Country music is one of the most popular genres in the world, with a massive fan base that continues to grow year after year. The success of country music has made many artists household names and has also made them incredibly wealthy. In this article, we will take a look at some of the richest country singers in the world and explore how they accumulated their wealth.
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Top 20 Richest Country Singers in the World
When we talk about the music industry you think of names such as Bruno Mars, Micheal Jackson, Justin Bieber and Miley Cyrus. However, when it comes to wealth country singers are not so far behind from the mainstream names. Let us begin our list.
1. Dolly Parton
The first name on the list of richest country singers had to be that of someone like Dolly Parton. The 77-year-old singer has a lot of credentials to her name but when it comes to music she has done 63 studio albums which have gotten her multiple awards. No music award or Hall of Fame List leaves her name out.
Dolly Parton’s net worth is estimated to be a humongous 675 million dollars. She grew up in poverty but today helps out poor kids and has donated over 100 million books to them.
At one point in time, she was about to crack into the list of the top 10 richest musicians in the world.
2. Garth Brooks
The second name on this list is more than 200 million less rich than the first and it is Garth Brooks. His net worth is 430 million dollars. The US-based singer is just behind the Beatles when it comes to the number of total albums sold.
However, he is ahead of Elvis and number 1 when it comes to solo albums sold by an artist as 148 million copies of his work have been sold.
As per the Recording Industry Association of America, he is the only singer to have seven diamond status records. He also started his record label named Pearl Records. And he also happens to be the highest-grossing country artist of all time.
3. Shania Twain
There is not much difference between the second and third spots as Shania Twain has a net worth of 410 million dollars and is behind by just 20 million dollars.
The mid to late 90s was all about her when it came to country and country pop music. She has won a lot of awards throughout her career and her 5 Grammys are her stand-out achievement.
When it comes to best-selling female artists in the US she comes in at number 6. She is also involved in philanthropy and helps needy school children through her Shania Kids Can program.
4. Taylor Swift
She might be considered a mainstream pop singer today but she started her musical journey as a country artist. Taylor Swift is a popular name in the music industry around the globe and this popularity has been instrumental in helping her rack a net worth of 400 million dollars.
She is not just one of Forbes richest country singers but also features on other Forbes lists for being one of the highest-paid entertainers, a powerful woman, America’s self-made woman, and Celebrity 100. She also became the first female artist to win three Album of the Year awards at Grammy in 2021.
5. Trisha Yearwood
Again with a net worth of 400 million dollars Trisha Yearwood is one of the richest country singers. She has been the recipient of 3 Grammy Awards.
She is the wife of the country singer Garth Brooks and has turned with him often. Apart from music, she has also made a name for herself in the field of cookery. She has now become a lifestyle maven and hosts a food based show. Apart from that she has also written a few cookbooks.
6. Toby Keith
With a net worth of 370 million dollars the US music figure, Toby Keith ranks 4th in the list of richest country singers. He started his career back in 1993 and since then has released 19 studio albums.
Over 40 million copies of his albums have been to date and 61 of his singles have made it to Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. He owns a nationwide restaurant franchise and a clothing line as well. To add to it he also launched a new adult beverage in his restaurants and also went on to co-found a record label. All these income sources have helped him secure a place on this list.
7. George Strait
George Strait has a name of 300 million dollars and is also referred to as the King Of Country. He has not only won a lot of awards but has also been inducted into all Hall of Fames. To add to this he has also been named Entertainer of the Year by the Country Music Awards and the Academy of Country Music several times.
He happens to be one of the best-selling musicians ever. His career has not been limited to just music he has also appeared on television and in film. He holds the record for the largest indoor concert in North America. Jezz Bezos of Amazon is his cousin.
8. Faith Hill
When Faith Hill’s net worth is combined with that of her husband, Tim McGrew it comes to a total of 200 million dollars. She started her career at the age of 16 by starting a country band in Tennessee.
Her debut album came out in 1993 and was an instant hit. It doesn’t stop there as the first song of the album went on to be ranked no. 1 on the Billboard country music chart. She has won five Grammys and sold over 40 million albums globally. His husband Tim McGrew is also a country singer.
9. Tim McGraw
When you combine the net worth of Tim McGraw with that of his wife Faith Hill who is also a country singer then the total comes to 200 million dollars. He is not just one of the richest country singers but also one of the most prominent ones. His rise to fame came in the late 90s and early 00s.
He has 16 studio albums to his name and one of them is also one of the bestselling. His tour with his wife is one of the most successful tours in country music history. The duo of husband and wife also won a Grammy for their duet in 2001.
10. Kenny Chesney
With a net worth of 180 million dollars, Kenney Chesney happens to be one of the top-earning country singers of recent times.
He has 20 studio albums to his name and from these albums, 40 songs have made it to the top 10 singles on the Billboard Hot Country Songs charts. He also has a lot of other awards to his name.
Forbes estimated his income to be 42 million dollars a year back in 2015. He got his first musical instrument after completing high school. And today his album sales figure has crossed the 30 million mark.
Cross-reference: 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time
11. Rascal Flatts
For the first time in this article, we don’t have an individual singer but a band on the list. Together the combined net worth of this trio stands at 180 million dollars.
They have not only sold millions of records but also have 12 No. 1 Hot Country hits. In January 2020 the band members announced their plans to part ways however before parting ways they will go on a farewell tour.
12. Alan Jackson
Next on this list is Alan Jackson who has a net worth of 160 million dollars. Though he just has 18 studio albums to his name, over 80 million copies of his record have been sold to date. His name has been included in all country-related Halls of Fame and to add to that he has won multiple awards and honors as well.
Apart from music, he has signed up for various sponsorship deals and business advertisements which have helped him earn a ton of money. A five-mile stretch of Interstate 85 is named after the country singer.
13. Luke Bryan
With a net worth of 150 million dollars, Luke Bryan is ranked 10th on the list of richest country singers. He is one of the best-selling country singers of all time, a fact which is attested by the fact that 80 million copies of his records have been sold globally.
He started his career working as a songwriter for other country singers before he released his album. Apart from singing songs the singer has also hosted numerous music award ceremonies and has also had a stint as a judge on the show American Idol.
14. Carrie Underwood
Carrie Underwood is not just a popular figure among country song listeners but also among football fans in the US as she has sung the pregame song that kicks off NBC’s Sunday Night Football.
When it comes to CMT Music Awards she is the recipient of maximum honors. From 16 nominations the singer has bagged 8 Grammys. She grabbed the top spot in Season 4 of American Idol and hasn’t looked back since then. Today she has a net worth of 140 million dollars.
15. Brad Paisley
Brad Paisley is yet another one of the top country music singers. He has won three Grammy awards from 18 nominations and has a net worth of 120 million dollars.
He has not had a new album release in the past five years but he was still busy during the pandemic as he wrote songs, did Zoom fan visits, and also performed at socially distanced parking lot concerts. This spring the singer will be doing some shows in the US and Canada before he jets off for his European tour.
16. Blake Shelton
Before marrying pop icon Gwen Stefani Blake Shelton was married to country singer Miranda Lambert. He has been a celebrity judge on a show for 21 seasons now.
As per Forbes, the singer bags 13 million dollars per season of the show. With 55 million dollars earned in 2022, he was also ranked 24th on the list of highest-paid entertainers.
In 2016 his album held the No. 1 spot in the Billboard Hot Country Albums chart while his first single also hit the No. 1 spot. He has been around in the music scene for more than 2 decades and today his net worth stands at 120 million dollars.
17. Reba McEntire
The 68-year-old country singer is the first name on this list to have a net worth of below 100 million dollars. However, with a net worth of 95 million dollars, she is still one of the richest country singers around.
The singer has multiple income sources as she performs at concerts, has a clothing line, and is now planning to open a restaurant. Her career has slammed over 40 decades during which she has earned 16 nominations and won 3 Grammy awards from the same. To date, more than 55 million albums of hers have been sold around the world.
18. Jason Aldean
The net worth of Jason Aldean stands at 80 million dollars. His money comes not just from his music career but also from his restaurant in Nashville among other things.
In 2019 CMT named him the Artist of the Decade. Recently he won the Country Radio Broadcasters 2022 Artist Humanitarian Award courtesy of his help in raising millions of dollars for charitable organizations.
19. Keith Urban
The US may have dominated this list with several rich country artists being from there, however, Keith Urban was born in New Zealand and raised in Australia. The net worth of this singer is 75 million dollars.
As per Forbes, the singer made 35 million dollars in 2019. Apart from getting paid nicely from music, he also makes money from his guitar line. In the past, Keith has also been a judge on American Idol. He got married to the popular Academy Award-winning actress Nicole Kidman in 2006.
20. Lady A
Lady A happens to be just the second band mentioned on the list of richest country singers. The trio has a net worth of 75 million dollars. Millions of downloads have helped them become the best-selling digital artists of all time.
The band members Hillary Scott, Charles Kelley, and Dave Haywood each chip in 25 million dollars to help their tally reach 75 million dollars.
So far they have 8 studio releases and their last album which had 14 tracks was termed as a love letter to fans. Before 2020 the band was known as Lady Antebellum.
That concludes the list of richest country singers. So now that you know all of Forbes richest country singers of past and present it might be time to check out their music if you haven’t already.
Cross-reference: How The Sound Of Country Music Changed
Highest-grossing Country Artist of all time
While we have looked at the list of top country singers with the highest net worth, it does not tell us exactly who among them is the highest-grossing country artist of all time. A lot of artists have managed to sell millions of record copies and albums over the years. For this reason, a lot of names come to mind, however, when we talk about who tops the list only one name comes to mind.
The honor of being the country artist who has managed to sell the most copies goes to Garth Brooks. He has managed to sell more than 155 million copies of his work to date beating the likes of artists such as Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, and more. While he has many more awards and records to his name this one must surely be the most special of them all.
Artists who can get an honorable mention for following his lead include Shania Twain and George Strain who have managed to sell almost 80 million copies and more than 70 million copies respectively.
Quite a few artists match the records of Shania and George but they all pale in comparison to Garth. However, even with such a huge achievement to his name Dolly Parton surpasses him when we look at who is the richest country singer of all time.
Who is the Richest Country Singer of all time?
When you ask who is the richest country singer of all time there is just one answer for that and it is Dolly Parton. Just like Garth Brooks has no competition when it comes to being the country singer with the most copies sold, Dolly Parton also has no close competitors in terms of net worth as she tops the list with a net worth of close to 700 million dollars.
The next richest country singer is at least 200 million dollars away from her. Dolly Parton has made so much money that at one point she was about to enter the conversation of being among the top 10 richest musicians in the world. Even with such huge achievements she is behind Garth Brooks when it comes to being the highest-grossing country artist of all time.
