Age, Biography and Wiki

Joel Selvin was born on 14 February, 1950 in Berkeley, California, U.S., is an American journalist. Discover Joel Selvin's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. Learn How rich is he in this year and how he spends money? Also learn how he earned most of networth at the age of 74 years old?

Popular As N/A
Occupation Music critic, music journalist
Age 74 years old
Zodiac Sign Aquarius
Born 14 February 1950
Birthday 14 February
Birthplace Berkeley, California, U.S.
Nationality United States

We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 14 February. He is a member of famous journalist with the age 74 years old group.

Joel Selvin Height, Weight & Measurements

At 74 years old, Joel Selvin height not available right now. We will update Joel Selvin's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible.

Physical Status
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Dating & Relationship status

He is currently single. He is not dating anyone. We don't have much information about He's past relationship and any previous engaged. According to our Database, He has no children.

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Joel Selvin Net Worth

His net worth has been growing significantly in 2023-2024. So, how much is Joel Selvin worth at the age of 74 years old? Joel Selvin’s income source is mostly from being a successful journalist. He is from United States. We have estimated Joel Selvin's net worth, money, salary, income, and assets.

Net Worth in 2024 $1 Million - $5 Million
Salary in 2024 Under Review
Net Worth in 2023 Pending
Salary in 2023 Under Review
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Source of Income journalist

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Timeline

1950

Joel Selvin (born February 14, 1950) is an American San Francisco-based music critic and author known for his weekly column in the San Francisco Chronicle, which ran from 1972 to 2009.

Selvin has written books covering various aspects of pop music—including the No. 1 New York Times best-seller Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock with Sammy Hagar—and has interviewed many musical artists.

Selvin has published articles in Rolling Stone, the Los Angeles Times, Billboard, and Melody Maker, and has written liner notes for dozens of recorded albums.

He has appeared in documentaries about the music scene and has occasionally taken the stage himself as a rock and roll singer.

Selvin was born in Berkeley, California.

1967

He has stated that he failed to graduate with his Berkeley High School class of 1967.

He moved to San Francisco and was hired as a copy boy at the San Francisco Chronicle.

1969

Selvin soon wangled a backstage pass for a show at The Fillmore and submitted his first piece to the Chronicle's Sunday Datebook in 1969.

Selvin left the Chronicle for a brief, unsuccessful effort in undergraduate studies at the University of California, Riverside where he wrote for the school paper.

1970

Returning to San Francisco, he wrote a review of First Step by the Faces for Rolling Stone, published in May 1970.

Selvin continued, "I think everybody has to kind of draw their own lines of what is compromising in their hearts. For instance, I take the free CDs and use them as tools of my work. I would not accept any paid travel any longer (I did in the 1970s)."

Selvin commented on remaining hard-nosed and aloof: "I always like to remember what Jesse Unruh—remember him?—said about lobbyists in Sacramento: 'If you can't eat their food, drink their drinks and vote against 'em the next day, you have no business being here.'" Overall, though, Selvin reported that he felt the work of a music critic had its own value: "I like to think that I make contributions to the community at large and, more specifically, the music community that I report on."

1972

In 1972, Selvin was hired as an assistant to Chronicle music critic John L. Wasserman, and began to write for both the daily and the Sunday newspaper issues, filing reviews of local shows with rock and roll as well as rhythm and blues performances.

1979

When Wasserman died in 1979, Selvin picked up the reins of the Chronicle's pop music coverage.

A half year later, one of Selvin's more infamous pieces ran about Bob Dylan's first concert in San Francisco after his conversion to Christianity.

In his piece entitled "Bob Dylan's God-Awful Gospel", Selvin wrote: "Genius may be pain, but this guy is not feeling any pain. Anesthetized by his new-found beliefs, Dylan has written some of the most banal, uninspired and inventionless songs of his career for his Jesus phase. He cannibalized melodies from some of his earlier songs to give the new ones their strongest moments."

1990

In 1990, Selvin published Ricky Nelson: Idol for a Generation, a biography of Ricky Nelson which was nominated by Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) for the Ralph J. Gleason Music Book award.

1994

In 1994, Selvin began managing other pop music staff writers, directing and overseeing their assignments, and editing their contributions, all while continuing to contribute his own reports.

Selvin reviewed music for the Chronicle for more than three decades.

His weekly column was observed by competing journalists as one which sometimes contained errors.

Bill Wyman worked for a time as the editor of "Riff Raff", the music review column at the SF Weekly, a free weekly newspaper distributed in San Francisco.

Wyman and his colleagues regularly printed a section entitled "Selvin Watch" which listed small and large mistakes made by Selvin in his Chronicle column.

Wyman once wrote that the rule at "Selvin Watch" was to ignore one or two errors, but publish if there were three or more in any one Selvin piece.

1998

For instance, the "Selvin Watch" section of April 1, 1998, included mention of five spelling errors in names of people and songs, and an incorrect recounting of how Metallica was seen to "whip out" the song "Fade to Black" and "ride off into the sunset" with it, even though they did not play that song at that concert.

1999

In January 1999, Derk Richardson interviewed Selvin and other San Francisco Bay Area music critics about the perks that are given to them by music industry promoters.

Richardson, at that time the music critic writing for the San Francisco Bay Guardian, evoked a written response from Selvin saying "You shoulda been around when it was really flowing; cases of liquor at Christmas, lavish parties with hookers and drugs (I remember one Lady Sings the Blues affair in particular). Graft is penny-ante these days."

Regarding conflict of interest issues that may result from a critic and a musician becoming friends, Selvin responded, "We are encouraged to develop sources as confidants. The better our sources, the more effective our work. But developing these sources inevitably engenders sympathy or, at least, empathy that might be seen as compromising."

The book was made into a TV movie entitled Ricky Nelson: Original Teen Idol, released in 1999.

2001

In 2001, Selvin helped Paul Grushkin in authoring for Hard Rock Cafe, a book describing highlights of the restaurant and nightclub chain's extensive collection of rock and roll memorabilia.

2009

On May 26, 2009, the Great American Music Hall hosted a retirement party for Selvin featuring appearances by "Big Al" Anderson, Booker T. Jones, Charlie Musselwhite, John Handy, Bonnie Raitt, Al Jardine, Bud E. Luv, Prairie Prince, Chris Isaak and Scott Matthews.

Selvin's ex-wife Keta Bill and daughter Carla, both musicians, took part in the celebration.

Gibson Guitar Corporation gave Selvin a Gibson SG guitar which was signed by many of the artists present.

2010

In November 2010, Selvin published Smart Ass: The Music Journalism of Joel Selvin, a collection of 40 years of rock and roll reviews, interviews and articles centered on California performances, especially San Francisco Bay Area ones.

2011

In March 2011, Red: My Uncensored Life In Rock, which Selvin co-wrote with Sammy Hagar, hit No. 1 on the New York Times best-seller lists.

2012

His book Peppermint Twist, co-authored with John Johnson Jr. (with Dick Cami), was published in November 2012 by Thomas Dunn/St.

Martins Press.

This is the secret story of the top Mafia chief behind the New York City nightclub made world-famous by the Twist dance craze.

2013

Selvin also co-authored the autobiography of tattoo artist Ed Hardy, Wear Your Dreams: My Life In Tattoos, for Thomas Dunne in June 2013.

2014

In January 2014, Selvin was given the Marquee Award for lifetime achievement at the annual San Francisco nightlife awards, the Niteys.

2016

He also co-authored with Epic Records chairman L.A. Reid, Sing To Me: My Story of Making Music, Finding Magic, and Searching for Who's Next, for Harper Collins in 2016.