Richest Musicians of All Time

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Richest Musicians of All Time

What does it take to be a musician? Long hours of practice and determination are the most important factors if you're just looking to learn an instrument and do something on the side. But what does it take to be one of the richest musicians in the world?

The answer is still loads of practice, but you'll also need talent, luck, and a good mind for business. Like these incredibly wealthy musicians.

They are the richest musicians of all time, ranked by net worth.

Note: To qualify, a person had to play an instrument.

30. Angus Young

Net worth: $160 million

Birthdate: March 31, 1955

Country: Scotland/Australia

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Angus Young

Angus Young was born in Scotland, but during the "big freeze" of 1963, the Young family relocated to Australia.

Angus and his brothers, Malcolm and George, were all musically gifted. Young learned to play on a banjo after restringing it with six strings and opted to pursue a career in music, dropping out of high school when he was 15. In 1970, he bought a cheap, second-hand Gibson SG, which had a warped neck and ended up rotting after being exposed to so much sweat.

Angus, Malcom and George started a band called Marcus Hook Roll Band, and later Angus and Malcolm formed AC/DC in 1973. Angus took up lead guitar. "High Voltage," AC/DC's debut album, was released in 1975. Over the next several years, AC/DC took the rock scene by storm, becoming one of the best hard rock bands in the world.

Altogether, AC/DC has sold over 200 million records worldwide. Their latest album, "Power Up," was released in 2020 and debuted in first place on the Billboard 200.

28. David Gilmour (Tie)

Net worth: $180 million

Birthdate: March 6, 1946

Country: England

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: David Gilmour

David Gilmour grew up around Cambridgeshire in England, and was encouraged to pursue music at a young age. Inspired by Bill Haley and Elvis Presley, at the age of 11, Gilmour asked to borrow a guitar from his next-door neighbor.

"I don’t think he ever touched it," Gilmour recalled. "We were friends, and I asked him whether I could borrow it. I don’t think I ever gave it back."

While attending Perse School in Cambridge, he met future Pink Floyd members Syd Barrett and Roger Waters. Gilmour played with Barrett in a band called Jokers Wild for a bit before heading abroad. He busked around France and Spain with some friends, although they were impoverished and lived hand to mouth. In 1967, they returned to England using a van fueled by stolen gasoline.

By 1967, Barrett had become erratic, likely due to a combination of hallucinogens and mental health issues, and was ousted by Pink Floyd, which had formed in 1965. The band invited Gilmour to take Barrett's place, and Gilmour became the band's leader in 1985 following the departure of Roger Waters.

28. Jimmy Page (Tie)

Robert Plant and Jimmy Page at Live Aid 1985 at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia

Net worth: $180 million

Birthdate: Jan. 9, 1944

Country: England

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Jimmy Page (Tie)

Born in London, Jimmy Page found a guitar at a house they had just moved into when he was 12. Mostly self-taught, Page learned guitar on his own and from some older friends who would practice with him.

Page left school at the age of 15 and pursued music, playing in any band he could find. He started to make money at it and became part of the Yardbirds. He found a good amount of success there, but it wouldn't be until he formed Led Zeppelin in 1968, after the Yardbirds broke apart, that he found incredible success.

The band's self-titled debut album was released in 1969 and was a turning point for rock music. Led Zeppelin became the biggest band in the world by the 1970s and is one of the most influential bands in history.

After Zeppelin broke up following the death of John Bonham in 1980, Page collaborated with numerous artists and remastered Led Zeppelin's catalog.

25. Kirk Hammett (Tie)

Net worth: $200 million

Birthdate: Nov. 18, 1962

Country: United States

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Kirk Hammett (Tie)

Born in San Francisco and raised in El Sobrante, California, Kirk Hammett had developed a love for horror movies before taking to music. In fact, he spent his money on monster magazines, but after listening to his brother's record collection, he started selling them off so he could buy his own records and also a guitar.

At the age of 16, in 1979, he formed a thrash metal band called Exodus, which gained a following in the Bay Area.

In 1983, Metallica was looking for another lead guitarist. They had just fired Dave Mustaine for his drinking problems (in Mustaine's own words, he "was a violent drunk.") Hammett caught the eye of Metallica and they recruited the young guitarist.

The rest is history.

25. Ronnie Wood (Tie)

Net worth: $200 million

Birthdate: June 1, 1947

Country: England

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Ronnie Wood (Tie)

Ronnie Wood was born in London, England, into a family of "water gypsies," or people who live on houseboats in Britain's canals and rivers (Wood says he's the first of his family to be born on dry land).

Wood began playing professionally before he was 20, joining a band called The Birds in 1964. After the Birds broke apart, he joined the Jeff Beck Group as a bassist, which had Rod Stewart on vocals. He hooked up with the Small Faces, and when he went to work on his solo album in 1973, he ended up asking his friend, Mick Taylor, for help.

Taylor was playing for the Rolling Stones at the time, and Wood ended up collaborating with Mick Jagger on "It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)." Jagger and Keith Richards helped out with Wood's album, and after Taylor left the Stones in 1974, Wood worked with the Stones, eventually becoming a full-time member after the Small Faces broke up in the mid-1970s.

25. Roger Taylor (Tie)

Net worth: $200 million

Birthdate: July 26, 1949

Country: England

Instrument: Drums

Bottom Line: Roger Taylor (Tie)

Roger Taylor was born in Norfolk, England, and grew up in Cornwall. When he was 7 years old, he and some of his friends formed a band called the Bubblingover Boys — he played the ukulele.

While Taylor had learned to play guitar by the age of 15, he became a drummer in a band called Reaction, learning how to play the instrument by listening to people like Keith Moon of The Who and Mitch Mitchell of The Jimi Hendrix Experience.

Taylor joined Brian May and Tim Staffell in 1968, forming the band Smile, after reading an advert at Imperial College. Smile disbanded two years later after Staffell left, May and Taylor joined up with Freddie Mercury, and Queen was born.

24. Brian May

Net worth: $210 million

Birthdate: June 19, 1947

Country: England

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Brian May

Born in a nursing home in Twickenham, England, Brian May was a gifted student who received a scholarship at the age of 11 to Hampton Grammar School. During his time there and another state-funded school, May took to music and built his first guitar with his father. May also formed his first band, which was called 1984, along with Tim Staffell.

May formed the band Smile with Staffell and Roger Taylor, but Staffel, then the lead singer, left the group in 1970. May and Taylor met Freddie Mercury that same year, and the legendary singer persuaded them to not disband the group but to reform it as Queen.

Queen, of course, became one of the most popular and beloved bands in history. After Mercury died in 1991, May went on to have a solo career and then reunited with Taylor, forming Queen+ Paul Rogers and then Queen+ Adam Lambert.

23. Billy Joel

Bill Joel in Concert in Long Island, New York, in 2017

Net worth: $225 million

Birthdate: May 9, 1949

Country: United States

Instrument: Piano

Bottom Line: Billy Joel

Billy Joel at the 2015 Bonnaroo Music And Arts Festival

Billy Joel's father was a classical pianist, so we know why the "Piano Man" started playing the ivory keys.

Growing up in the Bronx, Joel picked up boxing to defend himself as a teenager and became a pretty dang good boxer, winning 22 out of 24 bouts. He quit after his opponent broke his nose in his last fight.

His father left their family when Joel was 8 years old. During high school, he played piano at bars to support his mother and his sister. One such gig prevented him from graduating high school, as he got home late at night and slept through an early morning English exam, leading him to flunk the class and come up one credit shy of graduation.

Instead of returning to school, he decided to go into the music business. It was a good choice.

20. Eric Clapton (Tie)

Eric Clapton at Live Aid concert in Philadelphia in 1985

Net worth: $250 million

Birthdate: March 30, 1945

Country: England

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Eric Clapton

Eric Clapton's Crossroads Guitar Festival in 2013

Eric Clapton was born in Surrey, England, to 16-year-old Patricia Molly Clapton and a 25-year-old Canadian soldier. Clapton's father returned to Canada before he was born. The future musician spent his childhood believing his grandparents were his parents and his maternal mother was his sister.

Despite the unusual start, Clapton took to the guitar early. He wa heavily influenced by U.S. blues musicians and joined a band called the Roosters when he was 17 years old. Clapton went on to join several bands, from the Yardbirds to Cream to Blind Faith, producing some of the best blues-influenced albums of the classic rock era.

Today, Clapton is the only three-time inductee into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. He's been listed as one of Rolling Stone's greatest guitarists and has won 18 Grammy Awards. In 2004, he received a CBE award (Commander of the British Empire) at Buckingham Palace for his contributions to music.

20. Charlie Watts (Tie)

Net worth: $250 million

Birthdate: June 2, 1941

Country: England

Instrument: Drums

Bottom Line: Charlie Watts

Ronnie Woods, Charlie Watts and Keith Richards performing in London, England, in 2018

Charlie Watts is the quiet member of The Rolling Stones, preferring to play the drums and keep away from the drug and groupies prevalent on the Rolling Stones' tours.

Watts was born in London, England. He became interested in music, art and soccer at a young age. First, he tried playing banjo but didn't take to it. Instead, he removed the neck and treated it like a drum after hearing Chico Hamilton play. He received his first drum kit in 1955.

While not a founding member of the Rolling Stones, he joined the group in 1963 when Brian Jones and Ian Stewart were still part of the band. Watts remained with the Stones until his death in 2021.

20. Don Henley (Tie)

Net worth: $250 million

Birthdate: July 22, 1947

Country: United States

Instrument: Drums, guitar

Bottom Line: Don Henley

Don Henley grew up in a small town in northeast Texas. He joined the high school band and played trombone and played in a Dixieland band. He was part of a band called Shiloh, and by chance, met Kenny Rogers, who helped get them signed to Amos Records. However, the band broke up in 1971, not long after arriving in Los Angeles.

While in Los Angeles, he met Glenn Frey, and the two formed the Eagles along with Randy Meisner and Bernie Leadon.

Henley and Frey cowrote most of the Eagle's most popular songs. And boy, were they popular. The Eagles became one of the best-selling bands of all time, and it all started with the release of their debut album.

The band has sold over 200 million records, while Henley has had a successful solo career. The Eagles broke up in 1980 but re-formed in 1994, and Henley has been touring with them ever since.

15. Adam Clayton (Tie)

Net worth: $300 million

Birthdate: March 13, 1960

Country: England

Instrument: Bass guitar

Bottom Line: Adam Clayton

Adam Clayton was born in Oxfordshire, England, and grew up near Dublin, Ireland. After attending a boarding school (which he may have been expelled from), Clayton transferred to Mount Temple Comprehensive. He was a terrible student with a rebellious streak.

He began playing bass for the first time when he was 14 years old after his mother bought him a cheap guitar. While at Mount Temple Comprehensive, he was reunited with his childhood friend, David "Edge" Evans and met his future bandmates Larry Mullen Jr. and Bono to assemble U2.

He also didn't really know how to play guitar at first.

"[P]unk rock had just happened, so it wasn't really important that you knew how to play so long as you had some equipment," Clayton recalled of the band's early years, during the 1970s. "I did know a thing or two about my equipment, but I certainly didn't know anything about playing."

He learned a few more things, and the rest is history.

15. Phil Collins (Tie)

Net worth: $300 million

Birthdate: Jan. 30, 1951

Country: England

Instrument: Drums

Bottom Line: Phil Collins

Born in Middlesex England, Phil Collins got interested in music at the age of 5 when he was gifted a toy drum set. Collins never learned how to read or write music, instead using his own kind of system.

While he dabbled in acting during his teenage years, he drifted toward music making. He joined a band called Flaming Youth in 1969 and then, in 1970, he joined the rock band Genesis, playing drums and backing vocals.

Genesis has sold 150 albums worldwide, and Collins maintained a super successful solo career. His "Not Dead Yet Tour," which he completed in 2019, made $14.4 million in ticket sales by its third leg.

15. Dave Matthews (Tie)

Dave Matthews at the MTV Video Music Awards rehearsal in 1998

Net worth: $300 million

Birthdate: Jan. 9, 1967

Country: United States/South Africa

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Dave Matthews

Dave Matthews was born in Johannesburg, South Africa, but spent his early life in many different places. He lived in Cambridge, England, and in Westchester County in New York, and later returned to South Africa where he attended high school. His father died from lung cancer in 1977, when Matthews was 10 years old.

Military service in South Africa at that time was compulsory, and after high school, Matthews was set to be conscripted. Matthews fled back to New York, where he worked for IBM like his father once did. Later he moved to Charlottesville, Virginia, with his mother.

A self-taught musician, Matthews formed the Dave Matthews Band in 1991. They recorded a demo that same year and by 1993, released "Remember Two Things," their first album. The following year, they released "Under the Table and Dreaming," which eventually went platinum six times.

15. James Hetfield (Tie)

Metallica's Lars Ulrich, James Hetfield, Kirk Hammett and Cliff Burton in 1985

Net worth: $300 million

Birthdate: Aug. 3, 1963

Country: United States

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: James Hetfield

James Hetfield was born in Downey, California, to an opera singer and truck driver. Both his parents were strict Christian Scientists — a religion that rejected modern medicine — something that would influence some of his later music.

"My dad taught Sunday school — he was into it. It was pretty much forced upon me. We had these little testimonials, and there was a girl that had her arm broken. She stood up and said, 'I broke my arm but now, look, it's all better.' But it was just, like, mangled," he said in a Playboy interview.

Hetfield took piano lessons at 9 years old and started playing guitar at 14. His parents divorced when he was 13, and his mother died of cancer in 1979 when Hetfield was 16.

Hetfield formed Metallica with Lars Ulrich in 1981, and they developed a following in the Los Angeles metal scene, with their 1983 debut album, "Kill 'Em All," earning them more fans. Metallica's self-titled album, commonly known as the "Black Album," was released in 1991 and brought them worldwide fame.

15. Larry Mullen Jr. (Tie)

Net worth: $300 million

Birthdate: Oct. 31, 1961

Country: Ireland

Instrument: Drums

Bottom Line: Larry Mullen Jr.

Larry Mullen Jr. grew up in Dublin, Ireland, where he learned piano when he was 8 years old and took up drumming at the age of 9.

Mullen was briefly in a marching band when he was a youth, but quit after a few weeks because they wanted him to cut his long hair.

Mullen was the founding member of U2, after placing a notice on a school bulletin board seeking group members.

14. Roger Waters

Net worth: $310 million

Birthdate: Sept. 6, 1943

Country: England

Instrument: Bass guitar, guitar

Bottom Line: Roger Waters

Roger Waters in concert in Washington, D.C., in 2017

Pink Floyd bassist and vocalist Roger Waters grew up in Surrey, England. Both his parents were teachers. His father drove an ambulance during the Blitz before joining the army in World War II. Tragically, he died in action in 1944, just five months after Waters was born.

Waters knew future bandmates Syd Barrett and David Gilmour from his childhood, and he met Nick Mason and Richard Wright while studying architecture at what is now the University of Westminster in the early 1960s.

In 1966, they formed Pink Floyd. Following Barret's departure from the band in 1968, Waters became the band's lead, both vocally and creatively. "The Wall" was written by Waters and is based on his life story. It has sold over 23 million albums in the U.S.

He retains the copyrights to the "Wall" concept, which was awarded to him in court following a bitter disagreement. Waters left Pink Floyd in 1985, returning in 2005 for a reunion tour.

13. Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl playing guitar at the Bourbon and Beyond Music Festival in Louisville, Kentucky

Net worth: $320 million

Birthdate: Jan. 14, 1969

Country: United States

Instrument: Drums, guitar

Bottom Line: Dave Grohl

Dave Grohl with a broken leg on his custom throne

Dave Grohl was born in Warren, Ohio, to a mother who was a teacher and a father who was an award-winning journalist. After moving to Springfield, Virginia — and after his parents divorced when he was 7 years old — Grohl took guitar lessons at age 12 but grew bored. He didn't quit, though. Instead, he taught himself by playing in various punk bands.

Grohl attained his first success as the drummer for Nirvana, appearing on the breakout commercial success, "Nevermind." After the death of Kurt Cobain, Grohl went on to found the Foo Fighters, as the lead guitarist, singer and songwriter. Beside being a grunge icon, Grohl has also appeared on television shows ranging from "Letterman" to "Sesame Street."

Grohl is known for having a kind heart and good sense of humor. For example, after falling on stage and breaking his leg during a European Foo Fighter tour, he renamed the American tour portion "The Broken Leg Tour." Grohl appeared on stage in a massive light-up throne he designed — and later, he lent it to Guns N' Roses after Axl Rose suffered a similar fall and injury.

10. Ringo Starr (Tie)

Net worth: $350 million

Birthdate: July 7, 1940

Country: England

Instrument: Drums

Bottom Line: Ringo Starr

Ringo Starr performing with The Beatles on 'The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964

Ringo Starr was born Richard Starkey to two bakery workers in Liverpool, England. His parents divorced when he was 6 years old, and a significant portion of Starr's childhood was spent in hospitals.

His appendix burst when he was 6, and the subsequent surgery put him into a coma for several days and caused him to miss school for an entire year while he recovered. At the age of 13, Starr contracted tuberculosis and had to spend an additional two years in a sanatorium. But it was actually a stroke of luck.

"They always believed in those days in laying," Starr recalled of his days recovering from tuberculosis. "They would come to the ward to keep us busy, and one day this woman came and gave us tambourines —you know, things you can hit. I got these little drums, and I wouldn’t be in the band unless she handed me those drums. That’s sort of what pushed me into drums. That’s sort of how it started."

Starr's upbringing was also characterized by near-poverty conditions and blue-collar jobs. He ended up joining the Hurricanes, a popular Liverpool band, and from there he famously — or infamously — gained the attention of The Beatles, who recruited him to join the band after their falling out with Pete Best.

10. Lars Ulrich (Tie)

Net worth: $350 million

Birthday: Dec. 26, 1963

Country: Denmark

Instrument: Drums

Bottom Line: Lars Ulrich

Lars Ulrich grew up in Gentofte, Denmark. His family was well-to-do. His father was a tennis player who bought Ulrich a Ludwig drum set when he was about 12 years old. The Ulrichs relocated to California in the 1980s, and Ulrich trained to be a tennis player. But he was a musician at heart and put an ad in a music paper looking to form a band. James Hetfield responded, and Metallica was formed.

Ulrich has become the face of Metallica off-stage. When you think of the Napster controversy, you think of Ulrich and those ridiculous anti-piracy ads from 1999. Following that and the release of "St. Anger," the band became solidly uncool for many fans, although Metallica went on to rake in millions upon millions anyway.

10. Bob Dylan (Tie)

Bob Dylan with a Fender Telecaster in 1974

Net worth: $350 million

Birthdate: May 24, 1941

Country: United States

Instrument: Guitar, harmonica, keyboard

Bottom Line: Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan was born Robert Allen Zimmerman and grew up in Hibbing, Minnesota. While in high school, he joined or formed several cover bands, and wrote in his yearbook during his senior year that his greatest goal was to join Little Richard.

Moving to Minneapolis and enrolling at the University of Minnesota, he gave up rock music for folk music, feeling that "the songs are filled with more despair, more sadness, more triumph, more faith in the supernatural, much deeper feelings."

Dylan dropped out of college after just one year, then relocated to New York where he made a name for himself on the folk music scene. By 1963, he had become one of the most prominent voices in the 1960s protest movement, and has remained a voice of his generation ever since — even if he doesn't accept the mantle.

7. The Edge (Tied)

The Edge of U2 during a concert in Paris in 2015

Net worth: $400 million

Birthdate: Aug. 8, 1961

Country: Ireland

Instrument: Guitar, keyboard

Bottom Line: The Edge

Born with the (debatably) less cool name, David Evans now is better known as The Edge from U2. He grew up in Ireland, and learned both guitar and piano while he was a child. He and his brother, Dik, would both experiment with guitar sounds.

While at Mount Temple Comprehensive School in Dublin in 1976, David Evans met future U2 bandmates Bono, Larry Mullen Jr., and Adam Clayton. Mullen Jr. posted a note seeking people for a band he was forming. U2 was formed two years later.

Evan's nickname origin is still unknown. The various theories are:

He's named Edge because of the shape of his head.
Edge refers to him always hanging around the edges of situations, rather than being front and center.
Edge refers to the sharpness of his sharp mind, along with the shape of his head and his jaw.
Any or all of the above.

Edge uses mainly Fender and Gibson electric guitars to shred for U2.

7. Gene Simmons (Tie)

Gene Simmons as the Demon in a Kiss concert

Net worth: $400 million

Birthdate: Aug. 25, 1949

Country: United States

Instrument: Bass guitar

Bottom Line: Gene Simmons

Love 'em or hate 'em, Kiss is one of the most successful bands in the history of music.

Gene Simmons was born Chaim Witz in Haifa, Israel. His mother was a Hungarian Holocaust survivor whose family perished in concentration camps. She married an Israeli named Yeichel Witz. The two married and had Simmons while they were living in Tirat Carmel. Simmons grew up in an impoverished household, selling fruit on the road which he had picked in the wild.

His mother and Simmons moved to New York City when Simmons was 8 years old, leaving their father behind. As a child, he was influenced by the Beatles, who made their debut in America on "The Ed Sullivan Show."

Simmons founded Kiss in the early 1970s. Their incorporation of face paint, over-the-top stage outfits and outlandish, blood-spitting antics led them to great commercial success. Simmons is also a businessman, having had a reality television show and many business ventures, including 182 trademarks that include phrases like "Zipper," "Sextacy," and "Topless Car Wash."

He also wrote a book titled, "On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More Power." That's certainly a title.

7. Sting (Tie)

Sting and Stevie Wonder performing in 2009

Net worth: $400 million

Birthdate: Oct. 2, 1951

Country: United States

Instrument: Bass guitar

Bottom Line: Sting

Sting performs at the Tokyo Dome in 2008

Gordon Matthew Thomas Sumner — better known to the entire world as Sting— grew up in Northumberland, England, to working-class parents. His father was a milkman and an engineer while his mother was a hairdresser. At the age of 10, a young Sting waved to the Queen of England as she passed by him on the streets in a luxurious Rolls Royce. It lit a fire under him.

"I didn't want to be in this street, I didn't want to live in this house, I didn't want to end up in the shipyard — I wanted to be in that ... car," he recalled.

Inspired by nightclubs as a young man, he played with several bands while working as a teacher. While with one of those bands, the Phoenix Jazzmen, he wore a black hoodie with yellow stripes, causing the bandleader to comment that he looked like a bee or wasp, prompting the name "Sting."

In 1977, he formed The Police with American drummer Stewart Copeland. The Police sold over 75 million records and won six Grammy Awards. Sting went on to have a successful solo career, selling over 25 million records and earning a ridiculous amount of money.

4. Keith Richards (Tie)

Keith Richards playing in Romania during the 'A Bigger Bang' tour in 2007

Net worth: $500 million

Birthdate: Dec. 18, 1943

Country: England

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Keith Richards

Co-founder and lead guitarist of the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards is one of the most accomplished musicians in history. The septuagenarian has been playing with the Rolling Stones for over 50 years, and despite his spats with Mick Jagger, the two have managed to pump out record-setting concerts every single decade.

Richards was born in Kent, England, where he met Jagger at primary school. The two formed the Rolling Stones in 1962 and became world-famous within just a few years — the band's drug-fueled exploits have been well documented.

Richards is well-known as a kind of wild man. He once snorted his father's ashes. His father liked coke, so he felt he was honoring him. As Richards put it, he "had a line of dad."

4. Bruce Springsteen (Tie)

Bruce Springsteen at the Apollo Theater in 2012

Net worth: $500 million

Birthdate: Sept. 23, 1949

Country: United States

Instrument: Guitar, harmonica, piano

Bottom Line: Bruce Springsteen

Bruce Springsteen grew up in a blue-collar family in Freehold, New Jersey. Like many other would-be musicians of the time, Elvis Presley was a major musical influence.

Springsteen was a bit of an outcast at school, opting to play guitar rather than socialize. When Uncle Sam tried to draft a young Springsteen for the Vietnam War, he deliberately acted crazy on his induction exam to get the unfit-for-service 4-F classification. It was a move greatly spurred by the death of a former bandmate, a drummer who was drafted and killed in the war not long before.

Springsteen is one of the most iconic rock musicians of all time, having sold over 150 million records worldwide. "Born in the U.S.A." alone is a 15-time platinum album and has sold over 30 million copies.

4. Elton John (Tie)

Net worth: $500 million

Birthdate: March 25, 1947

Country: England

Instrument: Piano

Bottom Line: Elton John

Born as Renigald Kenneth Dwight and raised in Middlesex, England, Elton John was born into a musical household — his father was a trumpet player — and was soon proven to be a musical prodigy. John learned how to play Waldteufel's "The Skater's Waltz" by ear when he was just a child.

His style was greatly influenced by Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis and Little Richard. John once commented that Lewis and Richard "attacked the piano like lunatics — like criminals, basically. They stood up on it. They jumped on it. So, I attacked the piano like they did, and I jumped on it, and I dressed flamboyantly because if you’re going to watch me for two hours sitting at a plank you’ve got to be entertained."

John has played for world leaders, including U.S. presidents and Queen Elizabeth II, and has sold over 300 million records.

3. Jimmy Buffet

Jimmy Buffett at the Los Angeles Premiere of "The Beach Bum" in 2019

Net worth: $600 million

Birthdate: Dec. 25, 1946

Country: United States

Instrument: Guitar

Bottom Line: Jimmy Buffet

'Escape to Margaritaville' Broadway Opening Night

Wastin' away in Margaritaville is easy to do when you're worth $600 million.

Jimmy Buffet was born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, and spent his formative years in Mobile, Alabama. While attending Auburn University in Auburn, Alabama, he learned to play guitar — not necessarily because he loved music, but because one of his fraternity brothers was getting attention from the girls with his guitar. He went on to play in the streets of New Orleans for tips and then played at the clubs on the city's famous Bourbon Street in the 1960s and early 1970s.

On top of being a beloved artist with a devoted fan base known as Parrotheads, Buffet owned a string of restaurants called Jimmy Buffet's Margaritaville located across the United States, Canada, Mexico and several islands. His death in September 2023 was mourned around the world.

2. Herb Alpert

Net worth: $850 million

Birthdate: March 31, 1931

Country: United States

Instrument: Trumpet, piano

Bottom Line: Herb Alpert

Herb Alpert at the 2017 New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival

Herb Alpert is a trumpeter best known for Herb Alpert and the Tijuana Brass, which managed to outsell the Beatles in 1966 with 13 million records sold.

Alpert was born in Los Angeles, California, to a family of musicians. He learned violin and trumpet at a young age, and when he was a young man, he played the trumpet while in the United States Army for military ceremonies.

While Alpert was a massively successful musician, selling over 75 million albums worldwide, the majority of his cash didn't come from playing music. He co-founded A&M Records along with Jerry Moss in 1962.

In 1989, the two sold A&M for $500 million to PolyGram Records. They stayed on to manage the label for another five years. Then in 2003, the two received a $200 million payout involving a lawsuit and a stock market deal with Vivendi Universal.

1. Paul McCartney

Net worth: $1.2 billion

Birthday: June 18, 1942

Country: England

Instrument: Bass guitar, guitar, piano, electric keyboard, drums

Bottom Line: Paul McCartney

Paul McCartney grew up in Liverpool, England. He lost his mother when he was just 14 years old due to an operation complication from a breast cancer surgical procedure. He dealt with his grief by focusing on music, learning to play on a 15-quid Zenith guitar.

"I never had a really good instrument, but it didn't matter," he recalled in the biography "Paul McCartney" by Barry Miles. "The whole thing with the Beatles was we never really had great instruments, we never really had great headphones, we never really had great microphones or PAs, we somehow learned to muddle through. We always made do with what we had."

A self-taught musician, McCartney went on to learn over a dozen other instruments. He played all of the instruments on his debut album, "McCartney." Most of that album was critically ill-received except for the classic ballad, "Maybe I'm Amazed." And of course, he was a lead singer of the Beatles alongside John Lennon.

Thanks to the enormous success of the Beatles, McCartney is the richest musician in the world.

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