This hugely successful country duo comprises Kix Brooks (b. Leon Eric Brooks, 12 May 1955, Shreveport, Louisiana, USA) and Ronnie Gene Dunn (b. 1 June 1953, Coleman, Texas, USA). As an adolescent, Brooks lived close to Johnny Horton and sang with Horton’s daughter. He moved to Nashville and found success as a songwriter, co-writing a US country number 1 by John Conlee (‘I’m Only In It For The Love’) in 1983, and then the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band’s ‘Modern Day Romance’ and Highway 101’s ‘Who’s Lonely Now’. Having limited success with ‘There’s A Telephone Ringing’, he wanted to succeed as a solo performer but his Capitol Records debut album, Kix Brooks, in 1989, made little impression, all songs being written by Brooks with 11 other writers. Although Ronnie Dunn planned to be a Baptist minister, he could not reconcile it with his love of honky tonks, and eventually he was leading the house band at Duke’s Country, a successful club in Tulsa. He had minor US country chart entries with ‘It’s Written All Over Your Face’ and ‘She Put The Sad In All His Songs’. After winning a talent contest in 1989, he moved to Nashville and Arista Record’s vice-president, Tim DuBois, suggested that he should try to write some songs with Brooks. They came up with ‘Brand New Man’ and, as they sounded good together and became friends, they decided to begin recording together.
Brooks And Dunn’s high-energy, debut album sold over three million copies and yielded four chart-topping country singles; one of them, the line-dancing anthem ‘Boot Scootin’ Boogie’, was also a US pop hit. The song later appeared in a dance version on their second album, Hard Workin’ Man. This collection also boasted the country chart-toppers ‘She Used To Me Mine’, ‘She’s Not The Cheatin’ Kind’, and ‘That Ain’t No Way To Go’, while ‘Rock My World (Little Country Girl)’, with its Rolling Stones -styled intro, boasted eight international versions and a video. Further number one hits followed during the latter part of the decade, including ‘Little Miss Honky Tonk’, ‘You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone’, ‘My Maria’, ‘A Man This Lonely’, ‘Husbands And Wives’, and ‘How Long Gone’. Both Waitin’ On Sundown (1994) and Borderline (1996) reached the top of the country album chart, with the latter also landing in the mainstream Top 5. Not surprisingly, Brooks And Dunn won several Country Music Association Vocal Duo Of The Year awards during this period and, with their success, were able to design and model western shirts for Panhandle Slim. The duo’s entertaining live show was based around manic performances by Brooks, complete with duckwalks and wild leaps.
Following a string of albums which had reached the higher regions of the country and pop charts, the duo’s commercial fortunes took a slight downturn with 1999’s Tight Rope. They bounced back with their first album of the new millennium, Steers & Stripes, which reached the top of the country charts and entered the mainstream Top 5. The album also spawned the country number 1s ‘Ain’t Nothing ’Bout You’, ‘Only In America’ and ‘The Long Goodbye’. Following the release of a seasonal collection the duo completed the 2003 concept album, Red Dirt Road. One of their finest artistic achievements, the album was also a major commercial success and one of their bestselling releases.
In 2009, after 20 years as a pair, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn announced at a news conference that they would split up after a 2010 tour, leaving a legacy as one of the hardest rocking country bands since the Everly Brothers.
