Michael Stipe

Michael Stipe: Biography in Details

Who is Michael Stipe?

Multi-talented Michael Stipe is an American singer, songwriter, musician, film producer, music video director, visual artist, and philanthropist.

He is active in the musical field since 1980.

He rose to fame as the lead singer and lyricist of the alternative rock band ‘R.E.M’.

Michael Stipe: Age, Parents, Siblings, Nationality, Ethnicity

American singer Michael Stipe was born in  Decatur, Georgia.

He was born on 4 January 1960 and named John Michael Stipe.

He was born as the second child of four children.

Heis younger sister Lynda Stipe is also a singer of her own band ‘Hetch Hetchy’.

Michael Stipe is of North American ethnicity and has an American nationality.

His father worked as a serviceman in the United States Army which is why they often relocate from one place to another.

Since childhood, he has built up a strong interest in music.

Stipe graduated from high school in Collinsville, Illinois, and attended the University of Georgia in Athens, Georgia.

At the University, he studied studying photography and painting as an art major.

Michael Stipe: Professional Career

Talking about the career journey of Michael Stipe, he is active in the musical field since 1980.

In 1980, he has become part of the band Tanzplagen.

Then he met Peter Buck at the Wuxtry record shop with whom he started writing music.

Later, they were joined by Bill Berry and Mike Mills and named themselves R.E.M.

The name was selected by Stipe at random from a dictionary.

All of them dropped out of their schools to focus on the band.

They released their first single Radio Free Europe which became a college radio success.

Then they signed with I.R.S. Records for the release of the Chronic Town EP one year later.

Their first album Murmur released in 1983 followed by their second album Reckoning in 1984.

Michael Stipe gained so much attention from the listeners due to his vocals and lyrics.

R.E.M’s first album Murmur won the Rolling Stone Critics Poll Album of the Year.

In 1985, they traveled to England to record their third album Fables of the Reconstruction. 

Their brand has also recorded the song Let Me In from the 1994 album Monster in tribute to Cobain. They disband their band R.E.M in the year 2011.

Michael Stipe has worked together with many artists like  Natalie Merchant, Tori Amos, Miguel Bose, Lacoste, and Chris Martin.

In addition, Stipe also participated in a Super-8 film called Just Like a Movie.

On 10 April 2014, he inducted the American grunge band Nirvana into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

On 15 March 2017, he announced that he would debut his first solo composition at Moogfest.

Big Red Machine, which consists of Justin Vernon, Aaron Dessner, and Stipe, released the single No Time For Love Like Now in 2019. During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, the song was completed and published.

Net Worth 2024 and Salary

His success in his career path has paid him well financially making his net worth estimated to be $75 million.

Rumor and Controversy

Michael Stipe was rumored to have secretly tied the knot with his artist beau Thomas Dozol and he was also rumored to have AIDS.

Height, Weight, and Body Stats

Michael Stipe has a slim body built up. He stands 175 cm tall.

He has blue eye color and he has a bald head

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References: (therichest, biography, famousbirthdays, theguardian/music, imdb)

Michael Stipe's Birthday Dates