| Last Updated: September 10, 2026 |
Search "Jon Carroll" and you'll run into at least three unrelated people: a retired San Francisco newspaper columnist, a founding member of the 1970s pop group Starland Vocal Band, and a college basketball player. Because their names are identical, details about one often get mixed up with the others online. Below, each is covered separately, using only verified information.
Jon Carroll was born on November 6, 1943, in Los Angeles and raised in nearby Pasadena, which makes him 82 years old as of 2026. He studied at the University of California, Berkeley, though by his own account it was less than two years of formal coursework before he moved into magazine work.
Before landing at the Chronicle, Carroll built a career editing and writing for national publications, including a stint as an assistant editor at Rolling Stone in 1970, followed by editing roles at Rags, Oui, the Village Voice (as West Coast editor), and New West magazine. That run earned him a National Magazine Award in 1979.
In 1982, Carroll took over the Chronicle's back-page column in the Datebook (entertainment) section, publishing four days a week — Tuesday through Friday — for the next 33 years. His column ranged across cats, politics, family life, religion, travel, and word games, and became one of the paper's most recognizable features. He filed his final column in November 2015, closing out roughly 8,700 deadlines. In a later interview, he suggested the retirement was not entirely his own choice, though he described being at peace with it. He has continued writing occasionally through his blog, Jon Carroll Prose, and reflected on aging and his career in a 2025 interview for The Oldster.
Carroll was previously married to Sandra Rosenzweig, with whom he has two daughters — one of them, Shana, is a trapeze artist and co-founder of the performance troupe The 7 Fingers. He was also previously married to writer Tracy Johnston. He lives in Oakland, California.
There's no publicly verified net worth figure for Carroll. As a private individual who spent his career as a salaried newspaper columnist rather than a corporate executive, his finances simply aren't part of the public record.
How old is Jon Carroll, the SF Chronicle columnist?
He was born November 6, 1943, making him 82 years old in 2026.
Why did Jon Carroll retire from the Chronicle?
He retired in November 2015 after 33 years at the paper. He's said the decision wasn't entirely voluntary but that he was given a choice and took it.
Is Jon Carroll still writing?
He's not writing a regular newspaper column anymore, but he has continued to publish occasional pieces on his blog, Jon Carroll Prose.
Does Jon Carroll have children?
Yes, two daughters from his marriage to Sandra Rosenzweig, including Shana Carroll of The 7 Fingers.
What is Jon Carroll's net worth?
There's no verified public figure available for his net worth.
This Jon Carroll is a keyboardist, vocalist, songwriter, and arranger born in Washington, D.C., currently 69 years old. He started performing in D.C. clubs — most notably the Cellar Door in Georgetown — as a teenager, and at 18 was recruited by Bill Danoff and Taffy Nivert to join what became the Starland Vocal Band, alongside vocalist Margot Chapman.
The band's 1976 debut single, "Afternoon Delight," hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100 and earned the group five Grammy nominations, winning two: Best New Artist and Best Arrangement for Voices, the latter specifically credited to Carroll's arranging work. The band also had a short-lived CBS variety show, which gave a young David Letterman one of his early writing credits.
After Starland Vocal Band split in the early 1980s, Carroll moved into session work, songwriting, and touring. He wrote "Get Closer," a hit for Linda Ronstadt, and has songs recorded by Tom Jones and Kenny Rogers. He's best known as the long-time keyboardist and vocalist for Mary Chapin Carpenter, and has toured or recorded with Rodney Crowell, the Dixie Chicks, Peter Wolf, and Eric Lindell. He's won more than 20 Wammie awards from the Washington Area Music Association.
Carroll married bandmate Margot Chapman on March 10, 1978. The two divorced around 1990. They had one son together, Ben Carroll, who has also gone into music and is based in Los Angeles.
As with the columnist, there's no officially verified net worth figure publicly reported for the musician.
How old is Jon Carroll from Starland Vocal Band?
He's 69 years old, having joined the band at 18 in the mid-1970s.
Who was Jon Carroll's wife?
He was married to fellow Starland Vocal Band member Margot Chapman from 1978 until their divorce around 1990.
Does Jon Carroll have kids?
Yes — one son, Ben Carroll, with Margot Chapman.
What has Jon Carroll done since Starland Vocal Band?
He's had a long career as a session musician, songwriter, and touring keyboardist/vocalist, most notably as a longtime member of Mary Chapin Carpenter's band.
What is Jon Carroll's net worth? No verified public net worth figure is available for him either.
Worth flagging separately because it's a completely different person: there's also a Jon Carroll who played college basketball, listed at 6 feet 7 inches (2.01 m), with roster pages at programs including Drake, Morehead State, and Mississippi State-affiliated sites. He has no connection to the columnist or the musician — sharing a name is coincidental, and his height, age, and biography shouldn't be attributed to either of them.
Are the columnist Jon Carroll and the musician Jon Carroll related?
No. They're two separate people with no known family connection — the overlap is just the name.
Which Jon Carroll wrote for the San Francisco Chronicle?
That's the columnist, born 1943, who wrote the paper's Datebook column from 1982 to 2015.
Which Jon Carroll was in Starland Vocal Band?
That's the musician, born in Washington, D.C., who joined the band at 18 and co-wrote/arranged "Afternoon Delight."
Is either Jon Carroll's net worth publicly known?
No — neither has a verified, reported net worth, since both built careers as writers/performers rather than public company executives with disclosed compensation.
| Spotted something that needs correcting or updating? Email us at care@cafecloudy.com and we'll take a look. |
Wickey Thom specializes in celebrity news and entertainment content, covering the latest updates on actors, musicians, television personalities, influencers, and public figures. With a focus on accuracy and timely reporting, Wickey creates engaging articles featuring celebrity biographies, career milestones, trending stories, and entertainment industry developments. His content is carefully researched using reliable public sources to ensure readers receive informative, up-to-date, and easy-to-read coverage.
