Brooks & Dunn

Did You Know?

• Ronnie Dunn's annual "Rock The Barn" event raised money for Gilda's Club and the St. Thomas Breast Cancer Center.
• Brooks and Dunn were inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame in 2019.

History

Kix Brooks was born on May 12, 1955, in Shreveport, Louisiana, and moved to Nashville in 1976. He worked as a songwriter in the 1980s, co-writing number-one singles for John Conlee, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, and Highway 101, among others. Brooks released a self-titled album through Capitol Records in 1989. Ronnie Dunn was born on June 1, 1953, in Coleman, Texas, and studied theology at Hardin-Simmons University before being dismissed for playing in bars. He recorded for the Churchill label between 1983 and 1984, charting two singles. In 1989, Dunn won a Marlboro-sponsored talent contest, leading to a recording session in Nashville. After they recorded a demo, DuBois suggested they form a duo. Dunn had previously written "Boot Scootin' Boogie," which Asleep at the Wheel recorded in 1990.

Musical career

Brooks and Dunn's first single, "Brand New Man," reached number one on the Hot Country Songs charts in June 1991. It was the title track of their debut album, released two months later, co-written with Don Cook, who also co-produced. The next three singles from the album—"My Next Broken Heart," "Neon Moon," and their version of "Boot Scootin' Boogie"—all hit number one, making the duo the first in country music history to send their first four singles to the top. A fifth single, "Lost and Found," peaked at number six. "Boot Scootin' Boogie" also reached number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 and helped revive line dancing in the United States. Brand New Man was certified platinum in August 1992 and later sextuple-platinum. The duo won the CMA Duo of the Year award in 1992 and held it every year through 2006 except 2000.

Other works

Brooks and Dunn contributed to several soundtracks and compilations. In 1994, they recorded "Ride 'em High, Ride 'em Low" for the film 8 Seconds and a cover of "Corrine, Corrina" with Asleep at the Wheel for a Bob Wills tribute album. That year, they collaborated with Johnny Cash on "Folsom Prison Blues" for the charity album Red Hot + Country and covered "Best of My Love" for the Eagles tribute Common Thread: The Songs of the Eagles. Their cover of Bob Seger's "Against the Wind" for the King of the Hill soundtrack charted at number 55 in 1999.

They recorded "Keep On Swinging" for the 2006 film Everyone's Hero and "Over the Next Hill" with Mac Powell for the 2008 film Billy: The Early Years. Ronnie Dunn sang guest vocals on songs by Lee Roy Parnell, Trisha Yearwood, Keith Urban, Ashley Monroe, Carlene Carter, and Cledus T. Judd, and covered Gary Stewart's "She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles)" for the 2011 film Country Strong.

Musical style and artistry

Steve Huey of Allmusic described Dunn as having a soulful voice and quiet intensity, while Brooks was a high-energy showman. Their sound combined rocked-up honky tonk with danceable beats and pop-tinged ballads. David Dicaire characterized Dunn as a traditional country singer with a soulful voice and Brooks as his opposite, a high-energy showman. Brooks sang lead on songs including "Lost and Found," "Rock My World," and "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone." Michael McCall of New Country magazine attributed the duo's 1990s success to a rise in upstart duos after the Judds disbanded in 1991, noting that by 1993 the Academy of Country Music had only four nominees in the Vocal Duo category, two of whom were unsigned.