Kinky Friedman Didn't Perform for Free — Let's Look at the Late Artist's Net Worth
For a man who favored a black cowboy hat, Kinky Friedman was a fella who wore many hats in life.
Published June 27 2024, 4:17 p.m. ET
Anyone with a passing awareness of Kinky Friedman would probably say they liked the cut of that man's jib. His signature style consisted of a head of curly hair hiding beneath a black cowboy hat that was usually resting above a smirk and a cigar.
He was known as a musician, a satirist, a former gubernatorial candidate, and a receiver of the Male Chauvinist Pig Award by the National Organization for Women, per the Texas Tribune. Like all of us he contained multitudes, and some of them weren't great.
When considering a person's worth after they pass, finances rarely come into play. In fact, Kinky himself once said, "Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail."
Still, one does wonder what a lifetime of shenanigans leaves a person when they trip the light fantastic into another place. Let's take a look at Kinky Friedman's net worth, in other words, just how fine was his dog?
Kinky Friedman's net worth probably bought him a decent beagle.
According to Celebrity Net Worth, Kinky's net worth was sitting and staying at $2 million. How does one of the only Jewish country music singers put away such a comfortable nest egg? Strangely enough, Kinky's employment history began with volunteer work.
According to a profile done in the Houston Chronicle, Kinky spent two years in Borneo with the Peace Corps. And while they pay, one is certainly not there to earn money. It's character-building work.
Kinky Friedman
Musician, Author, Writer, Former Gubernatorial Candidate for Texas
Net worth: 2000000
Birth date: Oct. 31, 1944
Birth place: Chicago, Ill.
Birth name: Richard Samet Friedman
Father: Dr. S. Thomas Friedman
Mother: Minnie (Samet) Friedman
Education: Attended the University of Texas at Austin, B.A. in Psychology, 1966
He grew up in Texas where his folks opened up a summer camp for kids. That was where some of Kinky's first performances occurred with his friend Jeff Shelby, who went by the nickname Little Jewford. Eventually, they formed the band Kinky Friedman and The Texas Jewboys, per The New Yorker.
Kinky pops up in the The Encyclopedia of Country Music for the first time in 1974 by way of his self-titled album. This landed him a gig opening for Bob Dylan in 1975-1976.
His music would fall under the genre of cult classics though he did once perform on Saturday Night Live. From 1973 to 2018, Kinky recorded 18 albums either under his name or with the band.
When his music career wasn't firing on all cylinders, Kinky took to writing in other mediums. He authored several books and was a regular contributor to Texas Monthly. His last article, about succumbing to social media, was published in March 2011.
With a voice like Kinky's, and we do mean his thoughts, it's no wonder that he found his way to politics. The Guardian reported that in 1986, Kinky dipped his toes in local government waters when he ran for justice of the peace in Kerrville, near Echo Hill.
He did not win and while recalling that crushing loss, he told the outlet, "I couldn't decide whether to kill myself or get a haircut." He decided to aim higher.
Two decades later Kinky ran for governor under the hilarious slogan: Kinky for Governor – Why the Hell Not? His very anti-politically correct campaign pushed for the "dewussification of Texas," which shockingly did not earn him a win.
He probably took that well. After all, this was the same man who said, "You struggle with your demons and you conquer them." Here's hoping Kinky conquered them all.