Forbes is at it again and it seems as if there is quite a bit of money to be made in country music. Forbes released its Top Earning Country Music Stars list and believe it or not, only one is a woman.
Coming in at #9 (there is a tie for #7) is a pseudo-old timer – Alan Jackson. Last year, Jackson earned $10 million dollars, due in part to his tour with Brooks & Dunn. Don’t worry, we will see them later on in the list.
George Strait, another old timer (well, compared to the rest on the list), comes in at #8. Strait earned $11 million last year, with his 2008 album Troubadour selling half a million copies in six weeks. If you consider that Strait has been a country music star for almost 30 years, that must mean he is worth about a gazillion dollars.
Mr. Nicole Kidman is a star in his own right! Keith Urban earned $12 million last year, putting him in a tie for #7 with Faith Hill, the sole female singer on the list. Hill also earned $12 million last year, thanks to her Soul2Soul tour with hubby Tim McGraw.
However, Brad Paisley topped them both, earning 6th place by bringing in $16 million. His 5th Gear album not only went platinum, but also spawned three #1 singles.
Now, back to Brooks & Dunn. They earned $20 million, putting them in 5th place on the list. They grossed over $14 million alone on the tour with Alan Jackson.
Kenny Chesney’s Flip Flop Summer Tour earned $70 million – the highest in 2007. His total earnings were $22 million, landing him in 4th place.
Faith Hill doesn’t have to worry about bringing home the bacon since hubby Tim McGraw brought home $23 million last year. He is listed as #3 by Forbes.
Rascal Flatts took second place, earning $40 million last year. But, since there are three of them…that means they each earned $10 million, so technically, should they be lower on the list? Nah!
And riding high at #1 is Toby Keith. While the Dixie Chicks don’t care for him, plenty of fans do. Keith earned $48 million last year (and there is only one of him!).