Lee Ritenour Net Worth
Lee Ritenour Net Worth: Lee Ritenour is an American jazz guitarist, musician and composer who has a net worth of $14 million. Lee Ritenour was born on January 11, 1952 in Los Angeles, California. Since 1976, Ritenour has contributed to more than 3,000 sessions and charted more than 30 contemporary jazz songs. Known by fans as “Captain Finger” for his extraordinary dexterity on the guitar, Lee Ritenour is a well-known jazz artist and session musician who has been a leader in his field since the early ’70s.
Ritenour started learning guitar at the age of 8 and decided to make music his career at the age of 12. Ritenour’s parents supported his ambitions and even arranged for him to study in Southern California with some of the best guitar teachers. At the age of 15, Ritenour joined a rock group called Esquires, and when singer/musician John Phillips heard Ritenour play, he invited Ritenour to perform for the upcoming 60s band The Mamas and the Papas. This is the 16-year-old guitarist’s first record. In 1976, Ritenour came into the limelight with his debut solo album, First Course, an outstanding Jazz Pop release from Epic Records. Throughout his career, Ritenour has been experimenting with different styles of music. A true fusionist, he often incorporates elements of classical music forms from funk, pop, rock, blues, Brazil and even jazz. In the early ’80s, Ritenour acquired his own Ibanez signature model guitar, the LR-10, which was only produced between 1981 and 1987. The use of the LR-10 can only be heard on his album Rit. Ritenour now plays (mostly) the Gibsons (ES-335 and L5) that he first played in the 70’s, as well as the iconic Lee Ritenour Model dome guitars built by Gibson. Ritenour joins the jury for the 10th and 11th Annual Independent Music Awards to advance the careers of independent musicians. He is also a judge for the 8th and 9th Independent Music Awards. In June 2010, to celebrate his 50th anniversary as a guitarist, Lee Ritenour released the album 6 String Theory (a reference to the 6 areas of music covered using the guitar).
The album features renowned guitarists Steve Lukather, Neal Schon, John Scofield, Slash, Pat Martino, Mike Stern, George Benson and BB King as well as younger players such as Andy McKee, Joe Robinson and Guthrie Govan.
