Taylor Swift has long been known for her acts of kindness, in addition to her chart-topping music. But even before embarking on the Eras Tour — which has since become the highest-grossing tour of all time — Swift always made sure to take care of her touring crew.
In an anecdote shared with his East Texas Christian Fellowship congregation — and later, posted on TikTok — pastor Ben Clark spoke about his experience working with Swift in the early beginnings of her career. Clark, also known as Banjo Ben, shared that during his time with Swift, he made a hefty amount of money.
American country singer/songwriter Taylor Swift, performs in the Best Buy Fun Zone concert before practice for the NASCAR Nextel Cup Series USG Sheetrock 400 at Chicagoland Speedway on July 14, 2007 in Joliet, Illinois. Her banjo player, Ben Clark, remembers her being gracious and paying him generously.
Rusty Jarrett/Getty Images for NASCAR
While he didn’t reveal exact numbers, Clark did share that he was one of the highest-paid touring musicians in Nashville at the time, supposedly surpassing some of the band members of already-established musicians.
“There were artists — George Strait, whoever you want to name — that have had bands for thirty years, that were making as much money as Taylor was paying us,” Clark said. “Plus, I had become her band leader and her confidant, and I would play all of the acoustic shows with her.”
Clark reiterated that he has no regrets about his time working with Swift, and even said that the “Fortnight” hitmaker is “very gracious,” but he simply felt that he was called for something different. He has previously shared that he stopped working with Swift in 2009 — shortly after the release of her sophomore album, Fearless — to write songs at Sony/ATV Music Publishing.
Today, in addition to pastoral duties, he continues to teach banjo, mandolin and guitar lessons.
As for Swift, her Eras Tour continues to gross $14 million to $17 million per night. Last year, she reportedly gave her truck drivers a bonus of $100,000 each, and paid all of her crew members bonuses that totaled $55 million.
