Music has a way of reaching our spirits, especially the melody that master guitarists provide to us.
In addition to their talent, which electrifies audiences, they also earn a sizable sum of money, making them some of the richest people on the planet.
The guitar is more than just a musical instrument—it’s a representation of passion, defiance, and inventiveness that has mesmerised audiences for ages.For some, mastering the instrument’s strings has led to enormous fame and wealth, making them global icons and placing them among the world’s richest guitarists.
List Of Top 10 Wealthiest Guitarists In The World (2024 Update)
1. Paul McCartney -$1.2 Billion
The Beatles member at the top of the list, of course. Paul McCartney co-wrote nearly all of the songs for their entire catalogue with John Lennon. The royalties alone from this, not to mention Paul’s stellar solo career and his work with Wings, are beyond words.Now consider his partnerships with other beasts such as Michael Jackson and the richest rapper in the world, Kanye West. Paul has been in the music business since the 1960s, is multi-instrumentalist, and has penned 32 hits that have peaked at number one on the Billboard Hot 100. With over 2,200 musicians covering it, his song Yesterday is the most covered song of all time.
2. Keith Richards -$500 Million
Mr. Richards is one of The Rolling Stones’ co-founders and co-principal songwriters, along with Mick Jagger. Rolling Stone (no related!) ranked him as the fourth greatest guitarist of all time. As if his royalties from the Rolling Stones weren’t enough, he has produced music with major performers like Aretha Franklin since the 1960s.
He is pursuing a solo career in addition to X-Pensive Winos, a side project. There are too many of his cameos on other musicians’ albums to mention. Being a guitarist, he is among the select few who have achieved such success just via music and not through other economic endeavours.
3. Eric Clapton -$450 Million
What a beast Eric is. The only person to be inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame three times is him. Derek & the Dominos, Cream, Blind Faith, The Yardbirds, and other bands he has led have all achieved great success. Among the many artists he has collaborated with are The Beatles and B.B. King.
He has won every accolade and sold more than 100 million albums. If he had managed his spending better during his career’s peak, he would rank far higher on this list. He is ranked as the second-greatest guitarist of all time by Rolling Stone and fourth-best by Gibson. Numerous films and television programmes have featured his music. He has completed all of it with music and no side projects.
4. The Edge -$400 Million
The Edge, who goes by David Evans with his family, is U2’s main guitarist, keyboardist, and backup vocalist. He has 14 studio albums to his credit and has been with the group since its founding. Additionally, Edge is a solo record producer. He is renowned for his understated, heavily effects-layered guitar playing.
His output includes theatre plays, movies, and other musicians including Roy Orbison and Tina Turner. In addition to being a member of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, he has 22 Grammy Awards. Alongside artists including Johnny Cash, B.B. King, Jay-Z, Rihanna, and Ronnie Wood, he has recorded songs.
5. Toby Keith -$400
With 19 studio albums and 2 Christmas records released to date, Toby has been in the music business since 1993. He has sold over 40 million CDs and 61 Billboard Hot Country Songs. He has achieved success in television, much like others, but solely via performances rather than acting.
His other business endeavours, such his national restaurant chain dubbed “I Love This Bar & Grill,” play a big influence in his ranking on this list. In addition, he runs a clothes business called “TK Steelman.” In addition to expanding his restaurant business, he has unveiled a special adult beverage dubbed “Wild Shot.”
6. Dave Grohl -$330 Million
One real hustler is Dave Grohl. He began his career as the drummer for Nirvana, went on to become a huge success with the band Foo Fighters, founded a supergroup called Them Crooked Vultures, and is currently enjoying great success with Queens of the Stone Age.
He is a Grammy Award winner and a Hall of Fame inductee. Grohl once spent 17 weeks in a row at the top of the Billboard Modern Rock charts, with one band’s hits giving way to another, and then another.
7. Dave Matthews -$300 Million
Dave is most renowned for being the primary guitarist, singer, and songwriter for the Dave Matthews Band, but he has also earned Grammys and platinum statuses for his solo albums and concerts! His earnings are increased by his partnerships with other megastars such as Béla Fleck, Victor Wooten, and Blue Man Group.
Even though he currently headlines huge tours, his popularity was boosted when he opened for The Rolling Stones. Dave began his acting career with small-scale stage, movie, and television roles. Blenheim Farm, which he owns and runs, sells a substantial quantity of wine each year.
8. Kirk Hammett -$220 Million
Although Hammett plays lead guitar for Metallica, he was not among the band’s original members. He took over for lead guitarist Dave Mustaine of Metallica in 1983 after the latter was fired from the group for acting violently and abusing drugs and alcohol. Prior to that, Hammett was playing live with his 1979 co-founding band, Exodus, a thrash metal group.
The heavy metal genre has been greatly influenced by Kirk Hammett. His work may be heard on numerous heavy-metal classics, like as Master Of Puppets and The Black Album, thus it’s hard to determine how many guitarists were affected.
9. Jimmy Page -$200 Million
Jimmy is Led Zeppelin’s founder and guitarist. He was a member of The Yardbirds before that. Gibson ranks him as the second-best guitarist, and Rolling Stone ranks him third. During his early years, he was in high demand as a session musician in London, receiving credits for bands such as The Who, The Kinks, and The Beatles.
He has been extremely active with live performances and collaborations since Led Zeppelin broke up, in addition to his charitable endeavours. He is deeply interested in the occult, and he has owned Aleister Crowley’s former home for a few decades in addition to several other intriguing properties.
10. Brian May -$200 Million
As lead guitarist and co-founder of Queen, Brian penned several of the band’s greatest singles, including “We Will Rock You.” As you might expect, he is the recipient of several accolades and ranks anywhere from the second to the twenty-sixth greatest guitarist of all time, depending on the magazine.
Even now, he continues to tour with Queen and performs for large audiences, with Adam Lambert taking Freddie Mercury’s vocal duties. He has both solo albums and has contributed to several albums by other well-known musicians. He keeps himself sufficiently occupied to neither need or have time for other business endeavours. To understand what I mean, go through his trivia facts.