13 albums that made the US pop charts.
Musical Achievements and Recognition
Carr’s career includes over 60 best-selling recordings, with success across pop, jazz, country, and Latin music genres. Her 1967 album “It Must Be Him” earned her three Grammy nominations. In 1968, Carr taped six specials for London Weekend TV. She received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1981.
In the 1980s and 1990s, Carr achieved significant success in the Latin music world. Her album “Simplemente Mujer” (1986) earned her a Grammy Award for Best Mexican-American Performance. Her 1991 hit “Cosas del Amor” spent over two months at No. 1 on the U.S. Latin charts, marking her biggest Spanish-language U.S. hit. She won Grammy Awards for Best Mexican-American Performance in 1986 for her album Simplemente Mujer, Best Latin Pop Album in 1992 for Cosas del Amor and Best Mexican-American Performance in 1995 for Recuerdo a Javier Solís. Her numerous Spanish-language hit singles include “Total”, “Discúlpame”, “Déjame”, “Hay Otro en Tu Lugar”, “Esos Hombres”, “Mala Suerte” and “Cosas del Amor”. “Cosas del Amor” spent more than two months at No. 1 on the US Latin charts in 1991, her biggest Spanish-language US hit. Her Spanish-language albums have been certified gold and platinum in Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador. She also voiced Georgette in the Latin American dub of Disney’s Oliver & Company.
She received a Lifetime Achievement Award at the 9th Annual Latin Grammy Awards in 2008, marking this occasion with a performance of “Cosas del Amor” alongside Olga Tañón and Jenni Rivera. Some of her popular songs like Total, Disculpame, Esos Hombres, Mala Suerte earned her Gold and Platinum albums in the United States, Mexico, Chile, Puerto Rico, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Colombia and Ecuador.
Television Appearances and Other Ventures
Throughout the 1970s, Vikki Carr made frequent appearances on various television programs, including “The Bing Crosby Show” and “The Carol Burnett Show”. In 1970, she was named “Woman of the Year” by the Los Angeles Times. A favorite of Johnny Carson, she appeared more than 30 times on The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson, even hosting on occasion. Carr also appeared to great acclaim in a 2002 Los Angeles production of the Stephen Sondheim musical Follies. She was the first female to regularly guest host on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.”
She also achieved the rare feat of singing for five U.S. presidents: Richard Nixon, Gerald Ford, Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush, and Bill Clinton. In 1966, Carr toured South Vietnam with actor/comedian Danny Kaye to entertain American troops. She also performed for England’s Queen Elizabeth II at a Royal Command Performance at London’s Royal Albert Hall.
Philanthropic Efforts and Legacy
Beyond her musical accomplishments, Vikki Carr is a dedicated philanthropist. In 1971, she established the Vikki Carr Scholarship Foundation, providing college scholarships to Hispanic students in California and Texas. As of 2025, the foundation has awarded over 280 scholarships, totaling more than $250,000. For 22 years, she hosted benefit concerts to support Holy Cross of San Antonio Middle and High School in San Antonio, Texas.
She also devotes time to charities including the United Way, the American Lung Association, the Muscular Dystrophy Association, and St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. She joined local Sun City artists for the CommUNITY en Acción El Paso Strong benefit concert, donating the proceeds to the El Paso Victims Relief Fund.
Personal Life
Carr has been married three times. Her first marriage was to producer and entertainment attorney Dann Moss, followed by a marriage to paint company executive Michael Nilsson. In 1993, she married San Antonio physician Pedro De Leon, who remained her husband until his passing in 2019.
