James Taylor – $60 million
Greatest Hits: Paint It Black, Night Owl
Singer-songwriter James Taylor received five Grammys and was inducted by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He’s one of the best—selling all-time artists to 100 million albums sold worldwide. He had his breakthrough with “Fire and Rain” album, followed by Carole King’s cover of You’ve Got a Friend.” He also covered several popular songs including How Sweet It Is,” “Handy Man” and “Sweet Baby James.” His first number-one U.S. album wasn’t released until later with Before This World release in 2015.
James Taylor
Carole King – $70 million
Greatest Hits: It’s Too Late, Nightingale, Jazzman
From 1950-2000, Carole King was one of the most popular and lucrative female songwriters ever. She’s written or co-wrote 118 hits on Billboard Hot 100. And that’s America alone. She wrote sixty-one hits that reached the UK charts, making her the most popular female songwriter there too. She debuted several albums, including Writer and Tapestry, the latter her breakthrough. Tapestry remained in the charts for nearly four months in America and stayed on the charts six years later. She got Hollywood Star in 2012.
Carole King