Taylor Swift Gave Her 1st Gold Record To This North Carolina Artist

These days Taylor Swift dominates headlines no matter what she says or does.  But back in 2006, Taylor Swift was just an up-and-coming country artist celebrating her first gold record. It was with her self-titled debut album.

She was just a kid in 2006 and she got the touring break of a lifetime. It was all because another country artist lost his job. Taylor later paid off on a promise to him. When she finally got that first gold record, she gave it to Eric Church.

Taylor Swift and Eric Church might seem like polar opposites. But that’s exactly why Taylor was tapped to replace Church when he was unceremoniously kicked off the Me and My Gang Tour with Rascal Flatts in 2006.

Eric said, “Taylor called, because she’s great, and said, ‘Hey, I don’t want there to be any bad blood here between us, hope everything’s good. I said ‘No, it’s great, everything’s good. They’re going to love you. And I said, ‘Only request I have is your first gold album, I want it.’

And about nine days later she walked up on a bus somewhere and had a gold album, and it said, ‘To Eric, Thanks for playing too loud and too long on the Flatts tour, I sincerely appreciate it. – Taylor Swift’

The rest is history. Both artists have been extremely successful.

Taylor Swift is the second richest self-made woman in music. Just how much is she worth and who is the first? Both are great questions. Let's take a look ... Taylor comes in at number 34 on Forbes’ ranking of the country's most successful women entrepreneurs, executives, and entertainers.

Thirty-four doesn't have the same ring as 22, but it's nothing to sneeze at. Her net worth is $740 million. She beats Donna Karan, at 74 years old, who is reaping the benefits of her fashion empire to the tune of $510 million. Even Reese Witherspoon, who is considered the world's richest actress, doesn't compare to Tay. Reese's net worth is estimated at $440 million.

Taylor also beats Judge Judy ($480 million). Judith Sheindlin was named the highest-paid television host in 2018, bringing in about $47 million annually. Now that she's retired from the bench - and the camera - she still has her hand in tv production and makes a pretty penny off of syndication.

Oprah Winfrey winds up at number 13 (Taylor's lucky number) with a net worth of $2.5 billion. Ebay's Meg Whitman is number 11 and worth $3 billion. And number one goes to Diane Hendricks of ABC Supply, the largest wholesale distributor of roofing materials in the US. Hendricks is worth a whopping $15 billion dollars.

Coming in at number 61 on the list, Barbra Streisand is one of a select few who is an "EGOT" (recipient of Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, Tony), not to mention the highest U.S. civilian honor: the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2015.

Babs' net worth comes in at $430 million.

According to Grammy.com, Dolly Parton has written close to 3,000 songs throughout her seven-decade career. Of those, only 450 of those songs have been recorded, some by her and some by other artists. But that's not where she gets the bulk of her $440 million net worth. That money actually comes from her stake in Dollywood. Dolly is at number 59.

The Canadian mega-star has sold more than 220 million albums worldwide and is worth $430 million dollars, earning a bulk of that from her Las Vegas residencies.
In December of 2022, Dion revealed she suffers from a rare neurological disorder called "stiff person syndrome" that affects her ability to sing.

According to Columbia University’s Irving Medical Center, stiff-person syndrome (SPS) affects roughly less than 5,000 people in the U.S. Its symptoms include stiff muscles in the torso, arms, and legs, and sensitivity to touch, noise, and emotional distress, which can trigger muscle spasms in diagnosed people.

In May of 2023, she canceled her Courage World Tour to concentrate on her health.

Beyonce puts the mega in mega-stardom. She and her husband Jay-Z share the record for the most Grammy nominations in history with 88 each. In February 2023, Bey broke the record for the most wins ever - a stunning 32 Grammys.

Her net worth of $540 million can't outshine Taylor's $740, and it's miles behind number 1 ...

Checking in at number 45 on the list of America's Richest Self-Made Women is the Queen of Pop. Madonna grossed about $1.2 billion on the road. Add that to the rest of her accomplishments: movies, books, album sales, and you get a cool $580 million.

As mentioned, Taylor is in 2nd as far as musicians go on the list. And she's not even close ...

The musician with the highest net worth on the list of America's Richest Self-Made Women is Rihanna, mostly thanks to her cosmetics line Fenty. Rihanna's net worth is an astonishing $1.4 billion.