Answer: David Copperfield

When trying to guess the best selling solo entertainer of all time, it would be easy to get fixated on singers and musicians. Performers like Kenny G, Barbra Streisand, Steve Wonder, and others have been performing for decades, have played around the world, and enjoy enduring popularity. Despite that broad appeal and the long careers of such musicians, however, the top grossing solo entertainer is not a musician, but a magician.

Whether you’re a fan of the illusionist David Copperfield (or the genre of stage magic in the first place), there’s one undeniable thing about Mr. Copperfield–his dedication to the craft of illusions and stage magic has repaid him wildly. Over the course of his four decade career, Copperfield has sold 33 million performance tickets with a gross of over 4 billion dollars–more than any other solo entertainer in history.