What is Billy Duffy’s Net Worth?
Billy Duffy is an English musician and songwriter, best known as the guitarist and one of the primary songwriters of the rock band the Cult. With the band, which achieved success as a post-punk group in the UK in the 1980s, he recorded such hit albums as “Love” (1985), “Electric” (1987), and “Sonic Temple” (1989). Duffy is known for playing Gretsch White Falcon and Gibson Les Paul Custom guitars.
Early Life
Billy Duffy was born on May 12, 1961 in Manchester, England. He is of Irish and Jewish heritage. When he was 14 years of age, Duffy began playing the guitar. His influences were Queen, the Who, Aerosmith, and Thin Lizzy, among other bands.
Career Beginnings
During the burgeoning punk rock movement in the late 1970s, Duffy played guitar with a variety of punk acts, including the Studio Sweethearts. He eventually moved with the Studio Sweethearts to London, and worked as a shop assistant at Johnsons in Chelsea. Following the disbanding of the group, Duffy played guitar part-time with the band Theatre of Hate.
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The Cult
In 1983, Duffy formed the band Death Cult with singer Ian Astbury, who had just quit the band Southern Death Cult. The group shortened its name to the Cult in early 1984. Filled out by bassist Jamie Stewart and drummer Nigel Preston, the Cult released its debut album “Dreamtime” in the summer of 1984. A solid success in the UK, the album included the hit single “Spiritwalker.” The Cult achieved greater commercial success with its second album, 1985’s “Love,” which reached number four on the UK Albums Chart and spawned the hit singles “She Sells Sanctuary” and “Rain.” Similarly successful was the group’s next album, 1987’s “Electric”; also peaking at number four on the UK Albums Chart, it included the single “Love Removal Machine.” Moreover, “Electric” became the Cult’s first album to chart in the United States. The group reached a larger and more mainstream audience with its fourth studio album, “Sonic Temple.” Released in 1989, it peaked at number three on the UK Albums Chart and number 10 on the Billboard 200, and spawned the international hit single “Fire Woman.”
Although the Cult’s fifth studio album, 1991’s “Ceremony,” was a solid success, it struggled commercially during the advent of grunge rock. Less successful was the group’s next studio album, a self-titled release in 1994. After that album, Ian Astbury left the Cult amid swelling tensions with Duffy, causing the group to enter a hiatus. Duffy and Astbury reformed the group in 1999, and released the album “Beyond Good and Evil” in 2001. However, underwhelming sales and critical reception caused the Cult to go into another hiatus. The group got back together in 2006, and the following year released the album “Born into This.” In 2012, the Cult released its ninth studio album, “Choice of Weapon.” That was followed by “Hidden City” in early 2016. The Cult didn’t release another studio album until 2022, with “Under the Midnight Sun.” It features Charlie Jones on electric and upright bass, Ian Matthews on drums, Damon Fox on grand piano, and Tom Dalgety on keyboards.
(Photo by Mark Horton/Getty Images)
Other Musical Projects
During the Cult’s first hiatus, Duffy played in the band Coloursound with singer Mike Peters. Later, during the Cult’s second hiatus, he formed the cover band Cardboard Vampyres with Jerry Cantrell, John Corabi, Chris Wyse, and Josh Howser. The band mostly played on the West Coast of the United States. In early 2006, Duffy formed a new band, called Circus Diablo, with Billy Morrison and Ricky Warwick. The band subsequently added Brett Scallions and Matt Sorum. Circus Diablo released an eponymous album in 2007, after which Duffy left the group. He went on to perform with the rock supergroup Kings of Chaos between 2012 and 2016.
Personal Life
Previously, Duffy dated AJ Celi, with whom he appeared on the E! reality documentary television series “Married to Rock” in late 2010. A decade later, in 2020, Duffy got engaged to television personality and former glamour model Leilani Dowding.
Real Estate
In 2016, Billy paid $2.6 million for a home in Los Angeles above the Sunset Strip. He listed the home for sale in March 2021 for $3.5 million.
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