Max Martin – $260 million
Greatest Hits: Baby One More Time, It’s Gonna Be Me, I Want It That Way
One of our most contemporary authors is Max Martin. Born in Sweden, Britney Spears (“…Baby One More Time”), The Backstreet Boys (“I Want It That Way”), and NSYNC (“It’s Gonna Be Me”) have composed a hit string for them. On the Billboard Charts, he wrote twenty-two number one songs. He’s produced several of these hits as well. He also wrote for Katy Perry, Maroon 5, Weeknd, and Taylor Swift. In the number one singles, he’s written, he’s behind Paul McCartney and George Martin.
Allen Toussaint – $3 million
Greatest Hits: Working in the Coal Mine, Yes We Can Can, Java
Allen Toussaint was one of New Orleans’ most prominent genre rhythm-and-blues figures, born in Gert Town, Louisiana. He began his career in the 1950s as a “backroom figure” for his writing and composition. He wrote songs like “Fortune Teller,” “Working in the Coal Mine,” “Java,” “Mother – in – Law,” and more. “He also made some big hits, including “Lady Marmalade” and “Right Place, Wrong Time.” He learned to play the piano as an elderly neighbor. His dad also played the trumpet and worked on the railway.