Kurt Cobain – $50 million
Greatest Hits: Smells Like Teen Spirit, Sappy
Nirvana’s frontman, considered one of Generation X’s most influential bands, was Kurt Cobain. He is also the lead guitarist for the band. Born in Washington, he and Aaron Burckhard and Krist Novoselic founded the band in 1987. It was part of the Grunge scene in Seattle. Mostly through his second album, which had the single “Smells Like Teen Spirit.” Nirvana signed with DGC and flourished. Cobain resented media coverage, claiming that his message was misconstrued and oversimplified by the mainstream.
Walter Becker – $20 million
Greatest Hits: Bad Sneakers, Do It Again
Steely Dan’s co-songwriter and founder was Walter Becker. He also played guitar and bass for jazz/rock bands. When they were both students at Bard College, he met his co-founder, Donald Fagen. They decided to get Steely Dan started and moved to LA. Becker also moved to Hawaii following the breakup after a successful commercial run and became a record producer and part of the band China Crisis, an English band. Steely Dan was reformed in 1993 by Fagen.