Mike Post Net Worth  - Pulptastic

What is Mike Post’s Net Worth?

Mike Post, a composer and producer, has a net worth of $50 million. He is renowned for his extensive work creating theme music for television shows such as “Law & Order,” “The A-Team,” and “The Rockford Files.” Besides, he is known for producing hit songs, including Mason Williams’s “Classical Gas” and albums for famous artists like Kenny Rogers, Dolly Parton, and Van Halen.

The $30 Million Sound: Mike Post and the “Law & Order” “Dun Dun”

In a last minute request before the 1990 premiere of “Law & Order,” series creator Dick Wolf asked composer Mike Post to create a distinctive sound for the location and time stamp cards. Post mixed several sounds to create the now-famous “dun dun” that has become a signature of the franchise. Because Post composed the sound, he receives royalties every time it plays, which has reportedly earned him over $30 million to date.

Early Life and Musical Career

Mike Post was born in 1944 in Berkeley, California and raised in the San Fernando Valley area of Los Angeles. He began taking piano lessons at six years old and played at clubs throughout LA by age 15. Post attended Grant High School and after graduation, played with various rock groups and briefly served in the house band of a San Francisco topless club. Post later formed the folk ensemble, the Wellingbrook Singers, and toured the US.

Early Career and Major Success with “Classical Gas”

Post began his music career in the early 60s, working with LA recording artists such as the Murmaids and the Outcasts. He produced the Murmaids’ hit single “Popsicles and Icicles” and provided guidance to the Outcasts while serving as the songwriter and producer on their debut single. Post’s greatest commercial success came in 1968 when he produced Mason Williams’s “Classical Gas,” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned Post the Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement.

Mike Post’s Career in Television Theme Music

Mike Post is best known for his extensive work creating theme music for television shows. He co-composed the theme tune to the NBC detective series “The Rockford Files,” which became a top-ten hit on the US charts and won him a Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement. He also scored another top-ten hit and two more Grammy Awards for his theme to the police procedural series “Hill Street Blues” and won another Grammy Award for his theme music to the legal drama series “L.A. Law.”

Post was the go-to composer for all the shows created by Dick Wolf, Steven Bochco, Stephen J. Cannell, and Donald P. Bellisario throughout the 80s and 90s. He penned the theme music for such series as “NYPD Blue”; “Murder One”; “Hunter”; “The A-Team”; “Blossom”; “Magnum, P.I.”; “NewsRadio”; “Quantum Leap”; “Silk Stalkings”; “Wiseguy”; “Renegade”; “The Commish”; and “Hardcastle and McCormick.” He also created the theme to the “Law & Order” franchise, which includes the iconic “dun, dun” sound effect, and the theme to the ABC series “The Greatest American Hero,” which reached number two on the Billboard Hot 100. Outside of the US, Post composed music for the BBC series “Roughnecks.”

Mike Post’s Career Highlights

As a producer, Post worked on Kenny Rogers’ first three albums with the First Edition and co-produced Dolly Parton’s hit album “9 to 5 and Odd Jobs” in 1980. He also co-produced Van Halen’s successful studio album “Van Halen III” in 1998.

Post’s musical career included charting on the UK Singles Chart with “Afternoon of the Rhino” in 1975 and in the US with his cover of “Manhattan Spiritual.” He also released an album in 1994 titled “Inventions from the Blue Line,” featuring his best-known television themes.

Pete Carpenter Fellowship Established in 1989

Post collaborated with the BMI Foundation to create the Pete Carpenter Fellowship in memory of his former co-composer. The Fellowship is given out yearly and allows up-and-coming composers in the film, television, and video game industries to participate in a residency.

Marriage and Children

Post was previously married to Patty McGettigan. He later married Darla Eyer, and they have two children together named Aaron and Jennifer.

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