Gary Lightbody was born on 15 June 1976, in Bangor, County Down, Northern Ireland, and is a songwriter, singer and guitarist, probably best known for being the lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the rock band Snow Patrol. He has been active in the music industry since 1994, and all of his efforts have helped put his net worth to where it is today.
How rich is Gary Lightbody? As of late-2017, sources estimate a net worth that is at $7 million, mostly earned through success in the music industry. He’s released numerous albums with Snow Patrol, but does DJ work too. He also writes for magazines, and collaborates with other musicians. As he continues his career, it is expected that his wealth will also continue to increase.
Gary Lightbody Net Worth $7 million
Gary attended Rockport School, and after matriculating, would go to Campbell College. In 1994, he then went to Scotland to attend the University of Dundee, where he studied English literature.
While at uni, Lightbody formed the band called Shrug alongside Mark McClelland; eventually, they changed their name Polarbear as another band claimed their name. During the first years of their band, they added drummer Jonny Quinn and would later release two albums, “Songs for Polarbears” and “When It’s All Over We Still Have to Clear Up”. They started touring with other bands, and soon they would change their name again to Snow Patrol, continuing to release more music which has made them popular and increased Lightbody’s net worth.
Aside from his work with Snow Patrol, Gary has done DJ work; his style mixes various genres such as rock, hip hop, and house music. He also filled in for DJ Zane Lowe on his BBC radio show, and has been voted as best fill-in DJ by the show’s listeners. Gary has done two DJ mix albums including “The Trip: Created by Snow Patrol” and “Late Night Tales: Snow Patrol”. Additionally he wrote the song “What Are You Waiting For” for Freeform Five.
Lightbody has also done other projects. He’s done writing work for music magazines. He also has a music column called “Gary Lightbody’s Band of the Week”, as well as writing essays for The Huffington Post. In 2000, he formed the band The Reindeer Section which consists of 47 musicians from 20 different bands; the supergroup has released two albums entitled “Y’All Get Scared Now, Ya Hear!” and “Son of Evil Reindeer”. He’s also contributed music to other bands, including Mogwai, The Cake Sale, and The Freelance Hellraisers. In 2008, he wrote the song “Just Say Yes” for Nicole Scherzinger’s debut solo album. The following year, he began working on the side project Tired Pony – the band recorded their debut album in 2010. A few of his latest projects include performing with Ed Sheeran at the iTunes Festival, and appearing in the 10th season of “The X Factor” alongside Taylor Swift. All of these opportunities continued to build his net worth.
For his personal life, it is known that Gary likes to keep information about any romantic relationships private, and has admitted that he has trouble talking with women. He enjoys soccer and has supported both the Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland soccer teams. Gary is also very active in philanthropic work. He is part of the board of directors of the Oh Yeah Music Centre, supports the organization Save the Children, and has raised awareness of depression.
