Taylor Swift

Toby Keith Is Highest Paid Man in Country Music

It's no secret that Taylor Swift rakes in a pretty penny, but is the blonde country music's highest paid musician?

The "I Knew You Were Trouble" singer comes in at No. 2, banking an estimated $64 million dollars thanks to her wildly popular album Red and equally successful tour, as well as her endorsements for Keds, CoverGirl and Diet Coke.

The top honor goes to Toby Keith, who earned a staggering $65 million (that's more than P. Diddy and Jay Z), barely beating out the "You Belong With Me" beauty and coming in first on the list for the second consecutive year.

While Keith has found long term success in the country music biz, his hefty earnings are predominately derived from his I Love This Bar and Grill restaurants, a lucrative endorsement deal with Ford, his Wild Shot line of mescal and profits from the acts he signs to his Show Dog label. In fact, Forbes reports that the singer-turned-restaurateur has accumulated an estimated $335 million over the past six years.

Coming in third on the list is Kenny Chesney with a whopping $44 million as a result of his profitable No Shoes Nation tour, while Jason Aldean ($37 million) and Luke Bryan ($34 million) round out the top five due to their embodiment of "country's move toward the mainstream," according to Forbes.

The financial magazine also notes that country music has become much more widespread in recent years, thanks to artists like Swift, who has successfully bridged the gap between country and pop music.

Check out the full list of the top earning country musicians.

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