Highest paying gig you ever worked?

About Steel Guitarists and their Music

Moderator: Shoshanah Marohn

Al Udeen
Posts: 1831
Joined: 4 Aug 1999 12:01 am
Location: maple grove mn usa

Highest paying gig you ever worked?

Post by Al Udeen »

What was your highest paying gig? I had a couple, "several years back", that really stood out!,we wont talk about the lowest paying ones.
User avatar
Richard Bass
Posts: 864
Joined: 5 Mar 1999 1:01 am
Location: Sabang Beach, Philippines

Post by Richard Bass »

This is my BEST WEEK. Monday: Nashville Now TV show, Tuesday: another Tv taping featuring Farons album on Step One. Wed. - Sat. Branson' While in Branson two nites were recorded for a live album. This weeks income was in the neighborhood of 2500.00$. Without a doubt my best week ever. PS: This does not include the 30.00$ I made at Gabes on Sunday. Richard
User avatar
Ricky Davis
Posts: 10964
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Bertram, Texas USA
Contact:

Post by Ricky Davis »

My highest was a New Years Eve party and payed $1200.00 a man.
Ricky
Herb Steiner
Posts: 12505
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Spicewood TX 78669
Contact:

Post by Herb Steiner »

$1000 for a Johnny Bush/Willie Nelson "Legends of Country Music" show on TNN back in 1994. Out of 17 musicians, I was the only Union member, so I was leader on the date. Otherwise, it would have been $500.

------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

User avatar
Scott Moon
Posts: 367
Joined: 1 May 2000 12:01 am
Location: Canyon Lake, TX

Post by Scott Moon »

Herb!!! I got short changed then...I only got $375 for that show!!! They "Mickey Roed" Me!!!!!!LMAO

Scott
User avatar
Darvin Willhoite
Posts: 5715
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Roxton, Tx. USA

Post by Darvin Willhoite »

Being a "hobby" musician, the only gig I have ever been paid for, I drove from Arlington, Tx. to Kilgore, Tx., (approximately 100 miles) played about an hour and a half and drove home. The pay was $25.00.
Herb Steiner
Posts: 12505
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Spicewood TX 78669
Contact:

Post by Herb Steiner »

Scott
The $1K was gross, after the taxes were withheld, it was more like $800. So you weren't "'Roe'd' hard and put up wet," so to speak. Image

Ain't too many gigs where I get paid more than Johnny Bush, though! It does occasionally pay to be a Union member.

------------------
Herb's Steel Guitar Pages
Texas Steel Guitar Association

User avatar
Rick Schmidt
Posts: 3258
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Prescott AZ, USA

Post by Rick Schmidt »

My "Milleneum" NYE gig @ $1500 + tips....which seemed great at the time, until I found out how much the bandleader/agent made(who was a total hack musically BTW)...That !@#$%^ "businessman" made more than the whole rest of the band combined!!! Am I whining? Image
Pat Jenkins
Posts: 688
Joined: 3 Dec 1999 1:01 am
Location: Abingdon, VA, USA
Contact:

Post by Pat Jenkins »

Can I include the cost of free drinks and peanuts in what I got paid?
Pat
User avatar
chas smith
Posts: 5043
Joined: 28 Feb 2001 1:01 am
Location: Encino, CA, USA

Post by chas smith »

The movie "Lost Boys", 5 days, $10k.
Joan Cox
Posts: 365
Joined: 4 Jan 1999 1:01 am
Location: Eustace, TX USA

Post by Joan Cox »

News Years Eve one year I got $225.00. My first paying job I ever played I got $15.00 a night and all the sodas I wanted. I figured I'd made the big time. And a free cheeseburger too, if I wanted one. I think that's a pretty good paying job!! I loved it.

Joan Cox
Kevin Lamb
Posts: 47
Joined: 19 Jun 2001 12:01 am
Location: San Bernardino, CA, USA

Post by Kevin Lamb »

My next door neighbor gave me $25 to stop playing Saturday night. Does this count?
kevin
Bobby Bowman
Posts: 2304
Joined: 30 Dec 1999 1:01 am
Location: Cypress, Texas, USA, R.I.P.
Contact:

Post by Bobby Bowman »

$1500. Was an awful gig, but I'd like a few more of 'em from time to time. Image
BB

------------------
If you play 'em, play 'em good!
If you build 'em, build 'em good!


User avatar
Bill Terry
Posts: 2786
Joined: 29 Apr 1999 12:01 am
Location: Bastrop, TX

Post by Bill Terry »

New Years Eve a couple of years ago at the Big Spring CC, Big Spring, TX, we made 450.00 each. We bid the same gig the next year for $25.00 more per man and lost it...

------------------
Home Page

User avatar
Roger Edgington
Posts: 2104
Joined: 29 Mar 2000 1:01 am
Location: San Antonio, Texas USA
Contact:

Post by Roger Edgington »

The last several NYE gigs I made $400+. Thats OK the way I see it for a 7 peice local band.
Tim Rowley
Posts: 957
Joined: 23 Dec 1999 1:01 am
Location: Pinconning, MI, USA

Post by Tim Rowley »

$400 apiece, 5 piece band, = $2000.00. This was a for a wedding in 1999. It was actually kind of an easy gig and they threw in a 4-course dinner for all of us and our spouses.

Tim R.
Lem Smith
Posts: 2063
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Long Beach, MS

Post by Lem Smith »

Wow...you guys are gonna ruin the whole "You can makes tens of dollars playing steel" tradition at this rate! Image

Lem
Bob Hayes
Posts: 958
Joined: 18 Sep 2000 12:01 am
Location: Church Hill,Tenn,USA

Post by Bob Hayes »

One time, in over 40 years of playing (something) I made $500 on a NYE gig a few years back. I recently made a wopping $16.00 for a short nite outside job...and hade to pay for my diet coke and hot dog!!.But what the heck..it's the enjoyment I get JUST to play
Gene Jones
Posts: 6870
Joined: 27 Nov 2000 1:01 am
Location: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)
Contact:

Post by Gene Jones »

* <FONT SIZE=1 COLOR="#8e236b"><p align=CENTER>[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 02 May 2002 at 02:39 PM.]</p></FONT>
User avatar
Randy Beavers
Posts: 1291
Joined: 4 Nov 1998 1:01 am
Location: Lebanon,TN 37090
Contact:

Post by Randy Beavers »

Someone needs to start a post of
"The most a gig ever COST you to play".
User avatar
Danny Naccarato
Posts: 1202
Joined: 4 Aug 1998 11:00 pm
Location: Burleson, Texas

Post by Danny Naccarato »

$2k, for a live album we did w/Janie at Billy Bob's last year. Ummmm, never did get released as the producer went belly-up!!
User avatar
chas smith
Posts: 5043
Joined: 28 Feb 2001 1:01 am
Location: Encino, CA, USA

Post by chas smith »

I played the 37th annual striptease convention, it didn't pay much, but the scenery was impressive
MUSICO
Posts: 344
Joined: 16 Dec 2000 1:01 am
Location: Jeremy Williams in Spain

Post by MUSICO »

$3.000 for 3 minutes on TV....also will be getting another $2.000 for author's rights at the end of the year for that same appearance.

In Spain I am a big fish in a little pond...it's great.

Jeremy Williams
Gandia Valencia
Spain
Post Reply