It’s no secret that these guys and gals have it pretty good and made a real fortune with good music and some smart business choices. In this article, we’re going to go through a list of the most successful Country singers and musicians of all time and see just how they invested their income and turned it into a huge source of wealth for themselves and their families. So step right up, put your boots and cowboy hat on, because we’re going deep into some Country nostalgia and fun facts.
Toby Keith
Net Worth: $500 million
Venture: Show Dog Nashville
Toby Keith went from a popular and highly successful singer to an absolute business magnate in just a span of 25 years. Keith managed to do in just two and a half decades what most successful entertainers and businesspeople never even accomplish in their lifetimes, and created a net worth that’s equal to half a billion dollars. The legendary singer-songwriter and actor was born in Oklahoma and has been a source of pride for them ever since.
With a long list of hits that generated him a substantial income, Keith invested his newfound wealth into a business venture called Show Dog Nashville, an independent label that he currently owns. The label’s name was recently changed to Show Dog-Universal and has managed to sign a serious number of up-and-coming country artists. If you’ve never heard of Keith's hit single “Should’ve Been a Cowboy”, you might just be missing out on one of the greatest hits of all time in the country genre.
Kenny Chesney
Net Worth: $225 million
Venture: Kenny Chesney, Inc.
With a net worth of $225 million, Kenny Chesney is a true king when it comes to creating great music that captivates a large audience of fans, then effectively monetizing that fanbase through various apparel and merchandise. The singer-songwriter and businessman have released twenty gold-certified albums so far with record-breaking success. Chesney has consistently dominated the charts with over forty Top 10 Country singles and twenty-nine of them reaching the #1 spot.
He then took that base and founded the Kenny Chesney corporation which expertly sells various items to his dedicated and loyal fans. Kenny Chesney is a singer-songwriter who has released twenty albums, nearly all of which have been gold-certified or higher by RIAA.
George Strait
Net Worth: $300 million
Venture: Codigo 1530
George Strait is your classical American country music icon. Strait is often referred to as the Clint Eastwood of country. With a career spanning over three decades, revenue from his tequila company “Codigo 1350”, and more than one hundred million album sales, this musical behemoth has built himself an impressive net worth of over $300 million.
The legendary singer is a massive critic of the modern generic style of country-pop that seeks to appeal to the largest audience, rather than focus on the genre’s tradition and background.
Reba McEntire
Net Worth: $95 million
Venture: RBI
Widely referred to as the queen of Country music, Reba McEntire is a musician and businessman that’s been around for longer than many of her male Country counterparts. The singer has dominated the genre with over thirty albums to date which almost all attained a gold status or better. She is one of the all-time best-selling Country singers and has over 75 million album sales to brag about.
Outside of her career as a musical artist, she has built a net worth of almost $100 million through smart business decisions and reinforcing and improving what’s been working for her throughout her long career. McEntire is the founder and manager of the RBI management firm and is also a successful actress.
Tim McGraw
Net Worth: $85 million
Venture: Tennessee Titans
Musical icon and owner of the Tennessee Titans NFL team, Tim McGraw is husband to the successful country artist Faith Hill. The power couple has attained the status of “rich and bestselling country musicians” with combined sales of their albums likely surpassing the 100 million mark. McGraw has released a total of fifteen albums to date that has all sold exceptionally well.
The duo has made some serious business investments using their wealth which is in the tens of millions of dollars. Their main investment was in the Tennessee Titans, as both are currently owners of the successful NFL team.
Shania Twain
Net Worth: $400 million
Venture: Let’s Go!
With a net worth of over $400 million, Shania Twain is arguably the most successful female country singer in the world. With over 100 million album sales, she has pretty much smashed the glass ceiling for women in this musical genre and even went a few steps further.
Twain was born in Canada and became a famous artist after being discovered by producer Mutt Lange, whom she ended up marrying by the way. She is currently signed as a musician with Mercury-Nashville and is part of a sponsorship project named “Let’s Go!” that aims to help young artists find their voice and crowd.
Blake Shelton
Net Worth: $60 million
Venture: Ryman Hospitality
Singer, real estate investor, and Gwen Stefani's hubby, Blake Shelton is every girl’s dream — he’s got the looks, the money, and the voice to capture anyone’s attention. His debut single "Austin” was a massive success and landed him square inside the much-desired platinum status for the album’s sales.
Outside of music, the singer invests his multi-million dollar wealth into various industries and especially focuses on Ryman Hospitality, a hotel, resort, entertainment, and media company that owns a variety of real estate properties under its name.
Conway Twitty
Net Worth: $14 million
Venture: The Estate of Harold Jenkins
Harold Lloyd Jenkins, mostly known as Conway Twitty, was a country singer from the '60s and '70s that dabbled in various genres from rock and roll to R&B and even Pop. He was widely praised for his duets with Loretta Lynn and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rockabilly Hall of Fame following his passing away in 1993. His most successful songs include "Hello Darlin'," "Honky Tonk Angel," "Linda on My Mind" and "The High Priest of Country Music."
Twitty was the center of various legal issues throughout his life, including alleged tax evasion and fights over his estate, including copyrights and royalties. The peak of his career was during the late '70s when he shifted his musical style to country pop and changed his look from the slicked-back pompadour style to the regular curly hair and mustache.
Dolly Parton
Net Worth: $500 million
Venture: The Dollywood Company
The undisputed queen of country music, Dolly Parton, inspired millions of young men and women to freely express themselves and be their best versions through her many memorable and wildly popular songs. The legendary singer expertly used her immense income to found The Dollywood Company, which owns a water park, a dinner theater, and a spa resort.
Her musical and business achievements helped her secure a net worth of around half a billion-dollar, much of it thanks to her Dollywood theme park, which is the twenty-fourth most popular theme park in the United States.
Crystal Gayle
Net Worth: $10 million Venture: Crystal’s Fine Gifts and Jewelry
Crystal Gayle is a country singer, widely known as the sister of Loretta Lynn, and her famous single "Don't It Make My Brown Eyes Blue" topped the country charts and became an international success.
Gayle was the recipient of a Grammy Award and five Academy of Country Music awards. She was recently ranked by Rolling Stones as one of the greatest country artists of all time and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. She has released numerous albums that received Silver, Gold, and Platinum certifications. Despite fading in popularity after the '80s, Gayle has continued to tour and release albums over the years. Her latest album "You Don't Know Me: Classic Country" was released just a few months ago.
Luke Bryan
Net Worth: $90 million
Venture: 32
Bridge Luke Bryan is a classic Cinderella story of a talented guy who started out in the songwriting profession, working for popular country singers such as Travis Tritt and Billy Currington. One day Bryan said to himself, “Hey, I’m pretty good at this singing thing too! Why don't I go out on my own and do a solo career?” And that’s exactly what he did. The singer-songwriter was quickly picked up by Capitol Nashville alongside Keith Urban, and since then released nine albums, all of which have been successful and have sold millions of copies.
He has amassed a net worth of almost $100 million and used some of that equity to start his own restaurant franchise called 32 Bridge and his first location was a success. Located in Nashville, Tennessee, the restaurant is a luxury dining experience with great reviews and cuisine.
Kane Brown
Net Worth: $6 million
Venture: Zone 4
Born in Tennessee, Kane Brown is proof that you don’t need a major label deal to successfully debut a musical career in this day and age. The versatile artist likes to diversify his music across multiple musical genres and has successfully reached number one on several Billboard charts at the same time.
Brown is the quintessential example of an artist using social media to monetize and build a large following. He was quickly picked up by the RCA label after his music proved to be both critically and commercially successful, making him a millionaire in the process.
Shane Minor
Net Worth: $1 million
Venture: Broadcast Music, Inc.
Shane Minor is definitely not your typical country singer. Before debuting as a singer in 1994, he was both a rodeo bull rider and a police officer in California. A bolt of genius must have struck Minor, and in 1994 he decided to quit both the police force and his bull-riding career to pursue a musical path as a country singer. Minor was picked up by Mercury Nashville and enjoyed a short but sweet six-year run as a singer, before deciding to drop out of this career as well in favor of writing songs for other popular singers.
Minor has been writing songs since the year 2000 for other artists and with great success, as many of his written songs shot up to the number-one position in the charts. Like many of his counterparts in the country music industry, he lives in Nashville, where he’s enjoying his career as a professional songwriter.
Billy Ray Cyrus
Net Worth: $20 million
Venture: Parents Television Council Anyone who knows who Miley Cyrus is most likely heard of her father, Billy Ray Cyrus. Both Billy and Miley Cyrus have been an active part of Disney Entertainment but eventually parted ways. Billy Ray Cyrus had his musical debut in 1992 to popular acclaim and released twelve albums so far.
The country musician recently got back to media fame after a strong collaborative song called “Old Town Road” with famous musician Lil Nas X. The song starred in the #1 spot for two weeks after being released. You might be interested to know that Cyrus is currently a member of the Parents Television Council.
Debby Boone
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Debby Boone’s Hug-A-Long Songs
Debby Boone was born in New Jersey and comes from a long line of famous actors and singers. Boone was part of a band with her three sisters, Lindy, Laury, and Cherry, but eventually went her own way towards a solo career, which proved to be a very successful decision.
Her most popular song “You Light Up My Life,” was released in 1977 and became a number-one hit for ten weeks straight. Since then she has released various hit songs, won several Grammys, and even written six books with her husband, some of which were children's books.
Tanya Tucker
Net Worth: $60 million
Venture: Tuckerville
While most musical artists and celebrities take many years (sometimes decades) to achieve the lusted status of fame and wealth, it almost seems that Tanya Tucker was born for those. With her hit single “Delta Dawn” topping the musical charts when she was just 13 years old, Tucker was clearly destined for massive accomplishments in the country music scene. While many child stars tend to fade in popularity over time, this young prodigy had only gotten better as time went on, eventually leading the young Texas-born artist to a net worth of over $50 million.
Since her debut, Tucker had amassed various award nominations and top-hit singles including 1973's "What's Your Mama's Name?" and "Blood Red and Goin' Down", 1975's "Lizzie and the Rainman", and 1988's "Strong Enough to Bend". She's also a popular entertainer and appears in various shows and popular award ceremonies.
Lila McCann
Net Worth: $2 million
Venture: Paint This Town
Lila McCann is every country boy’s dream, with a combination of beauty, talent, and an appetite for artistic success. Her first studio album, Lila (which included the song), went on to become a mega success both commercially and critically, becoming the best-selling debut album in 1997 and getting certified platinum by the RIAA in the US.
Her artistic ambitions were probably stoked at a very young age when she appeared briefly as Kelly Wyman in the popular western action show “Walker, Texas Ranger”.
Lyle Lovett
Net Worth: $25 million
Venture: Shakespeare Center of Los Angeles
Despite being less known than other popular Country musicians on our list, this Houston-born singer has been rocking the Country genre since the ‘80s. Four times Grammy award winner Lyle Lovett might just be exactly what you’re looking for if you’re interested in some old-school Country music. Lovett has recorded thirteen albums in his career with twenty-five singles. His work as a musician helped him create a serious net worth of over $25 million.
When he isn’t creating music, Lovett is also a part-time classic theater actor and composer.
Emmylou Harris
Net Worth: $15 million
Venture: The Roots
Alabama-born Emmylou Harris is one of country’s most beloved and acclaimed artists of all time. Harris started out playing in coffeehouses in Greenwich Village after she moved to New York with the goal of becoming a successful musician. It didn’t take long for fame and success to follow, with her 1969 debut album Gilding Bird marking the beginning of an extremely successful career.
The powerful singer has released many albums and singles over her five decades of music. She's one of the most decorated country singers in the world with fourteen Grammys, the Polar Music Prize, a Country Hall of Fame induction, and the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Gary Allan
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: EMI Nashville
This country singer-songwriter-guitarist has managed to create a net worth of around $10 million for himself, proving that you don’t need to be a mega-celebrity to attain wealth through musical talent if you’re willing to put in the work.
Allan has produced nine studio albums so far with twenty-six singles that have found their way to the Billboard Country Charts. Among his most successful and most fun singles are “The One,” “Her Man,” “Right Where I Need to Be,” and “Watching Airplanes.”
Taylor Swift
Net Worth: $320 million
Venture: Taylor Swift Productions, Inc.
Taylor Swift is a household name at this point and has effectively crossed over from country music into the hearts of Americans all across the nation. Swift’s debut album, "Speak Now," was immediately a big hit and reached #1 on the charts shortly after being released. Nowadays, with over 150 million record sales in America alone, it’s no wonder that the star has managed to create a net worth of over $300 million.
The acclaimed star is also the executive of her brand’s company, Taylor Swift Productions, which sells various items related to the Taylor Swift name.
Kacey Musgraves
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Golden Hour
The talented Grammy-winning Kacey Musgraves has managed to grab attention for her unique musical style right from the start of her career. Since her debut, she has become a critically-acclaimed icon with a bevy of awards and recognitions, including six Grammys, four CMAs, and three ACMAs. Musgraves was relatively unnoticed during the releases of her first three albums but became an instant celebrity and highly-wanted musician after appearing in the Nashville Star singing competition TV show at age 27.
Her most album, "Golden Hour," took things to an entirely different level and ended up winning four different Grammys. Since her debut, the singer has become a multi-millionaire and only seems to be growing in popularity, wealth, and prestige as her career moves forward.
Greg Bates
Net Worth: $200,000
Venture: The Highway (Sirius XM)
American country singer Greg Bates has had a fairly short-lasting musical career that mostly appeared between 2012 and 2013. He released his first single, "Did It for the Girl," which debuted at number 57 on the Hot Country Songs chart in 2012. The song was well received and was praised for being simple and memorable.
Bates was born in Brentwood and moved to Nashville to better position himself for a country music career. He then got his music degree from Belmont University, which led to his signing a record contract with Republic Nashville a year later in 2011. He has since been fairly quiet and we've not heard too much from the country singer except for his marriage in 2015 to girlfriend Shelley Skidmore.
Tammy Wynette
Net Worth: $900,000
Venture: Tammy Wynette Museum
Tammy Wynette was truly one of the greats when it came to classic country music. Often referred to as the “First Lady of Country Music,” she helped during the ‘60s and ‘70s to pioneer much of the popularity of the folk American genre. Wynetta is often compared with some of the greats in the genre like Dolly Parton and Loretta Lynn.
Wynetta hit her peak popularity between the ‘60s and the late ‘70s with songs like “D-I-V-O-R-C-E” that were massively popular before anyone has even heard of country pop. With twenty singles reaching number one in the charts, this iconic and legendary singer was truly one of the best the 20th century had to offer.
Ed Bruce
Net Worth: $26 million
Venture: Bret Maverick
Ed Bruce is best known as everyone’s favorite original outlaw country singer and avid traditionalist of the genre. Born in Keiser, Arkansas, the talented young Bruce quickly caught the attention of Sam Phillips, the founder of Sun Records, and began writing and recording various songs for him. Bruce then proceeded to do voice-overs for TV shows and radio commercials, and finally debuted his first single in 1969 to moderate success.
The aspiring singer finally made big progress when he released "Mamas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys", a song that he wrote with his wife. The song reached the Top 20 charts and his career began improving quickly from there. Bruce has released over 20 studio albums to date, with the most popular and commercially successful being his 1980 self-titled album.
Cole Swindell
Net Worth: $3 million
Venture: The Reason to Drink
Tour Cole Swindell is a singer and songwriter who debuted his career as a solo country singer in 2013, after a full three years of songwriting for other popular country artists such as Thomas Rhett, Scotty McCreery, Luke Bryan, and Craig Campbell.
Several of Swindell's singles w made it to number five or higher on the country charts. He has over a million likes on Facebook and managed to become a multi-millionaire in his mid-thirties. In 2015, Swindell won the Best New Artist of the Year by the Academy of Country Music Awards. His most successful singles so far have been "You Should Be Here," "Middle of a Memory," "Break Up in the End," and our favorite, "Chillin’ It."
Jason Aldean
Net Worth: $80 million
Venture: Buck Commander
Known by many as one of the best guitarists in the country music space, Jason Aldean has managed to create his own small empire with a fortune of over $80 million over his career. The country star has mostly stuck to traditional country values, both in his personal life and musical career. Aldean is also the owner of a hunting and fishing gear label named “Buck Commander” that’s based on his likeness and brand.
Aldean was able to organize and invest in this business through the large income he receives from album sales. He’s apparently even more popular than you might think, with his 2010 album My Kinda Party receiving the super rare quadruple-platinum certification by RIAA (which is a super-duper cool certificate). Various of his other albums also reached platinum and double-platinum statuses.
Lee Brice
Net Worth: $6 million
Venture: Curb Records
Lee Brice started his musical career in 2007 and has since released many successful studio albums including "Love Like Crazy," "Hard to Love," "I Don't Dance," and "Lee Brice." He was nominated nine times for various musical awards including Top New Artist and Best Song but has yet to win an award. The South-Carolina born artist is estimated to be worth over $5 million.
Brice has written many songs for many popular country artists between 2006 and 2016. In 2013, Brice married his longtime girlfriend Sara Nanette Reeveley. The couple has three children named Takoda, Ryker, and Trulee. with his most successful compositions being Eli Young's "Crazy Girl", 2011's top country song, and Brook's "More Than a Memory", which debuted at number one on the country charts.
Luke Combs
Net Worth: $1.2 million
Venture: This One’s For You
It took Luke Combs three different EPs before finally hitting the sweet point of commercial success and reaching the top spots in the Billboard Charts. His third EP, Hurricane, was the catalyst for his recent label deal with Columbia records. Since then, Combs has released a full studio album in 2017 titled This One's for You that managed to climb to the number one spot.
His first two EPs, The Way She Rides and Can I Get an Outlaw, were not as successful as the releases that followed. Combs has since gone back to his roots in EPs and released a fourth EP just recently this year called The Prequel which sold almost four times better than the previous one which catapulted him to fame.
Gretchen Wilson
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Country Bands Together
If you’re looking for a classic country singer to listen to during long road trips and drives, look no further than the beautiful and very talented Gretchen Wilson. The country singer made her debut with a Grammy-winning single called “Redneck Woman” and has consistently produced award-winning albums and songs ever since.
Wilson’s debut single “All Jacked Up” is considered to be one of the best female debut singles in history. In her relatively short time in the music industry, Wilson has made a few million dollars and became a sponsor of a women’s softball league in Pierron, Illinois.
Gloriana
Net Worth: $500,000
Venture: Emblem Records
Back in 2008, singer and expert mandolin player Cheyenne Kimball decided to go from solo artist to band member and promptly founded Gloriana, a country group starring Rachel Reinert and brothers Tom Gossin and Mike Gossin.
The band has been well received from the very beginning, winning the American Music Awards' Breakthrough Artist of the Year. Since their strong and critically acclaimed debut, the band's commercial success has been declining quite rapidly, with the first album, “Gloriana,” standing at 235,000 sales, the second, “A Thousand Miles Left Behind” at 118,000, and the third, simply called “Three,” at an estimated 40,000 sales. The group was effectively disbanded after the release of their third album.
Alison Krauss
Net Worth: $16 million
Venture: Rounder Records
Krauss is a versatile and multi-skilled musician with an angelic voice and control of various instruments from the piano to fiddles and mandolins. Kraus definitely did well on the commercial side with many of her songs being made directly for iconic film soundtracks such as "O Brother, Where Art Thou" and "Cold Mountain."
Krauss has been nominated multiple times for the Oscars thanks to her incredible soundtrack songs and even decided to form her own label, called Rounder Label during a peak moment in her career, in order to make sure she has complete sovereignty over the content of her music.
Ashley McBryde
Net Worth: $1 million
Venture: Girl Going Nowhere
Ashley McBryde, considered by many fans to be the pride of Arkansas, was originally discovered and presented to the world by popular country singer Eric Church who invited her to perform her song “Bible and a .44”. Often admired for her honesty and good-hearted performances, McBryde struck a chord with the audience and developed a big fanbase of loving admirers.
She was nominated for a Grammy and her song “A Little Dive Bar” is widely adored. The singer has a net worth of around $1 million, which is likely to increase dramatically as her fame and discography keeps growing over the years.
Eddie Rabbitt
Net Worth: $3 million
Venture: Days of Our Lives
Rock and country musician Eddie Rabbit began his musical career writing songs for various country stars, including Kentucky Rain for Elvis and Ronnie Milsap’s hit, “Pure Love,” in 1974. When Eddie Rabbit went into singing on his own, he was instantly recognized for having a unique style of country that mixed country and rock.
The singer also acted in the famous soap operas Days of Our Lives and All My Children. Rabbit passed away in 1998 due to a long battle against cancer, but the news was not published until after his burial at the request of his family. Rabbit was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1998, the same year of his passing.
Dottie West
Net Worth: $3 million Venture: Coca-Cola
Dottie West was one of the female pioneers in country music, with a nearly perfect record of hit singles and albums that launched her career into fame and success. Her debut song “Here Comes My Baby Back Again” was released in the ‘60s to massive critical and commercial success. It was immediately put in the Top 10 ranking in the country charts and West even received a Grammy for it, making her the first female country singer to ever win the prestigious award.
Following her rise to fame, West struck a deal with Coca-Cola that ended up being another huge success. She wrote and recorded the iconic song “Country Sunshine” which became the company’s jingle for many years to come. The legendary singer's music is now considered the standard for great country music and she was recently posthumously inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
Loretta Lynn
Net Worth: $65 million
Venture: Loretta Lynn Ranch
Born before World War II, Loretta Lynn is certainly a soul that’s still very much infused with the simplicity and charm of older and more traditional times. She was born in Kentucky and became a household name for everything country related.
She’s the owner of the Loretta Lynn Ranch, which sells attire and merchandise related to her wonderful brand. She’s certainly one of a kind, and if you’ve never heard her hit songs “Don’t Come Home,” “You Ain’t Woman Enough,” and her amazing “Coal Miner’s Daughter,” now would be a good time to take a listen.
Sugarland
Net Worth: $20 million
Venture: Bigger
Originally started as a trio consisting of Kristian Hall, Jennifer Nettles, and Kristian Bush, the band debuted to a strong open and was signed to Mercury Nashville.
It didn’t take long before trouble started appearing though, as Kristian Hall suddenly left the band. The biggest musical mark that Sugarland left to date was ironically their debut album “Twice the Speed of Life,” which received double platinum status by the RIAA.
Dierks Bentley
Net Worth: $30 million
Venture: The Voice
If you remember Showtime’s dark comedy-drama series "Weeds," you’ll probably recognize Dierks Bentley as the guy who sang the show’s opening theme song. The country music singer has been working with the Capitol Nashville label since 2003 and debuted with his first album, called "Dierks Bentley." Bentley has released several studio albums and has been nominated for numerous Grammy awards.
He was the ACM's Top New Artist of 2004 and has since done a pretty good job maintaining this record. What most people don’t know about Bentley is that he’s also a licensed pilot and owns two private airplanes, which add to his $30 million net worth.
Lucinda Williams
Net Worth: $15 million
Venture: Sweet Old World
Lucinda Williams is not your typical country singer. She has been around the block since the late ‘70s and her career has been an incredible ride so far with very high peaks and long periods of silence. Her first few albums, which debuted in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s failed to capture attention and were relative flops. She then released a self-titled record in the late ‘80s with the hit single “Passionate Kisses” that would end up winning her a Grammy award.
Williams is notorious for working at ever-changing paces and taking her time between albums. Her work only began to receive serious commercial and critical success in the last few years. She has since won three Grammys, been nominated over fifteen times, and was even named "America's best songwriter" in 2002 by Time Magazine.
Garth Brooks
Net Worth: $330 million
Venture: Pearl Records
Garth Brooks is the second best-selling solo artist in the world to date, with sales of albums exceeding 148 million in the United States alone. He is a titan in the music industry and fully justifies his net worth that’s in the hundreds of millions.
Together with his wife, singer Trisha Yearwood, the two have invested in various successful ventures, including an online music e-Store which was bought by Amazon for a large sum of money. He’s also the owner of a Pearl Records label and even played professional baseball for the Kansas City Royals about years ago.
Brad Paisley
Net Worth: $40 million
Venture: San Antonio Stock Show
Brad Paisley is one of the most prolific and popular country singers and guitarists in recent times. With nine albums that have all performed exceptionally well commercially and a record-breaking list of ten singles that all hit #1 in the country charts, Paisley was able to bank around $40 million in just a few years.
The popular singer has received various awards including three Grammys and numerous Artist of the Year, Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, and other awards. Paisley has also appeared in various reality shows including "The Voice," "America's Got Talent," and HBO's "Hard Knocks."
Barbara Mandrell
Net Worth: $45 million
Venture: Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters
Famous actress and singer Barbara Ann Mandrell saw her rise to fame through a bevy of hit songs during the ‘70s and ‘80s. Her most famous songs to date are “Years” and “I Was Country When Country Wasn’t Cool,” although she has had many other successful singles including 1978’s “Sleeping Single in a Double-Bed.”
Mandrell’s fame and success as an entertainer and actress peaked when she hosted her own TV show on NBC called Barbara Mandrell & the Mandrell Sisters, which went on to win a Globe nomination and the People’s Choice Award. She is considered to be one of the most successful female vocalists in the country during the '70s and '80s and is still a member of the Grand Ole Opry since 1972.
Janie Fricke
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: The Statler Brothers Show
Janie Fricke was one of the most famous country singers during the '80s, she is best remembered for her incredible ballads, including "Down to My Last Broken Heart" and "I'll Need Someone to Hold Me (When I Cry)." She has received three Grammy nominations for her songs "What're You Doin' Tonight," "Your Heart's Not in It," and "She's Single Again."
Fricke's rise to fame began after producing a lot of uncredited background work for other artists, including Dolly Parton, Barbara Mandrell, Crystal Gayle, Ronnie Milsap, Lynn Anderson, Tanya Tucker, Conway Twitty, and Eddie Rabbitt. Over time, she began to attract attention from interested fans until her 1977 debut. Despite Fricke’s career slowing down considerably since the 2000s, she is still actively involved in the music industry and attends various events.
Justin Moore
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Valory Music
Justin Moore has managed to personify the image of the southern “bad boy” and definitely uses it to boost. Moore was signed to Big Machine label, which constitutes a part of the Valory Music conglomerate. Since debuting a few years ago, the singer has released several albums and amassed a net worth of around $10 million.
Moore has consistently produced hit number-one singles throughout his music career which consists of three studio albums. Some of these singles are “Til My Last Day,” “You Look Like I Need a Drink,” “Small Town USA,” “Lettin the Night Role,” and “If Heaven Wasn’t So Far Away.”
Morgan Wallen
Net Worth: $700,000
Venture: Dig Your Roots Tour
Born in Tennessee, Morgan Wallen was well on his way to a successful career in baseball and was hoping to reach the MLB. He proved himself as a hardworking and talented individual and even received a sports scholarship. Everything was going his way until one day, Wallen suffered a sports injury that severely damaged his odds of accomplishing his dream. Wallen chose to go into the music industry instead, and attempt to leave his mark there.
We were first introduced to Morgan Wallen in the 6th season of NBC’s reality music show, "The Voice." Despite falling out in the playoff rounds, the singer-songwriter was quickly picked up by the label Big Loud and has since seen released a studio album and two EPs.
Maren Morris
Net Worth: $300,000
Venture: Girls Just Wanna Weekend
The Grammy-winning Maren Morris is a wonderful country artist with a varied pool of talents and musical styles. The singer-songwriter has released some very successful pieces of music, including an album, "Hero," which reached number one on the Top Country Albums list.
Morris was born in Texas and also plays the guitar brilliantly. She recently had a few major life events that we’re very excited about — first she signed on to Columbia Nashville label, then released her second album in her debut major album deal. Secondly, and perhaps a lot more exciting, is that she married Ryan Hurd, a fellow popular country singer.
Kelsea Ballerini
Net Worth: $6 million
Venture: "The Voice" (as a coach)
The singer, who also worked as a coach on season 15 of "The Voice," has managed to build a net worth of $6 million in her musical career. Shortly after her debut, Ballerini signed with Black River Label and proceeded to release her first album, "The First Time," which went on to receive positive reviews and decent sales figures.
Shortly after, she released a second album called "Unapologetically," which unapologetically earned her a Grammy nomination for Best New Artist in 2017.
Kenny Rogers
Net Worth: $250 million
Venture: Gambler Chassis Co.
Another musical Hall of Famer, Kenny Rogers has also become a legendary name in music and especially in the country genre. While most musical artists record and release just shy of 100 songs throughout their entire career, Rogers has released over 120 songs that hit the singles chart throughout many genres of music. As the #1 record seller in the United States for more than 3 years, Rogers built a vast fortune of $250 million to his name.
Since launching his career, the iconic singer has sold over 100 million records worldwide and was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. He’s widely considered as one of the most influential musical artists of all time for multiple musical genres, with an obvious emphasis on country, and uses his mastery of guitar, bass, harmonica, and fiddle to give the crowd exactly what they need. Outside of music, Rogers is the owner of the Gambler Chassis Company, which manufactures racing cars.
Lynn Anderson
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: The Lynn Anderson Estate
Lynn Anderson is a legendary figure in country and music and one of the best vocalists in the genre’s history. Anderson has released many number-one singles throughout her long career and excited the masses with her unique and defying musical style, especially during the ‘60s and ‘70s. Anderson’s most successful song to date is her version of "Rose Garden" which is considered as one of the most successful crossover recordings of all time.
Anderson made a much-demanded return in her last few years before passing away in 2015. She enjoyed her last decade touring to sold-out concerts and an unfathomable amount of love, gratitude, and praise from fans all across the country. The legendary singer was inducted into the Texas Trail of Fame and ranked 28 in "Rolling Stone's 100 Greatest Country Artists of All Time."
Darius Rucker
Net Worth: $14 million
Venture: MGC Sports
Darius Rucker is the lead singer of Hootie & the Blowfish and is one of those rare artists that managed to combine different music genres into a beautiful and unique mix, namely, country and R&B. Over the years the band has released five albums and managed to claim six top-40 hits on the Billboard charts. Rucker also has a solo musical career, and already released several Country-R&B songs that have garnered their own audience and fans.
In his business venture, Rucker is currently focused on sports marketing and is a partner at MGC Sports, which promotes talented athletes across many different sports and provides them with services ranging from marketing to public relations and management.
Mark Chesnutt
Net Worth: $7.1 million
Venture: Nada Dinero
The singer-songwriter debuted in 1990 after many years of wanting to take up a musical venture due to his passion for country music. Chesnutt was born in Beaumont, Texas, and drew his musical influence from his father, Bob Chesnutt, a popular singer and record producer. He played music from a very young age and dropped out of school to focus on performing, before being taken to Nashville by his father to begin his recording ventures.
By the late '80s, Chestnut released eight singles that were stitched together into his debut album, "Doing My Country Thing". The album was well-received, as were his following three albums which have all managed to attain Platinum status.
Chad Brock
Net Worth: $100,000
Venture: TCN
If you’re a veteran WCW fan, you’ll probably recognize Chad Brock from his old wrestling days in the mid-'90s. The wrestler was always a singer at heart and moved from Florida to Nashville to try and become a popular country singer. His wrestling career was quickly dispatched due to an injury that prevented him from wrestling. This was just the push he needed to return to music, as Brock went on to release several albums.
He released three albums which have seen moderate success. His strongest single to date was "Yes!" which reached first place on the country music charts. Since then, he has left the music scene to co-host a morning show in Tampa, Florida.
Sawyer Brown
Net Worth: $9 million
Venture: Beach Street Records
If you've heard of the popular country singer Don King who ruled the '70s and '80s with more than fifteen hit singles on the Billboard charts, you probably remember that he had a band of musicians that toured with him across the US. When the popular singer retired, those musicians chose to stick together and in 1981 they formed Sawyer Brown, the popular country-pop band that was founded by Mark Miller, Gregg "Hobie" Hubbard, Bobby Randall, Joe "Curly" Smyth, and Jim Scholten.
The band’s country, rock and pop musical style was an instant hit. The band went on to release eighteen studio albums and had over fifty songs appear on the Hot Country Songs charts. Their most successful songs to date are "Step That Step," "Some Girls Do," and "Thank God For You".
Kip Moore
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Slowheart
Many fans of the hip Kip Moore don’t know that the singer never really set out to develop a musical career, and to some extent, stumbled into it. When he was younger, Moore would travel as a backpacking nomad and spend most of his time after college surfing in Hawaii while living in his tiny Hut. In 2004, after what we imagine were some really great days of tanning and working on his beach bod, Moore decided to try his luck at singing and moved to Nashville, where he met the successful producer Brett James, who helped him get a label deal with MCA Nashville.
Moore would go on to receive critical and commercial acclaim for his first album, “Up All Night,” which was the best-selling first album of any male country star for both 2012 and 2013, and achieved platinum status by the RIAA shortly after its release.
Lee Ann Womack
Net Worth: $20 million
Venture: CMT Crossroads
When Lee Ann Womack first appeared in the country scene, she was instantly recognized as a modern mix of Dolly Parton and Tammy Wynette. When Ann Womack debuted in 1997, she instantly received fame and acclaim for her music. She is best known for the title song “I Hope You Dance” from her debut album, and has managed to achieve quite a lot with a relatively small discography.
The traditional country singer took a break in 2008 and only returned to the music scene six years later with the album “The Way I’m Livin”, which sold over six million copies in the US. Ann Womack has definitely built a very impressive career with a relatively low amount of work, compared to other country singers, and currently boasts a net worth of around $20 million.
Willie Nelson
Net Worth: $25 million
Venture: Willie’s Reserve
You may recognize Willie Nelson from various films and TV shows. Despite looking like your favorite uncle during the time he rebelled against your aunt and to prove his independence, Nelson has built a substantial following of fans and a net worth of around $25 million. He is actively involved in poetry and activism, mostly focusing on the topic of legalizing the use of Cannabis.
Nelson has also been around for a long time now, and originally signed his first label deal in 1973 with Atlantic Records after growing his fame through folk music. The singer has since changed his tune and focused more on outlaw country music rather than classic American folk, with his most famous album being “Wanted! The Outlaws.” Nelson currently spends his time and wealth on his business which sells marijuana-related products, as-well-as various activism efforts for legalization.
Jana Kramer
Net Worth: $2 million
Venture: "Dancing with the Stars"
While you may know Jana Kramer as one of the stars of ABC’s American dance competition, "Dancing with the Stars," Kramer decided to fully embrace the country path and debuted her musical career in 2012.
So far, the young actress and singer's albums received very favorable sales and reviews, and have both reached high spots in the charts, with seven singles also reaching the charts. She’s most recognizable as an actress for her role as Alex Dupre on "One Tree Hill."
Blanco Brown
Net Worth: $500,000
Venture: The Git Up
The singer has managed to combine the two most unlikely genres of rap and country into some of the most engaging and unifying forms of music that we’ve heard in the last few years. Brown brilliantly manages to take the best rap and hip-hop have to offer and distill them into an extremely positive country musical experience.
This young artist from Atlanta appears to be doing exactly the right moves since his works have led him to sell over twenty million records in his very short career so far.
Billie Jo Spears
Net Worth: $1.9 million
Venture: The Estate of Billie Jo Spears
Billie Jo Spears was a popular country star from back in the ‘60s, who was mostly known for her hit song “Mr. Walker It’s All Over.” Widely regarded as the “Queen Mother” of country music by fans and critics alike, Spears had a wonderful streak of singles that became hits on the charts. Her musical career began stagnating and was eventually paused for a few years due to personal reasons — and fans were demanding a comeback.
Following a few years of hiatus, Spears managed to surprise everyone when she released her most famous and successful song to date, "Blanket on the Ground," which came out in 1975 and became an instant hit. She continued releasing albums into the '80s but her fame and popularity began to fade in the United States, although she was still very popular in the UK and even recorded albums that were almost exclusively released in Britain. Spears eventually passed away in 2011 leaving her wonderful music behind for the world to enjoy.
Juice Newton
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Los Angeles Equestrian Center
Over the years, Juice Newton’s musical style has changed from the focused tunes of classic country music to a more general style of country-pop that many crossover artists engage in these days to reach a broader audience. This caused audiences to label her as a crossover star, a title that some classic country musicians criticize and avoid at all costs.
Newton has received many awards throughout her career which began in 1975. Amongst her proudest musical achievements and recognitions are five Grammy nominations with one win, an Academy of Country Music Award, and two back-to-back Billboard artist awards. Her albums have consistently reached platinum and gold status, with the most successful one being her Greatest Hits compilation.
Jon Pardi
Net Worth: $8 million
Venture: Heartache Medication
Even at a young age, Jon Pardi proved his musical and business skills were valuable assets when he formed his own band back when he was still just in high school. As a youngster, he moved to Nashville and found his luck there with the Capitol Nashville label. The young multi-millionaire is also a record producer and has many sets of talents under his sleeves.
Pardi has managed to charm the crowds with his laid-back neotraditional country singing and brilliantly manages to fuse old traditional styles with the modern tastes of country lovers, bringing both oldies and youngsters together to his tours.
Darryl Worley
Net Worth: $1.3 million
Venture: Darryl Worley Home Furnishings
The sweet Darryl Worley is a singer-songwriter and guitarist. With five successful albums and twenty-two singles, he has managed to build quite a successful musical career. His songs "Awful, Beautiful Life,” "I Miss My Friend," and "Have You Forgotten?" have all reached the number-one spot in the United States charts. He’s a very generous and charitable fellow and annually hosts a charity event called the "Tennessee River Run” and also founded the Darryl Worley Cancer Treatment Center in his hometown of Savannah, Tennessee.
Worley is also the owner of a vegan restaurant in Dothan, Alabama and used to own a boutique furniture store in Enterprise, Alabama. The singer was signed to various labels over the years, including DreamWorks and R&J Records (previously known as Stroudavarious Records).
Trisha Yearwood
Net Worth: $40 million
Venture: Trisha’s Southern Kitchen
Trisha Yearwood is one of our generation’s most talented entertainers and managed to exercise her influence in many of today’s mainstream outlets and topics. Beyond her successful career as a country singer and songwriter, Yearwood is also a popular celebrity chef, actress, author, and TV personality and continues to dabble in many other ventures.
With a net worth of $40 million and a huge following of fans that love watching her whether she’s singing or cooking, Yearwood has built herself one amazing set of skills that she commercializes perfectly.
Montgomery Gentry
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: 20 Years of Hits
The mix of Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry has to go down as one of the most iconic and brilliant ideas in history. The two country stars, Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry decided to kick things together and formed a classic duo in 1991. The successful country-rock band gathered a small audience that combined the influence of both singers and also collaborated with other artists like the Allman Brothers and Charlie Daniels. Their success led to a combined net worth of roughly $10 million.
The band was signed with Columbia Nashville and released six albums during a decade starting from the late ‘90s. The country duo was quite successful and managed to release twenty different singles that have appeared on the country charts. In 2007, the band was hit by a sudden tragedy when Troy Gentry was involved in a fatal helicopter crash. Despite Gentry’s tragic death, Eddie Montgomery still tours under the name of the band to this day.
Ronnie Milsap
Net Worth: $14 million
Venture: WB4KCG
What happens if you combine Elvis Presley, Elton John, and Johnny Cash into a musical country genius? You need to look no further than the legendary crossover country artist, Ronnie Milsap, who was both a lyrical country genius and a virtuous pianist. Milsap has amassed a multi-millionaire net worth through sales of his incredible mix of soul and country to create iconic hits such as “Stranger in My House” and “Smoky Mountain Rain.”
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2014 and received six Grammy Awards throughout his five-and-a-half decades of music. He was also the recipient of numerous awards and recognitions such as Male Vocalist of the Year, Album of the Year, Entertainer of the Year, and Best Male Country Vocal Performance. Milsap was a musical prodigy of his time, which resulted in thirty-five hits that reached number one on the charts. Outside of his musical career, Milsap is an amateur radio operator and his call sign is WB4KCG.
Pat Green
Net Worth: $3 million
Venture: Dancehall Dreamin’
Pat Green has been reinventing himself and his musical style for as long as he’s been in the music industry. The Texas-born singer began his musical career in 1995 and since then has recorded seven studio albums and had fifteen singles appear on the country charts.
His 2015 breakthrough album is entitled "Home" and managed to snag the number-five spot on the album charts. Previous records have been less successful, with his second-best commercial success being the song “Wave on Wave” which performed better in the charts than all his other singles. His album of the same name also reached the most popularity and acclaim since and has received a gold certification. Green has worked with two labels so far, Republic Records and BNA, and is worth an estimated $3 million.
Trace Adkins
Net Worth: $19 million
Venture: SiriusXM
With an incredible record of highly successful songs and a terrific acting and radio hosting career, Trace Adkins has secured himself a spot in every Country aficionado's Greatest Hits compilation. The Louisiana-born singer and guitarist reached the peak of his fame in the late ‘90s and early ‘2000s. In that period of time, he managed to release eleven highly acclaimed and popular albums that helped him reach a net worth of almost $20 million.
Amongst his best albums are his 1996 debut album, Dreamin’ Out Loud and his second album, Songs About Me, which became a two-times platinum and sold over two million copies. His best singles that have also attained popularity among Country fans are “No Thinkin’ Thing,” “Ladies Love Country Boys,” and “You’re Gonna Miss This.”
Jerry Jeff Walker
Net Worth: $200,000
Venture: Mr. Bojangles
With over 5 decades of experience in the music industry, you can definitely say that Jerry Jeff Walker has been around the block. In fact, he has circled the block many, many times and still keeps going. Jeff Walker, also known as Gypsy Songman, is a country and outlaw-country singer that comes from a family of musicians that goes back to his grandparents.
Jeff Walker has been producing music consistently over the past 5 decades, with 38 albums attributed to his name. His best-known single to date is the song “Mr. Bojangles.” The song has since been recorded by many other artists including the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band in 1970.
The Dixie Chicks
Net Worth: $40 million
Venture: "Someday"
Together this trio of country singers, Martie Maguire, Emily Erwin, and Natalie Maines have more combined musical talent than we know what to do with.
The three singers first started touring together in Dallas and have found popularity in the country crowded with their unique set of voices and talents. Despite their short time together and very long hiatus, the trio’s best hit singles “There’s Your Trouble,” and “Wide Open Spaces” helped them receive three Grammy awards over the years and sell millions of albums.
Carrie Underwood
Net Worth: $65 million
Venture: CALIA by Carrie Underwood
When we first heard Carrie Underwood perform as a young and aspiring artist on the popular music reality show "American Idol," it was clear from the start that she was going to be causing some huge vibrations in the music world. This is exactly what happened, as the Oklahoma-born singer ended up becoming one of the most successful artists from her state. Underwood would go on to win "American Idol," three Grammy awards, and build her brand as a highly acclaimed musical artist.
Underwood’s musical ventures and business enterprises helped her secure a serious $65 million in personal net worth. Outside of music, she is also the founder and principal investor in her clothing line, CALIA, which provides sportswear for athletes that are based on her Oklahoma roots.
Jo Dee Messina
Net Worth: $9 million
Venture: Bigger Than This
Two-time Grammy award nominee Jo Dee Messina is a perfect example of a country singer taking the music industry in a perfect sequence of events. From a young age, Dee Messina was proving herself to be a very talented musician. She would tour her state of Massachusetts with her brother and play music in various local clubs. She was discovered eventually and signed a label deal with Curb in the early ‘90s. Her career skyrocketed from there and resulted in her releasing six hit singles in a short time span.
Dee Messina was the first female country singer to have three number-one singles that lasted in that spot for multiple weeks. Her albums were very successful and received one gold and two platinum certificates from the RIAA. The Massachusetts-born singer sold over five million copies worldwide and managed to become a multi-millionaire in the process with a net worth of almost $10 million.
Billy Joe Thomas
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: Pepsi
Billy Joe Thomas definitely stands head and shoulders above many of today’s pop-country musical counterparts with his soft and tender music that somehow manages to make your soul feel happier.
The country singer is mostly known for his musical mix of pop, country, and gospel which came from his background as a church choir singer in his youth. He has won several Grammy Awards and was recently inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame for his iconic song, "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head."
Danny Gokey
Net Worth: $600,000
Venture: Rock and Worship Tour 2016
The Milwaukee-born singer was a church music director before coming third on the popular musical reality show "American Idol." His debut album, "My Best Days," was released during the singer’s time with RCA Nashville. He didn’t stick long with them and moved on to a deal with BMG label in 2013 after deciding to change his tune to Christian rock rather than a classic country.
Gokey married his high school sweetheart, Sophia Martinez in 2004. Unfortunately, his wife passed away before he joined "American Idol," leading him to start a foundation in her name, Sophia's Heart Foundation
Miranda Lambert
Net Worth: $45 million
Venture: Red 55 Winery
One of the most famous and successful Country singers in the United States, Miranda Lambert is often compared to other female stars in the music industry such as Avril Lavigne and Amy Winehouse. Lambert’s songs are full of powerful and empowering messages and are beloved by many women who view her as an amazing role model. Amongst her best songs are, “The House That Built Me,” “Mama’s Broken Heart,” “Heart Like Mine,” and our personal favorite, “Gunpowder & Lead.”
Lambert is an avid supporter of animal rights and is very actively trying to improve the way people treat them. She’s the founder of the MuttNation Foundation along with her mother, Bev Lambert. The foundation helps rescue animals in danger and gives them shelter. Outside of music and activism, the fiery and confident Lambert is also an owner and manager of a wine brand named “Red 55 Winery.”
Chris Stapleton
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: All American Road Show
With over 170 songs in his arsenal and 6 out of them reaching the #1 spot on the music charts, Chris Stapleton is easily one of America’s most successful songwriters and it’s likely you’ve listened to at least a few songs he wrote himself.
The successful Country singer and songwriter currently tours the country through his “The All American Road Show” concert tour, where he performs various songs he wrote over the years.
Joe Nichols
Net Worth: $9 million
Venture: Never Gets Old
Joe Nichols is a country star that debuted back in the mid-‘90s and was immediately signed to Intersound and Giant for his commercial and popular appeal. Nichols has released nine albums over the course of his career, with the first being the eponymous Joe Nichols back in 1996 and the last one being the appropriately named Never Gets Old in 2017.
Throughout his career, Nichols enjoyed a fair amount of commercial success with over fourteen of his songs appearing in the top 40 singles on the country charts. It’s reported that the country singer is currently worth nearly $10 million through his label and album sales.
Scott McCreery
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Weekend Roadtrip Tour
McCreery was the winner of the popular musical reality show, "American Idol," in its tenth season back in 2011. His success was a virtual guarantee following the publicized and challenging win, as he was offered many records deals with labels all across the United States. He eventually decided to go with Interscope and released his first studio album that year. The album, titled “Clear as Day,” was an instant hit among his fans from the show and received the lustrous platinum status. The album included many songs which ended up becoming very well received, mainly “The Trouble with Girls” and “I Love You This Big.”
With several albums released to date (one of which being a Christmas album) and a multi-millionaire status, Scott McCreery is poised to have an extremely successful musical career.
Brandy Clark
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: All BC Music
Clark writes songs for various famous artists such as The Band Perry, Sheryl Crow, Miranda Lambert, and even Reba McEntire. She’s also already signed with a private label named Slate Creek, which not many artists manage to do. If that’s not enough to persuade you, Clark has even founded her very own recording and production company called “All BC Music” (with the BC standing for either Brandy Clark or Blue Cheese).
What we love the most about this inspirational young woman is how she got started. Apparently, music was a huge passion for young Brandy Clark who was already playing guitar by the age of ten.
Sherrie Austin
Net Worth: $400,000
Venture: Circus Girl
While Sherrie Austin may look like your typical Alabama or Tennessee girl, she was actually born in Sydney, Australia, and decided to try her luck in the musical and acting worlds by moving to the United States. Austin was a singer and general entertainer from a very young age, even going as far as being the opening act for the iconic Johnny Cash during his performance in Australia when she was just 14 years old. All of which led the young talented girl to move to the US. It didn’t take her long after to achieve her dream as an actress.
Austin debuted as an actress in NBC's popular American sitcom “The Facts of Life” where she played Pippa McKenna. She also had a short role in the legendary sitcom “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” where you might have recognized her as Lady Penelope. From there, Austin decided to form a country band called Colorhaus. he has since started a solo career, releasing five albums that have received lukewarm critical and commercial success.
Thomas Rhett
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: The Ranch Thomas
Rhett is a successful country musician, actor, and media entertainer. Tomas Rhett knew he was born to be a musician early on, and already started showing the first signs of his musical talents during high school as a member of the High Heeled Flip Flops band.
Rhett was signed on Big Machine and released four albums at this point in time. The country singer has so far released seventeen singles, with many of them reaching the number-one spot on the Billboard country charts.
Tom T. Hall
Net Worth: $1 million(estimated)
Venture: Clipper Teas
One of the classical best sellers and among the most popular country singers in the world is Tom T. Hall. The retired country artist was once the hallmark of excellent country music and was consequently a massive country star in the ‘70s. Some of his most beloved songs are “I Love”, “(Old Dogs, Children and) Watermelon Wine” and “Harper Valley PTA”.
To respect his musical legacy and vast contributions to the country genre, Hall was recently inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame. Outside of his musical career, the retired musician is also a novelist and short-story teller. He wrote nine books to date between the '70s and the mid-'90s.
Joe Diffie
Net Worth: $36 million
Venture: All in the Same Boat Y
Diffie is a country singer-songwriter from Nashville, Tennessee who was very famous during the '90s and early 2000s. Since his debut in 1989 as a country singer, he has released 35 singles that appeared on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart, with his top five songs being "Home," "If the Devil Danced (In Empty Pockets)," "Third Rock from the Sun," "Bigger Than the Beatles," and "Pickup Man," which was his most successful single and lasted four weeks at the number one spot.
He is often compared to George Jones and Mark Chesnutt, although he's regarded more as a humorous, rock-tinged singer rather than a traditional country artist. He was even awarded a Humanitarian Award for his contributions in 1997 by Country Radio Broadcasters.
Hunter Hayes
Net Worth: $4.5 million
Venture: The 21 Project
The multi-talented Hunter Hayes is known for a lot more than his awesome voice and great looks. The youngster debuted his first album entitled "Hunter Hayes" back in 2011 to fantastic sales figures and critical acclaim. The album reached the number seven spot on the Billboard 200 charts and dominated the country album charts. What makes Hayes unique across the board is his talent and skill at playing over thirty different types of instruments.
The country artists were promptly approached by Nashville’s Atlantic Records and started working with them. His first single, “Wanted” became a massive hit and sold over three and a half million copies in its first year since release. This made Hayes the youngest artist to reach such records and put him up as a contender for future country Hall of Fame status. All that’s left for him to do is to keep up the good work.
Eric Church
Net Worth: $14 million
Venture: Double Down Tour
The young Eric Church is an up-and-coming Country artist who’s been in the serious part of his career for the last 15 or so years. With six studio albums to his name, Church has produced many hit singles that seem to jive well with the younger fanbase of the genre. His first album, "Sinners Like Me," was fairly well received and led to him teaming up with various other musicians such as Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan.
If you’re interested in checking his music, look no further than his best singles: “Springsteen,” “Drink in My Hand,” and his top hit “Raise ‘Em Up,” which he performed with Keith Urban.
Tyler Farr
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Broken Bow Records
Tyler Farr started his career as a songwriter and expanded his endeavors over time to include a country singing career as well. He was born in Missouri but relocated at a young age to Nashville in hopes of being discovered and becoming a successful country singer. He evntually managed to sign with Columbia Records label, leading him to release a few albums and several singles which have successfully appeared on the Billboard charts.
Farr broke up with his second label, Columbia, after a falling out between the two, and from there he moved to Broken Bow Records in mid-2018. His highest-rated single is "A Guy Walks Into a Bar," reaching the number-one spot in the chart when it was released in 2015. Far is married as of 2016 to his long-time girlfriend, and was featured on the Outdoor Channel show Buck Commander, where he talked about his love for hunting.
Johnny Rodriguez
Net Worth: $4.6 million
Venture: RunninWide
Most people know Johnny Rodriguez as the Latin American country singer who managed to build his musical legacy and millions of dollars in net worth during the '70s and '80. At just 20 years old, Rodriguez decided to move to Nashville to try his luck as a country singer. He arrived with a guitar and $14 but soon found the demand for his musical and songwriting skills.
From there the Latin-American country singer went on to gain fame and national attention with his debut single "Pass Me By." Rodriguez's success peaked in 1975 with three number-one singles: "I Just Can't Get Her Out of My Mind," "Just Get Up and Close the Door," and "Love Put a Song in My Heart." His troubled youth kept creeping up on him as he was involved in very severe legal troubles. Fortunately, Rodriguez was able to stay on the straight path and continues to perform and release albums even today, with his latest album, "Live From Texas" coming out just a few years ago.
David Lee Murphy
Net Worth: $8 million
Venture: No Zip Code
Originally starting out as a songwriter and transitioning into a musician in his own right, David Lee Murphy has managed in a couple of years to stockpile a respectable net worth of almost $10 million through his musical career. The country artist’s most popular hit songs to date include “The Road You Leave Behind,” “Party Crowd,” “Out with a Bang,” “Dust on the Bottle” and “Everything’s Gonna Be Alright” (not to be confused with Bob Marley’s song). He’s currently developing a musical project with Kenny Chesney.
Lee Murphy has released five albums so far and has been on a temporary hiatus since 2004 after almost two decades of activity. During his humble beginnings in the musical industry, the veteran country singer spent his time writing songs for other famous country singers such as Thompson Square, Jason Aldean, and Jake Owen. His best-known work was “Big Green Tractor,” which ended up becoming a big hit for Jason Aldean.
Johnny Lee
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: Urban Cowboy
You probably recognize Johnny Lee from his iconic 1980s song “Looking For Love”, which was the number one crossover hit and spent three weeks in first place on the charts. The texas-born country singer began his career humbly in a rock ‘n roll band called “Johnny Lee and the Roadrunners.”The band would often play cover songs in various nightclubs and other night venues in Texas during the ‘60s. Eventually, the young singer was discovered by a talent agent while collaborating with Mickey Gilley, a fellow country music singer, and musician whom he worked with for over ten years.
The duo found their shot at fame when they collaborated on the soundtrack for James Bridge's romantic drama film, Urban Cowboy. From there, Lee went on to release various successful singles, including "One in a Million," "Bet Your Heart on Me," "The Yellow Rose," and other hits that were released in the '80s.
Faith Hill
Net Worth: $80 million
Venture: Tennessee Titans
With sales of over 40 million albums worldwide and an obsessed fan base that swears by her, Faith Hill can easily be considered one of the most famous and successful Country musicians in the world. Together with her husband Tim McGraw (who's also a musical icon in his own right), the couple is a powerhouse of music and wealth.
The couple also holds a large stake in the NFL’s Tennessee Titans. While McGraw is a lot more involved with managing the team on a daily basis, both of them appear to be active owners and take a lot of pride in their team’s success. Born in Mississippi, the singer grew up knowing early on that she wanted to become a big Country star. Her first single, “This Kiss”, debuted in 1998 to popular acclaim and her Soul2Soul tour is one of the best-selling tours the genre has ever seen.
Dwight Yoakam
Net Worth: $45 million
Venture: Bakersfield Biscuits
Dwight Yoakam is the unchallenged king of coolness and stoic facial expressions, with classic country songs such as “A Thousand Miles From Nowhere,” he is hailed by many as one of the greats and is often listened to by fans who want to reminisce about the “good old days” of Country music. Yoakam initially rose to fame in the early ‘80s and has since released over twenty albums. Since his debut, he has successfully sold over twenty-five million records worldwide that have received gold and platinum status.
Yoakam is loved by many for his unique style, and even managed to reach triple-platinum status for his fifth album “This Time.” With over thirty singles reaching the top of the Billboard Hot Country charts, and a strong sense of business, Yoakam has built himself a fantastic net worth of almost $50 million. The Kentucky-born musician and entrepreneur is also the owner of a restaurant and food maker called Bakersfield Biscuits and is the manager of the Bakersfield Beat radio station.
T.G. Sheppard
Net Worth: $1 million (estimated)
Venture: NASCAR
T.G. Shepard is known as a country music legend. He began his musical career with the name of William Browder and quickly gained an audience with his single "Devil in the Bottle," which reached the number one hit on Billboard's Hot Country Singles Chart. From there the singer went on to produce numerous number-one hits in the US charts and even had eight consecutive number-one hits in the early '80s.
G. Sheppard has since receded into a more modest life outside of the spotlight. When asked about his stage name "T. G. Sheppard," he explains that as an executive at RCA, Browder didn't want to jeopardize his position by recording materials through other labels. He claims the stage name's initials (T. G.) are just random initials and don't really mean anything.
Rascal Flatts
Net Worth: $150 million
Venture: Red Street Records
Originally formed in Columbus, Ohio, the Rascal Flatts are a popular musical group that combines popular music genres to create a delicacy of musical flavor called “country-rock-pop.” The band’s members include singer-songwriter Gary LeVox, Jay DeMarcus, and Joe Rooney who are known to be second cousins. With seven best-selling albums to date, the group managed to secure RIAA-certified platinum and diamond status for all their albums.
The group was first signed with Big Machine Records and went on to sign with Disney’s Lyric Street Records label. They have managed to build a very impressive net worth of $150 million and have succeeded in getting fourteen songs to the number-one spot in the charts since debuting. The band's longest-lasting number-one single is a 2005 cover of Marcus Hummon's "Bless the Broken Road," which spent five weeks in that position.
Cassadee Pope
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Stages
Former lead singer of the popular country band Hey Monday, Cassadee Pope, has managed to build herself an impressive fan audience in just a few years after going her own way once the band reached its end (formally a hiatus) in 2011. Our favorite singles from the talented country singer are, "Wasting All These Tears" which came out in 2013 and reached over a million sales (earning it Platinum status by the RIAA), and "Think of You", a single featuring Chris Young which sold over 500,000 copies and also achieved Platinum status (earning it Platinum status by the RIAA).
Pope has achieved many awesome victories in her short solo career, including being the first female winner of "The Voice," being awarded the Breakthrough Video of the Year by CMT for hit single, "Wasting All These Tears", and being nominated for a Grammy award for Best Country Duo/Group Performance due to the aforementioned "Think of You" duet with Chris Young.
Jake Owen
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Thunder by the Bay
The singer debuted in 2006 with the album "Startin’ with Me" which was fairly successful and resulted in three singles that reached the Top 20 on the charts. He followed it up with his second album, “Easy Does It” which also received favorable acclaim. It’s often true that the ‘third time’s the charm’, which is exactly what happened in Owen’s case.
His third album, “Barefoot Blue Jean Night” outperformed the first two by a margin and got him the number-one country hit and the Top New Male Vocalist award from ACM. Owen is an excellent golfer and occasionally plays pro golf.
Alan Jackson
Net Worth: $75 million
Venture: Nashville
With over 80 million albums sold and 16 albums in his discography, old-school Country legend Alan Jackson is still going strong and keeps getting more and more interesting as time goes on. The top-selling singer and songwriter wrote almost all of his songs so far and is also engaged in other business ventures, such as a passion project with his daughter called Nashville.
Alan Jackson is highly respected and acclaimed in the Country scene. He has amassed a small fortune of over 75 million dollars over the years and has even been involved with Cracker Barrel and the Ford Motor Company.
Carly Pearce
Net Worth: $500,000
Venture: Way Back Tour Young
Carly Pearce started out as a guest singer for the popular Josh Abbott Band. Pearce then took a brave step and ventured out on her own, only that it didn’t take talent seekers any time to pay attention to her. The singer’s first single, “Every Little Thing,” became an instant hit when it was released in 2016 and became one of the year’s top songs in Country Airplay.
Pearce was shortly then signed to the label Big Machine and has since released one album called "Every Little Thing" which sold around 40,000 units in the US. Her debut single "Every Little Thing" was awarded the Breakthrough Video of the Year award by CMT Music Awards.
Billy Currington
Net Worth: $4.5 million
Venture: Shotgun Rider Tour
With over two million Facebook likes and over 650,000 Twitter followers, Billy Currington has managed to leverage social media to achieve commercial acclaim in the country genre. In 2017, his number-one single "Do I Make You Wanna" broke records by overtaking the number-two song by almost ten million sales. Currington has recently one the hilarious Hottest Video of the Year — "Must Be Doin' Somethin’ Right" award from CMT.
Currington has released six albums since 2003 with over one-million sales. Eight of his singles have reached Gold and Platinum status, including "Pretty Good at Drinkin' Beer," "Hey Girl," and "Do I Make You Wanna."
Martina McBride
Net Worth: $38 million
Venture: Love Unleashed Tour
Most country singers eventually crossover to pop and more mainstream versions of country once they have attained a certain level of fame and success. Crossing over helps musical artists expand into much bigger audiences and multiply a singer’s fan base. In Martina McBride’s case, she crossed over to pop a few times, long before achieving her current popularity and acclaim.
The Kansas-born singer is highly talented and plays everything from piano to harmonica and even the tambourine. Her first major single “The Time Has Come” didn’t achieve the popularity she hoped, but with many tweaks to her musical style and approach, she seems to have found her groove and managed to stay relevant and hot on the billboards for almost three decades since. McBride is currently signed to RCA and her tour Love Unleashed has proven to be very successful.
Charley Pride
Net Worth: $40 million
Venture: Baseball
Charley Pride is certainly a huge source of pride for many Americans because he exemplifies the pursuit of happiness perfectly. This talented individual somehow managed to become a successful country singer while also turning into one of the nation’s most popular and beloved baseball stars. Pride was born in 1934 in Sledge, Mississippi, and saw his greatest musical success in the '70s when he became one of RCA Records' best-selling artists since Elvis.
He was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2000. Since then, Pride uses his small fortune to become a minority owner in the Texas Rangers MLB club as part of his long activity in the sport. Pride is currently estimated to be worth around $40 million.
David Nail
Net Worth: $500,000
Venture: MCA Net
David Nail is a country singer-songwriter with a fairly modest musical career. Nail describes himself as "an artist following his muse, making music without rules or regulations".
He has released a few studio albums including "I'm About to Come Alive," "The Sound of a Million Dreams," I'm a Fire," and "Fighter," with a combined total of mid-6-figures in album sales. His last two albums both reached number three on the United States country billboards.
Mac Davis
Net Worth: $12 million
Venture: The Mac Davis Show
Popular retro singer, songwriter, and actor, Morris Mac Davis began his career in the music and entertainment industries as a songwriter for Nancy Sinatra's company, Boots Enterprises. He worked there for several years, contributing greatly to many of Sinatra's recordings. David eventually found his way to writing songs for the king of rock and roll, Elvis Presley. He was responsible for classics such as "In the Ghetto", "Friend, Lover, Woman, Wife", "Home", "It's Such a Lonely Time of Year", and "Memories."
Following his success as a songwriter, Davis went off on a solo path, pursuing a singing career which ended up becoming a very successful endeavor. He was awarded the Academy of Country Music's Entertainer of the Year award in 1974 and proceeded to become an actor that same year. Davis hosted his own TV show on NBC called "The Mac Davis Show" and from there began to act in various films and TV shows such as North Dallas Forty and Cheaper to Keep Her.
Keith Urban
Net Worth: $75 million
Venture: The URBAN Guitar Collection
If there’s one Country singer on this list that truly managed to break through into mainstream appeal, it would definitely be Keith Urban. Beyond being one of the most recognizable names in the music industry, Urban is also known for being the husband of Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman. This platinum-selling singer originally began his musical career as a guitarist for The Ranch but quickly decided to go out there and do his own thing.
The New Zealand-born musician quickly dominated the charts with his debut album due to his amazing looks and insane musical appeal and achieved a very rare feat of receiving platinum status in his very first release. Since then, he has been pumping out best-selling albums without any sign of stopping and has even founded the URBAN Guitar Collection company, which helped boost his net worth to a staggering $75 million.
Rosanne Cash
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Johnny Cash Boyhood Home Project
The Cash family has been in the music industry for quite a long time. Rosanne Cash, the oldest daughter of famous Country singer Johnny Cash, has seen relative fame and success in her musical career. She is best known to date for her 1981 single, “Seven Year Ache,” which she has never really bested in terms of popularity and acclaim.
The singer-songwriter debuted with her album called "Interiors" and has since evolved into various other genres and musical styles. With a net worth just shy of $10 million, much of her wealth was the result of the added name recognition she got from her father’s extremely successful career. Still not a bad job though.
Lady A
Net Worth: $41 million
Venture: LadyAID
With over ten million album sales worldwide and multiple Grammy awards, Lady A (formerly known as Lady Antebellum) have managed to make their mark in the Country scene by combining the immense talents of Charles Kelley, Hillary Scott (Linda Davis’ daughter), and Dave Haywood. Despite a humble start supporting other musicians as guest vocalists, the group has managed to garner sufficient popularity and interest to get signed by the Capitol label and release their own music.
The group is reported to be worth an estimated $40 million, mostly generated through six albums that have all received critical acclaim and praise. Three of the group’s albums reached platinum and diamond status, and nine of their singles reached number one on the charts.
Dustin Lynch
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: Ridin Roads
The singer-songwriter's talents were discovered very quickly and signed a label deal with Broken Bow. He released his first EP shortly after and proceeded to release three more albums with the label. Since then, Lynch has had six of his eight singles hit the #1 spot on the charts. We’re not sure if it’s his charm or looks (or both), but this country star seems to have a very promising career ahead of him.
Apparently, going for a luxurious singing career ended up being a lot more profitable for Lynch than a medical career would have been, as it probably would have left him with a whole lot of college debt. His current worth is estimated at roughly $5 million dollars and that’s with a career that’s just only starting to show its potential.
The Carter Family
Net Worth: $3 to $5 million
Venture: Music copyright
From 1927 to 1941, The Carter Family was highly influential and musically productive. They recorded hit song after hit song and developed some of the standards-to-be of country music. For instance, the guitar plucking style that became typical in the genre was created by Maybelle Addington Carter.
Maybelle is one part of the trio and is related as a cousin. Rounding it out is, married couple Sara Dougherty Carter and Alvin Pleasant “A.P.” Carter. The family members hail from Virginia. The Carter Family is known for their hit, “Keep on the Sunny Side,” which shows up on the “O Brother, Where Art Thou” soundtrack. This trio of musicians is reverently called the “First Family of Country Music.”
Brooks & Dunn
Net Worth: $100 million
Venture: Perfect Pitch Publishing
Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks were a pair of singer/songwriters who teamed up to make the band Brooks & Dunn. Their collaboration came together in 1990 with each leaving a solo career behind. Together they moved mountains. They were named Vocal Duo of the Year more times than you can shake a stick at, almost every year until 2006.
Their album “Brand New Man” went platinum six times — sextuple platinum! It was their debut recording that was released in 1991. They’re still at it. They put their song “Neon Moon” on TikTok, and it went viral. Dunn, however, has made it known that TikTok was certainly not his idea, he’s never used it, but agreed to put out the song. He was not impressed, that is until he saw the number of clicks their TikTok got.
Vince Gill
Net Worth: $40 million
Venture: JWS Publishing
Vince Gill’s father, an appellate court judge who played country music on the side, taught young Vince to play the banjo. Growing up in Norman, Oklahoma, he was drawn to other string instruments and then joined a bluegrass band. Finally, in 1989 Gill broke into the big leagues with his album, “When I Call Your Name.”
Gill is a 22-time Grammy winner. It’s a record that makes him the top male country music singer ever, according to the Recording Academy. He’s also won 18 CMA Awards and five Vocalist Awards and has been a Grand Ole Opry member since 1991. Since his first hit, Gill has put over 50 songs on the Top 40 and he has sold 26 million albums. “I Still Believe in You” has been his biggest winner with more than 5 million copies sold.
Alabama
Net Worth: $400 million
Venture: Tennessee River Music, Herefords & Angus
This award-winning, No. 1 song-making band was huge in the eighties. Alabama put out 21 new singles — in a row — that went to No. 1. The country band’s success was unprecedented. So, it’s no surprise Alabama is called the most successful country music band ever. This band racked up 30 career No. 1 hits.
Some of those are “Feels So Right,” “Old Flame,” and “Take Me Down.” Lead man Randy Owen formed the band in Alabama in 1969. His cousins Teddy Gentry and Jeff Cook helped him kick it off. They gained attention by appearing on “The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson.” The Southern rockers bring together folk, bluegrass, pop, and gospel and it appealed to a lot of people. Randy Owen’s side business is cattle ranching.
Johnny Cash
Net Worth: $120 million
Venture: Sold 90 million albums
There are few names in country music (and outside of country music), that bring such appreciation as Johnny Cash. His career life was a bumpy one, but his fans are forever endeared. With nearly five decades of making music, Cash has a claim to CMAs, Grammy Awards, and No. 1 hits. He is a Hall of Famer in five different institutions. Cash first signed a record contract in 1955.
Some of his best-liked songs are, “I Walk the Line,” “Folsom Prison Blues,” and “Ring of Fire.” The Man in Black sold 90 million records and won 13 Grammys and nine CMAs. In the 1960s, substance dependencies derailed his success, temporarily. June Carter talked him into treatment, they married, and he came blazing back. He even got his own variety TV show.
Zac Brown
Band Net Worth: $50 million
Venture: Southern Ground
The Zac Brown Band’s first hit song that made it to radio, “Chicken Fried,” came out in 2008. It’s been a rushing river of success for the boys ever since with 16 chart hits. However, before that windfall, the band struggled for 10 years.
The Zac Brown Band even got to open for The Rolling Stones, a once-in-a-lifetime chance with a 78-year-old Mick Jagger. Their success doesn’t stop there. The band’s business venture, the Zac Brown Collective, originally called Southern Ground, sells fashion, food, design services, and gear.
Walker Hayes
Net Worth: $4.5 million
Venture: Proto Walker
Hayes and his family are just regular folks. To give you a taste, this is his Instagram bio: “17 years, 7 kids, 4 dogs, 2 gerbils, 3 record labels, 4 publishing deals, 3 managers, 1,000 heartbreaks, and 1 number one song.” After his success with the song “AA,” he followed up with “Drinking Songs.”
The Nashville singer comes from Mobile, Alabama. His first chart-topper was “Pants.” Now, he’s the first artist to perform shows via hologram with the new Proto technology. Pretty fancy!
Cody Johnson
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Warner Music Nashville 50/50 partnership
Few get more country than this chap. Cody Johnson is a former semi-pro rodeo rider who hails from Texas. His plan was to ride bulls, but instead, he got famous singing. His first album was called, “Black and White Label.”
Cody Johnson has released eight albums, six of which were self-released, a much more lucrative deal, and he was able to retain ownership of the material. His first was “Ain’t Nothin’ to It.” That album debuted at No. 1 and finished by scoring gold: two gold albums and one platinum. His latest song to go platinum is “Til You Can’t.” People everywhere listen to his good ol’ country music. He’s streamed one billion songs.
John Denver
Net Worth: $60 million
Venture: The Hunger Project
John Denver’s music was so embraced by Americans that he was the best-selling musical artist in 1974. One of those most famous ballads is, “Country Roads,” a tune about going home. Denver’s song “Back Home Again,” from the album of the same title, won the 1975 Country Music Song of the Year Award. It was his first hit song to make the country music charts.
Denver had a giving heart. His efforts to combat hunger were honored by two U.S. presidents and Windstar Foundation, his wildlife preservation effort in Colorado, saved 1,000 acres of forests. John Denver died tragically in 1997 while attempting to land his small plane near Monterey, California.
Jelly Roll
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Music Row
Nashville rapper Jelly Roll evolved his musical inspiration from hip-hop to country music. The Tennessee-born musical artist started out making mixtapes and ended up being so big that the corporate restaurant chain Waffle House took note. His album from 2013, “Whiskey, Weed & Waffle House” had to be changed, as per a cease-and-desist order by the restaurant.
So, now it’s, “Whiskey, Weed, and Women.” The whole scuffle ended up bringing him a publicity windfall. He came from hard times but overcame multiple addictions, depression, going to jail, and being shot. Jelly Roll’s appeal is credited to his storytelling style. Life experiences fill his songs like, “Sober” and “Son of a Sinner.”
Tyler Hubbard
Net Worth: $25 million
Venture: Big Machine Label Group
Tyler Hubbard has made more money in a decade than most people expect. He got famous with Florida Georgia Line, a country duo. Hubbard shared the stage with Brian Kelley, and they hit No. 1 with their 2012 single, “Cruise.” The band’s wild success has put the wind under his financial wings, and now he lands his aircraft on the expansive grounds of his family’s Nashville mansion.
The so-called “bro-country” collaboration blew up in just the petty drama you’d expect. Hubbard “unfriended” his bandmate Kelly and the bromance broke up. Hubbard’s solo career kicked off with, “5 Foot 9,” and the single rose in the charts immediately. “Way Home” is his second release, a song he claims takes him back to his roots. He calls it “honky-tonk” and “church” worthy.
Jackson Dean
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: TikTok popularity
Famous from nothing, Jackson Dean rose to fame on TikTok and Instagram. He was shacking up on his grandfather’s property which consisted of a concrete slab paired with no running water or electricity. It was his song, “Don’t Come Lookin’” that put him on the map.
His music has the freewheeling vibes of a rambling lifestyle with an upbeat tempo. He’s come a long way. His country music is on the soundtrack of the Netflix series, “The Ice Road.” In an interview with Entertainment Focus, Dean shared the meaning behind "Greenbroke," his album title. A green broke is a horse that is not quite tame. He says broke horses are docile, but a green broke “has a mind of its own.” Perhaps a bit of his own spirit.
Dylan Scott
Net Worth: $1 million
Venture: The Trash Guys
Dylan Scott has been making hit songs since 2013 with the single “Makin’ This Boy Go Crazy.” He got noticed on social media. His song “Can’t Have Mine (Find You a Girl)” blew up on TikTok. His No. 1 hit, “Nobody” and single “New Truck” hit the charts by conventional release via recording company Curb Record.
Success is sweet for this boy from rural Louisiana. Also, Scott started a more traditional business venture filling a need in the city of Union Parish, his hometown. He runs it with Jordan Powell and the business partners call it The Trash Guys.
Sam Hunt
Net Worth: $30 million
Venture: Record-breaking album "Montevallo”
Sam Hunt has had incredible success as a country music singer/songwriter. His debut album “Montevallo” beat records set by Billy Ray Cyrus and Clint Black, and he set his own.
Before ruling the country music charts, Hunt was writing songs for country greats, Kenny Chesney, Keith Urban, and Reba McEntire. He’s won a Grammy, a CMT Music Award, an AMA, and Billboard awards. In his college days, Hunt was a star quarterback at his Georgia high school and made the cut to play quarterback at college. When his football dreams came up empty, he learned to play guitar, to kill time, as he says it. Next, he moved to Nashville.
Priscilla Block
Net Worth: $1 to $5 million
Venture: GoFundMe
In 2020, Priscilla Block went viral on TikTok with her song “Just About Over You” before record labels took notice. The Nashville recording artist then signed to Mercury that same year. Getting a label was thanks, in part, to a TikTok fan who created a GoFundMe. The goal was to raise enough money to make available a recorded copy of the song.
After succeeding, “Just About Over You” rose to No. 17 on the charts. There’s nowhere but up for this North Carolina native who sings songs about relationships that her folks totally relate to.
Ingrid Andress
Net Worth: $3 million
Venture: Amazon’s “A Lady Like That”
Ingrid Andress is a singer/songwriter from Colorado. In her first two years, her meteoric rise has found her nominated for three Grammys, two CMAs, and a CMT. In her third year as a country music star, she toured with Keith Urban. Andress got her start in 2010 on NBC’s “The Sing-Off” teaming up with such stars as Alicia Keys, Sam Hunt, and Charli XCX.
Her debut album, “Lady Like” was nominated for Best Country Album. Andress is clearly just getting started!
Frank Ray
Net Worth: $2 million
Venture: BBR record deal
Frank Ray is a rising country star. He is a New Mexico native and a Latin man whose music is loved for his bilingual tunes. He signed with BBR Music Group in 2021, but he had to give up his day job first. Ray was on the Las Cruces police force serving as a police officer when his music career took off.
There is no end in sight for the “Different Kind of Country” singer now. In 2022, it was a special day for Ray when he got to debut at the iconic country music venue, the Grand Ole Opry.
Bill Anderson
Net Worth: $6 million
Venture: Radio station owner and restaurant chains spokesperson Bill “Whispering Bill” Anderson III is a country music legend. His songs are so famous George Strait and Ray Price covered them, to name a few. The singer/songwriter from Columbia, South Carolina grew up in Decatur, Georgia made his mark with the song “City Lights” way back in 1958. A few weeks later he won a recording contract with Decca Records.
He continued to write popular country songs for six decades. In all, he made 45 studio albums. By 2001, he was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame. With 37 top ten country music songs, he surely deserves it.
Old Dominion
Net Worth: $33 million Venture: Old Dominion
Old Dominion is Matthew Ramsey, Trevor Rosen, Whit Sellers, Geoff Sprung, and Brad Tursi. As lead singer and songwriter, Ramsey brings in most of Old Dominion’s dough with $20 million. The second man, co-songwriter Trevor Rosen is worth $13 million. The Old Dominion boys have been rocking together since 2012.
With 13 singles, seven made it to No. 1. Their first No. 1 song, “Break Up With Him,” is a heartache ballad about a drunken call to a girl and begging her to leave her boyfriend. Old Dominion’s hard work has been paying off. The five-man band won the CMA Group of the Year award for four consecutive years, plus it’s been nominated for a slew of awards.
Gabby Barrett
Net Worth: $1 million
Venture: Warner Music Nashville
Gabby Barrett produced the biggest country song of 2020. The chart-topping song, “I Hope” stayed at the top for many weeks. She also hit the top with the single, “Pick Me Up.” She gave the song a significant bump by performing it on “American Idol.”
Barrett is a two-time Billboard Music Award Winner. She is no flash-in-the-pan; she has been performing music since she was 11 years old. Her album “Goldmine” opened with the largest streaming week ever for a female country artist. Barrett’s success is unstoppable.
Randy Travis
Net Worth: $32 million
Venture: Actor
Veteran country music star Randy Travis has had astounding success since he debuted in 1995. In his 25-year career, Travis put 30 songs on the Billboard Hot Country. He has raked in plenty of dough selling 25 million records. Twenty-two of his singles made it to No. 1. Travis is one of country music’s greatest. He has four Platinum albums and one Triple Platinum.
The seven-time Grammy winner is also an actor, even receiving his Hollywood Walk of Fame star in 2004.
Hank Williams
Net Worth: $1 million ($8.8 million in today’s dollar)
Venture: “Take These Chains from My Heart”
Hank Williams is one of the most influential American singer/songwriters of all time, not just in country music, but generally in US music. He is a Hall of Famer in both the Country Music Hall of Fame and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
Williams managed to get 55 of the singles he recorded to land in the top 10 of country western charts. This astounding talent struck gold, but he did not live long enough to reap his reward as sadly a heart attack took his life in 1953. Four months after he died his song “Take These Chains from My Heart” hit No. 1 on the country charts.
Hank Williams Jr.
Net Worth: $45 million
Venture: Popcorn Sutton’s Tennessee White Whiskey
Hank Williams Jr. grew up immersed in country music as his famous father’s sidekick. By age 17, he made his debut singing “Long Gone Lonesome Blues,” a Hank Williams Sr. song. When he was 14, he played his dad’s hits on “The Jimmy Dean Show.”
Williams Jr. became much more lucrative than his father with his mix of blues, rock, and country. He put out 21 albums with 30 Top Ten singles. His accolades are many and he is loved for songs like, “Your Cheatin’ Heart,” “I’m So Lonesome I Could Cry,” and “Hey Good Lookin’.” Since 2010, Williams has been making moonshine.
George Jones
Net Worth: $35 million
Venture: Possum Holdings LLC
George Jones is revered in country music circles. He was born in Texas, grew up in a large musical family, and got his first guitar at nine. He was influenced by Hank Williams, who was his idol, and even collaborated on a song with him. Jones found fame in 1955 with his single, “Why Baby Why.”
Nicknamed “The Possum” for his facial features, Jones sent more than 160 singles to the charts. He was an award-winning country singer who lived to be one of country music’s greatest until his death in 2013. He married country music great Tammy Wynette and the two made hit duets together like, “The Grand Tour.”
Patsy Cline
Net worth: $10 million
Venture: Ten million records sold
Cline is one of the most influential, celebrated, and beloved musical recording artists of the 20th century, renowned especially for her vocals. She was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, becoming the first female to do so.
She was both a pioneer for being a female country music star and for creating the Nashville sound. A couple of her biggest hits are, “Crazy” and “I Fall to Pieces.” In 2005, her greatest hits album sold 10 million copies. She did not live to see massive success, like becoming a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 1960. Patsy Cline was only 30 years old when a tragic plane crash took her life.
Merle Haggard
Net Worth: $40 million
Venture: The Colorado Weed Co.
Merle Haggard is a country music legend who left us in 2016 on his 79th birthday. He grew up hard in the dusty middle of central California in Bakersfield. His father was in and out of prison several times before he died when Merle was 9.
Haggard followed his dad’s footsteps, and it landed him in San Quentin several times, mostly for robbery. Upon his latest release, a soulful reflection found him making music. He wrote, “Sing Me Back Home,” a song about being in jail, and recorded it in 1967. In his life, he achieved the Country Music Hall of Fame, Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame, and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.
Chris Young
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Chris Young Cafe
Country music heartthrob Chris Young scored big with his second album, “The Man I Want to Be.” The 2009 release produced three No. 1 hits, including the title song. The single, “Getting You Home (The Black Dress Song),” was a big hit. It was the second single on the album, and it was nominated for a Best Song Grammy Award.
Young got his foot in the door after winning the title of a singing competition TV show, “Nashville Star.” He became a proud member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2017. His philanthropy efforts include donations to music programs for kids, St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital, Hurricane Harvey relief, and the Chris Young Café at his alma mater in Nashville.
Dan + Shay
Net Worth: $1 to $3 million
Venture: The Garage
You may think Dan + Shay made it big on “The Voice,” but actually they got their foot in the door touring with Blake Shelton. Shelton invited the pair on his world tour as an opening act before he invited them to “The Voice.” Dan + Shay is Dan Smyers and Shay Mooney, two guys who met in Nashville and sparked an instant and lasting bromance.
They started writing songs together and their self-titled album came out in 2018. They’ve been raking in the cash with hit songs like “You,” “Speechless,” and “Tequila.” The latter, “Tequila,” won a Grammy Award.
Thompson Square
Net Worth: $1.4 million
Venture: Stand-Up
It all started when Shawna Thompson met Kiefer Thompson. They weren’t married yet; they had met at a songwriting competition and had been songwriting separately as solo acts. The two launched a team effort called Thompson Square but they would not make it big for 15 years.
They released an album in 2011 and the single, “Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not,” put them on the charts. It went double platinum. As a couple, they’ve been successful too. The duo has been married just over 20 years and have a son named Rigney Cooper.
The Band Perry
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: Crossover to pop
The Band Perry is a trio of siblings. Kimberly Perry sings lead vocals and plays guitar while Reid Perry is on bass and Neil Perry plays mandolin and bouzouki. When Garth Brooks’s manager discovered them, things got hot quickly. They’re first single, “Hip to My Heart,” landed on the Billboard Hot Country chart.
Their single “If I Die Young” went to the very top of the country music chart. Apparently not satisfied with country music stardom, the band released “Live Forever” in 2015, presenting their crossover to pop music.
Rodney Atkins
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: Rod + Rose
Rod + Rose Rodney Atkins discovered a love for music in college. He packed up and moved to Nashville and got signed by Curb Records. That was in 1996, although he didn’t get a No. 1 hit until 2006, with “If You’re Going Through Hell.”
Five other No. 1 singles followed, including the very successful “Watching You.” Atkins has released five studio albums. Today he is still making music, but he is forging a new path. After his record company gave him the suggestion, he made an album with his songwriting wife. Their debut together is called, “Rod + Rose.”
Randy Houser
Net Worth: $4 million
Venture: Movie career
Learning the guitar early in life, Randy Houser started a band at the age of 10. It would be many years later when he hit success. In 2008, Universal South Records signed him.
His single, “How Country Feels,” made it to No. 1. Broken Bow Records produced the album of the same name, “How Country Feels,” and it was his third album. Talking to “Taste of Country,” Randy Houser dished about his gradual move into the film industry but shot down any thoughts of doing reality TV.
Josh Turner
Net Worth: $17 million
Venture: “Man Stuff”
Josh Turner graduated from a musical college before winning a contract at Music Row, which led to his signing with MCA Nashville Records. His first album, “Long Black Train,” made a splash in 2003 with the title single, selling over a million copies.
He became a member of the Grand Ole Opry in 2001, making him the youngest male singer to be invited. He performed “Long Black Train,” which was inspired by listening to a box set of songs by Hank Williams. His song “Time Is Love” was 2012’s biggest country song. In 2014 he moved into the niche of motivational authors with his book, “Man Stuff.”
Kelly Clarkson
Net Worth: $45 million
Venture: Wayfair brand ambassador
Kelly Clarkson has sold more than 25 million albums. She is one of the most successful country singers to win “American Idol.” She won the first season in 2002. A year later, Clarkson had a song on the Billboard 200. The singer/songwriter, author, and television personality became the best-selling country artist of 2002 with “A Moment Like This.”
In 2004, Clarkson won two Grammys and sold 12 million copies of her album “Breakaway,” which veered into pop music. Now, she’s a leading contender on the daytime talk show circuit with two Emmy Awards for her eponymous show.
Jamey Johnson
Net Worth: $8 million
Venture: BNA record deal
Heavily inspired by Hank Williams, Jamey Johnson kicked off his own career by signing with BNA Records in 2005. His song “The Dollar,” a heart-wrenching song about a little boy and his father, went to No. 14 on the country music charts.
His top three most popular songs are “In Color,” “The Dollar,” and “High Cost of Living.” The country music crooner made it big after dropping out of college. He was pulling straight-As at Jacksonville State University but quit and joined the Marines as a reserve. Johnson penned songs for Willie Nelson, George Strait, Merle Haggard, and Trace Adkins.
Kellie Pickler
Net Worth: $7 million
Venture: USO Global Ambassador
One of singer/songwriter Kellie Pickler’s latest gigs is hosting SiriusXM’s, “The Highway.” Pickler, who is also an actress, made her breakthrough on “American Idol.” She starred in Hallmark Channel’s most popular movies and co-hosted the talk show “Pickler & Ben.” Plus, she won the Mirrorball Trophy on “Dancing With the Stars.”
She has a gold album, “Small Town Girl,” and a Platinum single, “Best Days of Your Life.” She won a CMT for “Red High Heels” and her song, “I Wonder,” plus a CMA nomination for the best new female singer.
Jennifer Nettles
Net Worth: $20 million
Venture: American West Jewelry
Playing music in church is almost an unwritten rule for country music success and Jennifer Nettles is no different. This artist, who is also an actress, lived her life on a musical path taking classes and attending a music college, always working hard, and focused on her career.
Nettles has said that the big day came when she and her five-guy band got Luke Lewis to show up at a gig. As head of Universal, MCA, Mercury, it was a thrill when he asked, ‘Do you want to be signed by MCA or Mercury?’ at the end of their show. She’s the proud owner of three Grammy Awards and four CMAs.
Wynonna Judd
Net Worth: $12 million
Venture: Alii spokesperson
Wynonna Judd became a country music sensation with her mother, Naomi Judd. In fact, the Judds were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in May of 2022, approximately a month after Naomi died.
But Wynonna’s solo career has been just as successful. She struck out on her own in 1991 and it was a significant moment when Wynonna scored three No. 1 hit singles. Wynonna’s fame was so great she was invited to the White House in 2019 to support prison reform.
Connie Smith
Net Worth: $8 million
Venture: Record sales
Rolling Stone Magazine ranked Connie Smith as one of the top 100 greatest country music artists of all time. She’s in her eighties now, but she’s still working. She released her 37th studio album at 80. She grew up in the Midwest, one of 14 children, and struck her own path after winning a 1963 talent contest in Ohio.
Bill Anderson, impressed by her performance of “I Thought of You,” took Smith to Nashville and made her a star. Known as the “Queen of Broken Hearts,” Smith’s music comes from her emotional struggles.
Steve Earle
Net Worth: $5 million
Venture: Twangtrust
Growing up in San Antonio, Texas, Steve Earle dropped out of school by age 14 and went to work in various jobs like construction. Singer/songwriter Townes Van Zandt took him in and taught him how to make a living playing guitar. The hard-drinking Van Zandt was a bad role model but a “real good teacher.” Earle became a hard drinker too. Earle would go on to identify with the outlaw country genre.
It was in 1975 that he arrived in Nashville. Elvis Presley wanted to buy one of his songs, but the King never showed up to record it. Johnny Lee sang one of Earle’s songs in 1982, and Earle was signed by LSI Records. He debuted with the album “Guitar Town” and recorded 20 more. The Grammy-winning artist appears on television and in film. He is also an author.
Granger Smith
Net Worth: $6 million
Venture: The Iron Council
This native Texan, also known as Earl Dibbles Jr., made it big in 2016. Granger Kelly Smith, which is his given name, was born in Dallas on September 4, 1979. He was just 19 years old when he sealed a Nashville contract. Two years later, Smith signed with Wheelhouse Records, a division of Broken Bow Records.
He has hit songs, “If the Boot Fits” and “Backroad Song.” His fans like to call him Earl Dibbles, Jr., and he calls his fans, “Yee Yee Nation,” which they identify with. He is on his way up, but on his way, he has played at the White House three times and performed for the troops in Iraq and Kuwait.
Chris LeDoux
Net Worth: $15 million
Venture: Record sales
Besides being a great musician, LeDoux was also a rodeo champion, before he got into music, retiring in 1980. His first album is, “Sing Me a Song, Mr. Rodeo Man.” The Wyoming native was also a bronze sculptor. In music, he’s gone gold twice and his album, “20 Greatest Hits,” went platinum. He pumped out 36 studio albums during his shortened lifetime.
He was 56 when he died. When Chris LeDoux died, Garth Brooks performed “Good Ride Cowboy,” a song he came out of retirement to pen for the fallen country music star, at the Country Music Awards in 2005. A year earlier, LeDoux lost a battle with a rare type of cancer, and everyone in country music mourned him greatly.
Townes Van Zandt
Net Worth: $1 to $5 million
Venture: Record sales
Townes Van Zandt is considered country music’s best songwriter, as well as a derelict and a rambler. An old tale goes, Bob Dylan once arranged a meet-up with Van Zandt to get one of his songs. And though it is rumored he had a soaring IQ, Van Zandt’s career was racked by self-destructive behavior and early death because of it, leaving the world in 1997.
But like Johnny Cash, a renaissance of the artist is being celebrated — his work is emulated by rock musicians, gaining a wider appreciation, but this is long past his death. Since, Van Zandt’s songs were featured in “The Big Lebowski,” “Breaking Bad,” True Detective,” and “Deadwood,” to mention a few. And this compliment: Bob Dylan covered his song “Pancho and Lefty” in 2004.
Roy Acuff
Net Worth: $61 million
Venture: Acuff-Rose Music
Roy Acuff is a legend. He played his songs on the Grand Ole Opry, the nation’s top radio show. He is the fourth-ever Country Music Hall of Famer, but the first to be inducted while he was still alive. Known as “The King of Country Music” he played the fiddle and was actually instrumental in inventing hillbilly music.
His influence was so great, that a 1940s Tennessee governor blamed Acuff for causing the state to be the “hillbilly capital” of the nation. He was an enterprising man who had the vision to build a very lucrative publishing house with partner Fred Rose — Acuff-Rose Music.
Billy Joe Shaver
Net Worth: $3 million
Venture: Record sales
Outlaw country music singer Billy Joe Shaver was born in Texas and raised by his mother and grandmother. He was introduced to country music by accompanying his mother to work in Waco, at a nightclub. Soon enough, Shaver hitchhiked to Nashville and got paid to write songs.
His first album, “Old Five and Dimers Like Me” came out in 1973. Shaver has been honored for his songwriting with the Poet’s Award by the ACM and by collaborations with artists like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. Bob Dylan even gave him a nod singing, “I’m listening to Billy Joe Shaver, and I’m reading James Joyce.” He starred in several films, but his career was cut short in 2020 when he died at 81.
Marty Robbins
Net Worth: $10 million
Venture: NASCAR
Growing up in Arizona in the 1920s and 1930s, Marty Robbins was part of a large musical family of nine children. His grandfather had a way with storytelling and much of Robbins’ music tells those stories. “Singing the Blues” in 1956 was Robbins’ first No. 1 single. In 1959, he released “Gunfighter Ballads” which contained his greatest hit, the Grammy-winning, “El Paso.”
He got his own radio show, “Chuck Wagon Time,” and later, his own TV show. He was a regular on the Grand Ole Opry stage for 25 years. This country singer had a love of racing too and rose to the top racing division. Robbins was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 1982. He died that same year.
Cam Net
Worth: $5 million
Venture: Record sales
Camaron Marvel Ochs, as she was born, loved music at an early age, sang in the church choir, and grew up with the music of country greats like Patsy Cline, Willie Nelson, and Bonnie Raitt filling the house at her grandparents’ ranch. The California-based artist got her start in the music industry by writing music for the likes of Miley Cyrus and Sam Smith.
Sony Music signed her in 2015 and she released “Welcome to Cam Country.” Cam’s third album delivered her greatest hit “Burning House.” It went double Platinum and got a Grammy nomination. The song remains the best-selling country single by a female solo artist. She took a risk by leaving Sony for a smaller label Triple Tigers. In college, Cam studied psychology which she finds central to songwriting. She spoke about this at her TEDx Talk.
Lainey Wilson
Net Worth: $1 to $5 million
Venture: BBR Music Group
This southern girl from small-town Louisiana wrote a song about her personal experience. In her 2019 song “LA,” she sings that she’s from LA, but no one believes that. Especially with her long drawl of an accent. With two No. 1 songs under her belt, it’s no surprise that Wilson hit the charts like a locomotive with her third single “Heart Like a Truck.”
It’s about what she’s been through emotionally and how she has persevered. Wilson is truly a small-town girl.
Jimmie Allen
Net Worth: $2 million
Venture: Bettie James Music and Publishing
When Jimmie Allen made it, he had only $21 in his pocket. Now he can boast he’s done a Diet Coke commercial with Taylor Swift. Allen is famous worldwide for his tunes. Once he was homeless, living in his car in Nashville, but now he has chart-topping songs like “Best Shot,” “Mercury Lane,” “Make Me Want to,” and “Down Home.”
The multi-platinum country singer signed with Broken Bow Records and now serves as a producer on his albums. Allen won the CMA New Artist of the Year Award in 2021, making him the second black artist to do so. He also received a string of awards, including a Grammy nod in 2022. He’s collaborated with top names like Elton John, Lady Gaga, Brad Paisley in “Freedom Was a Highway,” and Noah Cyrus in “This Is Us.”