Martha Davis Net Worth

What Is Martha Davis' Net Worth?

Martha Davis is an American new wave and rock singer-songwriter who has a net worth of $2 million. Martha Davis is best known as the lead singer of The Motels, but she has also had a successful career as a solo artist. With The Motels, she has released the albums "Motels" (1979), "Careful" (1980), "All Four One" (1982), "Little Robbers" (1983), "Shock" (1985), "This" (2008), "Apocalypso" (2011), "If Not Now Then When" (2017), and "The Last Few Beautiful Days" (2018). As a solo artist, Martha has released the albums "Policy" (1987), "…So the Story Goes" (2004), "Beautiful Life" (2008), "Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children" (2010), and "I Have My Standards" (2020), and she collaborated with Eric Allaman and Reinhard Scheuregger on the 2021 album "DAS7."

Early Life

Martha Davis was born Martha Emily Davis on January 19, 1951, in Berkeley, California. Her mother was a kindergarten teacher, and her father worked at the University of California, Berkeley, as an administrator. Martha grew up with her older sister, Janet, who was adopted, and they were raised in a household that was both Bohemian and conservative. When she was eight years old, Davis started taking ballet and guitar lessons. At the age of 15, she dropped out of high school after she found out that she was pregnant, and she married the child's 17-year-old father, Ronnie Paschell. After Paschell joined the U.S. Air Force, the couple lived at an airbase in Florida. The tumultuous marriage ended in divorce in 1970, and Ronnie died two years later in Quang Tri. Martha returned to Berkeley in 1968 while Ronnie was serving in Vietnam, and she worked toward earning her high school diploma, often bringing her daughters to class with her. When Davis was 19 years old, her mother died by suicide. Martha's father subsequently encouraged her to go to vocational school, but after reading her mother's diary, Davis discovered that she had been an aspiring author who gave up her dreams to be a wife and mother. Martha bought a house with the inheritance her mother left her and survived on welfare while she began pursuing a music career.

Career

In 1971, Davis joined the band The Warfield Foxes, and in 1975, the band relocated from Berkeley to Los Angeles. The band name was changed to The Motels, and Martha began a relationship with bandmate Dean Chamberlain. In 1977, their relationship ended and Dean left the group; their break-up inspired Davis to write the song "Total Control." In 1979, The Motels signed with Capitol Records and released their debut album, "Motels," which reached #4 in New Zealand and #23 in Australia. The album was certified Gold in Australia, as was their 1980 follow-up, "Careful," which peaked at #3 in New Zealand and #26 in Australia. The 1982 album "All Four One" reached #16 on the Billboard 200 chart and went Gold in the U.S. The single "Only the Lonely" was a top 10 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, Billboard Mainstream Rock chart, and Recorded Music NZ chart. The 1983 album "Little Robbers" was also certified Gold in the U.S., and the single "Suddenly Last Summer" reached #1 on the Billboard Rock Top Tracks chart and #9 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. Next, The Motels released the 1985 album "Shock," which reached #36 on the Billboard 200 chart.

In 1987, Davis released her first solo album, "Policy," after she fired all the other members of The Motels. The album peaked at #28 in Australia and featured singles such as "Tell It to the Moon" and "Don't Ask Out Loud." By the end of the decade, Martha had asked to be let out of her Capitol Records contract, and in the '90s, she was hired to create music for films such as "Madhouse" (1990) and "Miracle Beach" (1992). She also worked with other musicians, including Clarence Clemons, Kenny G, and Charlie Sexton, and she brought back The Motels with a new line-up. In 2004, David released her second solo album, "…So the Story Goes," followed by another solo album, "Beautiful Life," in 2008. That year The Motels also released a new album, "This." Martha released the 2010 album "Red Frog Presents: 16 Songs for Parents and Children," then The Motels released "Apocalypso" (2011), "If Not Now Then When" (2017), and "The Last Few Beautiful Days" (2018). In 2020, she released another solo album, "I Have My Standards," and the following year, she collaborated with Eric Allaman and Reinhard Scheuregger on the album "DAS7." Davis has also contributed music to the soundtracks of several films, such as "The Golden Child" (1986), "Something Wild" (1986), "Soul Man" (1986), "Made in Heaven" (1987), and "A Smile Like Yours" (1997). David Fincher directed The Motel's music videos for "Shame" and "Shock" as well as music videos for Martha's solo singles "Don't Tell Me the Time" and "Tell It to the Moon."

(Photo by Timothy Norris/Getty Images)

Personal Life

Martha married Ronald Francis Paschall on August 9, 1966, and they welcomed daughters Patricia and Maria before divorcing in 1970. Sadly, Maria died in 2016 at the age of 49 after snorting cocaine that was reportedly laced with acetyl fentanyl. The tragedy inspired several songs on the 2018 album "The Last Few Beautiful Days." Davis also adopted her sister Janet's son, Phil. Martha lives near Portland on a 72-acre ranch with numerous pets.

Oregon Farm

In 2005, Martha paid $479,000 for a 720-acre farm in Deer Island, Oregon. The property features a 5,000-square-foot home that dates back to 1913. Martha raises alpacas, among other animals, and crops, on the farm,

Awards

In 1982, The Motels won an American Music Award for Best Performance for "Only the Lonely." In 2012, they received an Independent Music Award for Best Re-Issue Album for "Apocalypso."

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