Country or Western music is one of the popular music genres in the world. While its origin was from church and gospel music, it has evolved into secular music and something more harmonious. It is accompanied by instruments such as acoustic and electric guitars, harmonicas, and banjos.
While country music may not be everyone’s thing, some people really enjoy them. The demand for western music was high between the early 90s and the mid-21st century. And out of this demand, some country artists were born. Some of the big names were Dolly Parton, Zac Brown Band, Blake Shelton, George Jones, Shania Twain, and many others.
The exciting thing about all of these is country musicians are some of the richest people in the world. With thousands to millions of records sold, they have one of the top contributions to the entertainment industry.
So, like me, have you ever wondered who the richest country singer is? It looks like there are many of them, but who exactly tops the list? Here, you will see the top 15 richest country singers in the world – best tracks/records and net worth. This genre of music has A-list singers comprising men and women that you may or may not know.
Top 15 Wealthy Country Singers In The World:
1. Dolly Parton Net Worth: $650M
Dolly Rebecca Parton is one of the high-achieving country singers alive. She is also an entertainer, author, and humanitarian. She had her debut appearance (album) in 1967 titled: Hello, I’m Dolly. Ever since then, she has had huge successes in her songwriting career.
Dolly is both a solo and a duet artist with several albums produced by different record labels. However, in 2000, she started her own record label – “Dolly Records.” In Dolly Parton’s lifetime, she has sold over 100 million records, with 25 of her country songs on Billboard’s #1. She currently has 11 Grammy Awards and 50 nominations and has received Lifetime Achievement Award from Country Music Association.
Based on records, the 75-year-old singer is one of the richest artists alive for her work in country music, with a net worth of over $600 Million.
2. Shania Twain Net Worth: $450M
Born Eileen Regina Edwards on August 28th 1965, Shania Twain is one of the best female country singers the world has ever seen. The Canadian singer and songwriter, at a time, sold more than 100 million country music records, making her one of the best-selling female artists.
Shania had her debut album in 1993, which was an epic failure; however, her second album was a huge success as she sold over 20 million copies worldwide. She has even been crowned the Queen of Country Pop and the Leader of the 20th-century country-pop crossover artists.
Shania Twain’s third album was more than a huge success with over 40 million copies, winning the artist of the best-selling studio album. Currently, she is worth $450 Million.
3. Taylor Swift Net Worth: $400M
Taylor Swift is one of the youngest narrative songwriters and country artists alive. The female country singer attributed (attributes) some of her songs to personal experiences and criticisms when she had her big break as a country musician in 2005 when she joined Big Machine Records. She released her debut album in 2006.
Taylor’s second country-pop album, Famous, was also a huge success, selling over 50 million copies. In fact, this album was Diamond-certified. However, the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth albums showed her versatility as she explored different genres of music. In total, she has sold more than 200 million records globally.
The 32-year singer has received 12 Country Music Association Awards, 11 Grammy Awards, and many others in her career. She has a net worth of over $400 Million, making her one of the richest country singers ever.
4. Garth Brooks Net Worth: $400M
Troyal Garth Brooks is another famous musician widely known all over the world. He is undoubted the most successful male country singer with a net worth of $400 Million.
Garth Brooks has a different sound making him unique in the country music genre. He fuses rock and pop elements into his songs, which has gained him more recognition in the United States and beyond. Some of his singles and albums were even top of different charts.
The 59-year-old is also known to be the only singer who has totally achieved releasing 9 Diamond-certified albums. His live performances and multi-platinum recordings were also noteworthy.
Furthermore, Brooks has received several awards in his career, such as 17 American Music Awards and 2 Grammy Awards. Recently, he performed at President Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.
5. Toby Keith Net Worth: $365M
Toby Keith Covel, born July 8th 1961, is one of the richest country singers with a net worth of $365 Million. His first four albums were huge successes between 1993 to 1997, as they were Gold-certified. In 1998, he had a single that topped the country’s singles charts making him one of the best male artists in the country.
Toby Keith released three other country music albums after that were all Platinum-certified in the early 21st century. He also changed record labels a couple of times and starred in a 2006-movie titled: Broken Bridges.
In Keith’s lifetime, he has released 19 studio albums, 5 compilation albums, and 2 Christmas albums and sold over 40 million records. The artist’s most popular hit was: “Beer for My Horses.”
Just recently, he was honored by the former president, Donald Trump.
6. George Strait Net Worth: $300M
Like Shania Twain was Queen of Country Pop, George Strait was the King of Country Music. The singer, songwriter, and actor is one of the most famous recording artists living because he started the neo-traditionalist country style and choreography.
George Strait, known for his cowboy style, was the king of the 80s. He had his hit single in 1981 titled: Unwound. However, his transition into modern music made him more popular. He also had 7 albums that topped the country charts during this time.
The 69-year male country singer didn’t only achieve great things in the 80s, but in the 2000s, he has crowned the Academy of Country Music’s artist of the decade. He has a net worth of $300 Million.
George started festival-style tours and formed a 360-degree configuration. He also holds the title of the artist with the largest indoor concert with over 100,000 people.
7. Kenny Rogers Net Worth: $250M
One of the best country singers that ever lived was Kenny Rogers. Born in 1938 and died in 2020, he was one of the many big names in the music industry. He was a songwriter, actor, entrepreneur, record producer, amongst other things.
In 2013, Kenneth Ray Rogers was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He was indeed one of the most influential men alive.
Kenny had a huge breakthrough in his lifetime, selling over 100 million records globally. He was one of the best-selling music artists, and he explored other areas or genres like folk, pop, rock, and jazz. Many say that he was one of the world’s most popular entertainers with the ability to pull large audiences.
He also received many awards while he was alive, both in singing and acting. He had a net worth of over $250 Million.
8. Kenny Chesney Net Worth: $180M
The list of male country music singers would be incomplete without adding Kenny Chesney. He is one of the best songwriters alive. He also plays the guitar and also spends time producing songs.
Born Kenneth Arnold Chesney on March 26th, 1968, he has over 20 albums to his name, with over 40 singles listed on Billboard’s Top 10 Hot Singles. All these musical achievements made him one of the most successful country artists living with a net worth of $180 Million. All in all, he has sold more than 30 million copies of his various albums globally.
Adding to his achievements and musical prowess, Kenny Chesney has received different awards, including 6 Academy of Country Music Awards and 9 Country Music Association Awards.
He is notably known for his cross-country road trips and tours.
9. Tim McGraw Net Worth: $165M
One of the most successful country artists who is a great actor and guitarist is Tim MacGraw. The Louisiana-born singer has about 16 studio albums, with about 10 of them topping the charts on Top 10 country albums.
Likewise, Tim has singles that have also been listed on Hot Country Songs and many others. All his singles and albums explore different concepts of country music, such as Country Pop and Country Rock.
Tim MacGraw has been signed to different labels, including Curb, Nashville, Big Machine.
In his career, he has received 3 Grammys, 11 Country Music Association Awards, 14 Academy of Country Music Awards, and a long list of others for his work in country music.
Overall, the 54-year-old artist has sold over 80 million records globally, earning him a net worth of $165 Million.
10. Reba McEntire Net Worth: $100M
Reba is a female country singer that has wowed many through the years. She started her music career in high school after she joined the school band. Later, she moved to college, where she performed different songs.
A country singer, Red Steagall, was impressed by one of Reba McEntire’s performances and decided to groom her. She was signed to a record label, where she released her debut album.
One of the many qualities Reba was known for was her top-notch creativity. She was able to deliver incredible albums through which many of them were either Diamond-, Platinum-, or Gold-certified. In her career, she has sold over 70 million records.
She has also received Golden Globe Awards for being a great performing actress. Currently, she has a net worth of about $100 Million.
11. Brooks and Dunn Net Worth: $100M
One of the best duos in the history of country music is Brooks and Dunn. These American country singers are also one of the top-rated boy bands. Kix Brooks is known for his vocals, while Ronnie Dunn is best for his guitar skills. Together, they’ve changed the world of country music as they also do neo-traditional genres like George Strait.
Brooks and Dunn were independent sole recording artists in the late 90s. They both had hit singles until they formed their boy band after been signed to Arista Nashville Records. With this label, they’ve recorded 11 studio albums and 5 compilation albums. Some of their singles even topped the Hot Country Songs charts.
Other achievements in their career include Grammy Awards for Best Duo Country Music Performance and Vocal Duo of the Year in Country Music. The duo’s net worth is $100 Million.
12. Alan Jackson Net Worth: $96M
Alan Jackson is another male country singer with a unique sound. He also makes neo-traditional country music by mixing mainstream country music with traditional honky-tonk.
In his singing career, he is told to have sold over 70 million copies globally, making him one of the best-selling music artists alive. He has 16 recorded studio albums to his name, followed by others, including 2 Christmas and 2 Gospel albums.
Out of the 16 country albums Jackson has recorded, about 9 have been Diamond-certified in the USA. He also has received various awards for his work in this genre of music. He has been inducted into various Halls of Fame – Georgia, Country Music, and Nashville Songwriters within the last two decades.
With all of these, he is also one of the richest country singers ever.
13.Brad Paisley Net Worth: $95M
Born on October 28th, 1972, Brad Douglas Paisley is one of the youngest male country singers in the world – one of the wealthiest too, with a $95 Million net worth.
Brad started his music career in 1999 with his debut album. Later, he was signed to the Arista Nashville label, where he recorded 11 studio albums that were all Gold-certified. He wasn’t also wrong with singles as he topped the charts about 30 times.
Over a short time, i.e., within 2 decades, Brad has sold over 11 million albums making him one of the youngest country musicians to do that. He has also won several awards, including the Grammys and others like the Academy of Country Music Awards and Country Music Association Awards. He is a current member of one of the biggest country music clubs – Grand Ole Opry.
14. Carrie Underwood Net Worth: $85M
Undoubtedly, Carrie Underwood is one of the best solo country artists of the decade. While her music career only started in the 21st century, she has also achieved numerous things in the industry. First, she won the American Idol Season 4 and released a debut single that topped (#1) on Billboard Hot 100 – Inside Your Heaven.
Carrie also had some great songs and better albums. As a matter of fact, she is recognized as the best-selling solo female artist with a debut album in country music.
The singer, author, and actress has also won several Grammys and currently has a net worth of about $85 million.
15. Johnny Cash Net Worth: $60M
With Johnny Cash’s current net worth at $60 Million, he is also one of the greatest and richest country singers that lived.
The American singer and author had different experiences in life that mainly attributed to the themes of his music. He also had different sounds, with the last being a unique bass baritone.
Johnny made so much impact in his life through music, and altogether, he sold over 90 million records globally. He died on September 12th, 2003.
Conclusion
Country Music may not exactly be your style, but many other people actually listen to it. And for those who do, they know their favorites. This list has shown that some of these country singers have made numerous impacts through music and so much money. With each of them winning different awards and getting recognized for their work of art, it is impossible to disregard their existence in the music industry.
If you are a fan of country music by now, you should know what your favorite artist is worth.
