Courtesy of the red, white and blue, Toby Keith is once again the highest-paid country star in America. His $65 million income puts Keith $1 million ahead of the nearest earner, Taylor Swift, who last year trailed him by $10 million, according to Forbes’ annual list.
Kenny Chesney maintains the third spot, though his income dropped from $53 million to $44 million. Jason Aldean and Luke Bryan, who last year tied for 10th place, climb to Nos. 4 and 5, respectively. Up from $17 million each, Aldean earned $37 million and Bryan brought in $34 million. High earners absent from this year’s list are Tim McGraw, Carrie Underwood and Brad Paisley.
At this rate, Keith can be expected to retain his hold on the list of overall highest-earning musicians. In 2013’s rankings, his $65 million slotted him at No. 4, behind Madonna ($125 million), Lady Gaga ($80 million) and Bon Jovi ($79 million).
For the rest of the Top 10 and details on how these country stars earned their big bucks, head over to Forbes.