Jason Newsted

Quick Facts

Jason Newsted’s net worth

Jason Newsted is a musician from the United States with a net worth of $60 million. He is most recognized for his work with Metallica on bass guitar. He was also a member of the bands Voivod and Flotsam and Jetsam. After original bassist Cliff Burton died in a bus accident in 1986, Newsted joined Metallica and remained a member until 2001, becoming him the band’s longest-serving bassist to that date. He continued with his project Echobrain after leaving Metallica, played with Ozzy Osbourne, then joined heavy metal band Voivod. Newsted goes by the moniker Jasonic, which is both his Voivod persona and the name of his music publishing organization. He is also the founder of the California-based Chophouse Records studio and label.

Early Years

Jason Newsted was born in Battle Creek, Michigan on March 4, 1963. Jason’s first instrument was the guitar, which he began playing at the age of nine. After hearing Gene Simmons of Kiss, he switched to bass at the age of 14. Newsted credits Black Sabbath’s Geezer Butler as a key inspiration, as well as Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister, Iron Maiden’s Steve Harris, Accept’s Peter Baltes, Rush’s Geddy Lee, Ted Nugent’s Rob Grange, and Montrose’s Bill Church.

Metallica

Cliff Burton, Metallica’s first bassist, died in a tour bus crash on September 27, 1986. For his replacement, more than 50 bassists auditioned. Jason was the very last person to audition and was ultimately chosen for the job. He was solely a hired session musician for the six months. In April 1987, he was formally welcomed into the organization as a full member.

Between 1986 and 2001, Jason was a member of Metallica at the height of their commercial success. He appeared on many of the band’s classic albums, including “…And Justice for All,” “Metallica” (aka the Black Album), “Load,” and “Reload.”

Three prominent Metallica songs were co-written by Jason Newsted: “Blackened,” “My Friend of Misery,” and “Where the Wild Things Are.”

Royalties on Black Albums

The album “Metallica,” often known as “the Black Album,” was certified 16 times platinum in 1991. The album has been so popular that it has long been speculated that Jason and the other Metallica members could live quite comfortably on the annual earnings from the Black Album alone. Even though it is 30 years old, it is said to still sell 5,000 copies every week.

Following Metallica

Jason quit Metallica in 2001 after becoming dissatisfied with the lack of incorporation of his ideas into new projects. Robert Trujillo took his position.

Following his departure, Newsted formed his own band, Echobrain, and later joined Canadian thrash metal outfit Voivod. During Ozzfest 2003, he ironically replaced Robert Trujillo in Ozzy Osbourne’s band, which included Voivod as a second stage act. Both Osbourne and Newsted expressed intense eagerness about writing a new album together during an MTV interview, with Osbourne comparing Newsted to “a young Geezer Butler.” Newsted quit Osbourne after the tour ended in late 2003, therefore this plan never came to fulfillment.

On April 4, 2009, Newsted performed with Metallica at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio, alongside current bassist Robert Trujillo. He is currently a member of his own band, Newsted, in which he sings lead and plays bass.

Real Estate

Jason has lived in a magnificent estate in Walnut Creek, California, east of San Francisco, for many years. He is said to own numerous residences in Jupiter, Florida’s elite enclave, as well as a vast country estate in Michigan. Jason owns a 545-acre ranch in Montana that he listed for sale for just under $5 million in October 2017. Jason purchased a three-acre waterfront home on Skaneateles Lake in New York for $6.1 million in early 2020.

Personal Life

Jason has had two marriages. His first marriage, in 1988, lasted only a year. He is married to Nicole Leigh Smith at the moment. They tied the knot in 2012.

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