Eric Reed Boucher was born on the 17th June 1958, in Boulder, Colorado USA, and as Jello Biafra is most famous as a former member of Dead Kennedys, San Francisco’s punk rock band in which he served as the lead singer as well as a songwriter. Jello Biafra is also the co-founder of independent record label Alternative Tentacles. Besides music, Jello is also known as a member of the Green Party of the United States, including being its candidate for the 2000 Presidential election.
Have you ever wondered how much wealth this uncommon man has accumulated so far? How rich Jello Biafra is? According to sources, it is estimated that the total amount of Jello Biafra’s net worth, as of late 2016, is $500,000 and includes ownership of an independent record label Alternative Tentacles. It has all been primarily acquired throughout his music career, which has been active since 1976.
Jello Biafra Net Worth $500,000
Jello Biafra was born to Virginia, a librarian, and psychiatric social worker Stanley Wayne Boucher, and is of mostly American descent, but also has some Jewish ancestry. Jello’s interest in music and politics dates back to his early childhood when he started listening to rock music, and passionately watched the news. He attended the University of California, Santa Cruz where he studied acting and the history of Paraguay, however, he abandoned formal education in order to pursue a music career. In late 1976, Jello joined the punk rock group The Ravers (later renamed to The Nails), as a member of its road crew. Soon after, Jello teamed up with John Greenway’s The Healers, a local band infamous for its rather improvised lyrics and specifically “avant garde” style. These engagements marked the beginning of Jello Biafra’s music career and provided the basis for his overall net worth.
In 1978, Jello Biafra alongside East Bay Ray founded the Dead Kennedys. In the beginning he used the stage name Occupant, but soon afterwards he changed it to the now widely known Jello Biafra, a mix of Jell-o, the brand name of gelatin desserts and Biafra, a shortened version of the Republic of Biafra, a short-lived breakaway Nigerian state.
Besides being the frontman of the band, Jello also wrote the band’s songs, with the nature of his lyrics being quite political and sociological with a vast dose of criticism and sarcasm. In 1979, the band’s first single “Fresh Fruit for Rotting Vegetables” hit the charts. However, due to the song’s controversial lyrics the band faced distribution problems, so Jello Biafra decided to found his own, independent record label in 1979 – Alternative Tentacles – and in 1980 the band’s debut same-named studio album was released. This venture added to Jello’s overall net worth.
Jello Biafra and the Dead Kennedys caught the focus of the media when in 1985 they released their “Frankenchrist” album featuring H.R. Giger’s Work 219: Landscape XX as the album cover. This unique painting of rows of penises in anal intercourse brought Jello to court as he faced the “harmful matters to minors” distribution charges. Prior to the 1986 Kennedys’ breakup, the band released four studio albums in total including, apart from those mentioned above, “Plastic Surgery Disasters” (1982) and “Bedtime for Democracy” (1986) including several hit singles such as “California Über Alles” and “Holiday in Cambodia”. All these engagements helped Jello Biafra to earn controversial status among artists as well as to increase his overall net worth.
Apart from his music career, during which he has also performed with Lard, D.O.A. and The Melvins, Jello Biafra also made some efforts towards politics. In 1979 he ran for mayor of San Francisco, with his platform including several rather unconventional points, such as forcing businessman to wear clown suits, citywide ban of motor vehicles and holding auctions for high-ranking government positions. Although ironic and unusual, Jello Biafra was ranked No.4 among the top 10 candidates. In 2000, Jello Biafra was drafted as the New York State Green Party’s presidential candidate, but bowed to Ralph Nader.
When it comes to his personal life, Jello Biafra was married to Theresa Soder, the lead singer of punk band The Situations, known under her stage name Ninotchka. The marriage, which began with a wedding ceremony held in a graveyard, lasted from 1981 to 1986. Jello Biafra currently lives in San Francisco, California.
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