Brooks and Dunn

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Biography

Brooks & Dunn was an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn , who were both vocalists and songwriters. They were paired by record producer Tim DuBois in 1990. Before the duo's foundation, both members of the duo were solo recording artists. Brooks wrote songs for John Conlee , Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and Highway 101 and released a solo album for Capitol Records ; both he and Dunn also charted two solo singles apiece in the 1980s.

Signed to Arista Records in 1991, the duo recorded ten studio albums, one Christmas album and three compilation albums for the label. They also released fifty singles, of which twenty went to number one on the Hot Country Songs charts and nineteen more reached top ten. Two of these number-one songs, " My Maria " (a cover of the B.W. Stevenson song) and " Ain't Nothing 'Bout You ", were the top country songs of 1996 and 2001, respectively, according to the Billboard Year-End charts. The latter is also the duo's longest-lasting number one, at six weeks. Several of their songs have also reached the Billboard Hot 100 , where the duo's highest peaks are "Ain't Nothing 'bout You" and " Red Dirt Road (song)|Red Dirt Road ", both at number 25. Brooks & Dunn also won the Country Music Association Vocal Duo of the Year award every year between 1992 and 2006, except for 2000. Two of Brooks & Dunn's songs also won the Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal : " Hard Workin' Man (song)|Hard Workin' Man " in 1993 and "My Maria" in 1996. All but two of the duo's studio albums are Music recording sales certification|certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America . Their highest-certified is their 1991 debut Brand New Man , which is certified sextuple-platinum for shipments of six million copies.

The duo announced their retirement in August 2009 and performed their final concert on September 2, 2010 at the Bridgestone Arena in Nashville, Tennessee. Brooks has been the host of the radio show American Country Countdown since 2006, while Dunn has continued to record for Arista as a solo artist.

History

Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III was born May 12, 1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana , and before moving to Nashville in 1979, he worked the club circuit in Alaska and Maine. He was also a neighbor of country singer Johnny Horton . Brooks worked as a songwriter in the 1980s, co-writing the number-one singles " I'm Only in It for the Love " by John Conlee , " Modern Day Romance " by the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and " Who's Lonely Now " by Highway 101 . He also released several singles through the independent Avion label, including "Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down", which charted at number 73 on Hot Country Songs in 1983. In 1989, he released a Kix Brooks (album)|self-titled studio album through Capitol Records . This album included his second and final solo chart entry, " Sacred Ground (song)|Sacred Ground ", which peaked at number 87 and was later a number two hit in 1992 for McBride & the Ride .

Ronnie Gene Dunn was born June 1, 1953 in Coleman, Texas . He played bass guitar in local bands during high school and he briefly studied theology at Abilene Christian University with the intention of becoming a Baptist preacher. Dunn was "kicked out" of the school because he played in bars. Dunn recorded for the Churchill label between 1983 and 1984, and reached number 59 with "It's Written All Over Your Face" and "She Put the Sad in All His Songs".Whitburn, p. 133 In 1989, session drummer Jamie Oldaker entered Dunn in a talent contest sponsored by Marlboro (cigarette)|Marlboro , which Dunn won. The grand prize in the competition included a recording session in Nashville. The producer of that session, Scott Hendricks , recommended Dunn's recordings to Tim DuBois , then an executive of Arista Records . DuBois paired Brooks and Dunn because he thought that they would work well together as songwriters, and after the two recorded a demo (music)|demo , he suggested that they form a duo.

Musical career

1991–1992: Brand New Man

The duo's first single, " Brand New Man (song)|Brand New Man ", entered the Hot Country Songs charts in June 1991 and went to number one. It was the title track to the duo's debut album, Brand New Man , which was released two months later. Brooks and Dunn wrote this song and several other cuts in collaboration with Don Cook , who also co-produced the album with Hendricks. The next three single releases from Brand New Man (" My Next Broken Heart ", " Neon Moon " and " Boot Scootin' Boogie ") all made number one on the country music charts as well, making for the first time in country music history that a duo or group had sent its first four singles to the top of the charts. A fifth single, " Lost and Found (Brooks & Dunn song)|Lost and Found ", peaked at number six. "Boot Scootin' Boogie", which had previously been the b-side to "My Next Broken Heart", also made number 50 on the Billboard Hot 100 , and its commercial success led to a renewed interest in line dancing throughout the United States. Brand New Man was music recording sales certification|certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) in August 1992 for shipments of one million copies; by 2002, the album had been certified sextuple-platinum for shipments of six million. The album also spent more than 190 weeks on the Top Country Albums charts. In 1992, the duo won the Duo of the Year Award from the Country Music Association (CMA), which also nominated them for that year's Album of the Year and Horizon awards. Brooks & Dunn won the association's Duo award for every year from then until 2006, except for 2000 when the award went to Montgomery Gentry . After the album's release, Brooks & Dunn began touring as well.

Brand New Man received a positive review from Allmusic , whose critic Daniel Gioffre thought that the album showed the duo's diversity of musical influences. Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly was less positive, criticizing the duo's sound for being "imitative".

1992–1994: ''Hard Workin' Man

'' Hard Workin' Man '' was the title of Brooks & Dunn's second album. Released in 1993, it was led off by its Hard Workin' Man (song)|title track , which peaked at number four on the country music charts. The album included two number-one singles in " She Used to Be Mine " and " That Ain't No Way to Go " (respectively the third and fifth releases), as well as " We'll Burn That Bridge " and " Rock My World (Little Country Girl) ", the former of which went to number one at Radio & Records . In 1993, "Hard Workin' Man" won the duo a Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal , and the album was nominated for Best Country Album. ''Hard Workin' Man earned its highest RIAA certification in 2002, when it was certified quintuple platinum. Brian Mansfield gave a generally-positive review in Allmusic, saying that its up-tempo songs "rocked harder" than any of the songs from the first album.

While "Rock My World" was climbing the charts, Brooks & Dunn charted two additional cuts which were not official singles: "Ride 'em High, Ride 'em Low", which they contributed to the 8 Seconds (soundtrack)|soundtrack of the 1994 film 8 Seconds , and a cover of " Corrine, Corrina " recorded in collaboration with Asleep at the Wheel for a tribute album to Bob Wills . Both of these cuts peaked at number 73. Dunn also contributed a guest vocal to Lee Roy Parnell 's mid-1994 cover of the Hank Williams song " Take These Chains from My Heart ", which was a single from Parnell's album On the Road (Lee Roy Parnell album)|On the Road . Dunn did not receive a chart credit for this song.

''Waitin' on Sundown

In early September 1994, the duo collaborated with Johnny Cash on a cover of his song " Folsom Prison Blues ". This cover appeared on the album Red Hot + Country , a charity album made by the Red Hot Organization to benefit AIDS awareness. By the end of the month, the duo released its third studio album, '' Waitin' on Sundown ''. It also produced five charting singles, three of which made number one on the country charts: " She's Not the Cheatin' Kind ", " Little Miss Honky Tonk " and " You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone ". The other two singles, " I'll Never Forgive My Heart " and " Whiskey Under the Bridge ", both made top ten.

Allmusic critic Thom Owens thought that the album's singles were "solid" but that the rest of the songs were "filler". A review of the single "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind" from the same site praised it for its "hard-driving, honky-tonk spirit". Nash praised the honky-tonk sound of "I'll Never Forgive My Heart", but thought that most of the other songs relied on "contrivance". Randy Lewis of the Orlando Sentinel gave a generally-positive review, saying that the "minidrama" of "A Few Good Rides Away" (which Brooks co-wrote) was the strongest track on the album.

Borderline

Brooks & Dunn's fourth album, Borderline (Brooks & Dunn album)|Borderline , was also their first for Arista Nashville as opposed to the main division of Arista. It was led off by a cover version of B.W. Stevenson 's 1972 single " My Maria ". Brooks & Dunn's version of the song spent three weeks at number one in mid-1996 and peaked at number 79 on the Billboard Hot 100; it was also that year's top country song according to the Billboard Year-End charts. Dunn said that he was initially reluctant to cover "My Maria" because the duo had not previously recorded any cover songs. The song won Brooks & Dunn its second Grammy Award for Best Country Performance by a Group or Duo, and the duo won the 1996 Entertainer of the Year award from the Country Music Association. In 1997, the duo toured a double-headliner tour with Reba McEntire . Borderline produced another number one in " A Man This Lonely " and the top ten hits " I Am That Man " and " Why Would I Say Goodbye "; " Mama Don't Get Dressed Up for Nothing ", the third single, became the duo's first release not to make the top ten.

Michael McCall of Allmusic and Alanna Nash of Entertainment Weekly both thought that the album's material was "cliché", and thought that the "My Maria" was the strongest song on it. A more positive review came from Larry Stephens of Country Standard Time , who thought that the album had "the right mix" of songs.

The Greatest Hits Collection and If You See Her

Their first greatest hits compilation was released on September 16, 1997. It comprised most of their singles to that point and three new songs: " Honky Tonk Truth ", " He's Got You " and "Days of Thunder". The first two were released as singles, with respective peaks of three and two on the country charts. The Greatest Hits Collection was certified platinum in April 1998, and double-platinum in 2001.

Brooks & Dunn collaborated with Reba McEntire to perform " If You See Him/If You See Her ", which was the lead-off single to Brooks & Dunn's If You See Her and McEntire's If You See Him , both of which were released on the same day. Arista and MCA Nashville , the label to which McEntire was signed, both promoted the single. This cut went to number one, as did the next two singles from If You See Her : " How Long Gone " and a cover of Roger Miller 's " Husbands and Wives (song)|Husbands and Wives ", which also became the duo's first top 40 hit on the Billboard Hot 100. Dunn recorded the vocals for "Husbands and Wives" in one take. Also included on the album was "Born and Raised in Black and White", the first song of the duo's career in which they alternated on lead vocals. The album's fourth single was " I Can't Get Over You (Brooks & Dunn song)|I Can't Get Over You ", which was a top five country hit. Following it was "South of Santa Fe", which peaked at number 41 on the country charts and thus became the duo's lowest-peaking single there. In 2001, If You See Her reached double-platinum certification in the United States.

Jana Pendragon, in her review for Allmusic, praised Dunn's vocal performances on "Husbands and Wives" and the title track, but thought that most of the other cuts were "formula". Country Standard Time writer Kevin Oliver criticized the album for having "wildly uneven" material, calling the McEntire collaboration a "snoozer" and "South of Santa Fe" "wretched".

Tight Rope

Tight Rope , the duo's sixth album, was also its least commercially successful release. It was led off by a cover of John Waite 's " Missing You (John Waite song)|Missing You ", which the duo took to number 15 in late 1999. The album's other two singles were "Beer Thirty" at number nineteen and " You'll Always Be Loved By Me ", which peaked at number five in 2000. Dunn co-wrote some songs on this album with Terry McBride (musician)|Terry McBride (of McBride & the Ride), and Brooks collaborated with Bob DiPiero . Two non-single releases made the charts while "Beer Thirty" was climbing: the album track "Goin' Under Gettin' Over You", which made number 60 based on unsolicited airplay, and a cover of Bob Seger 's " Against the Wind (Bob Seger song)|Against the Wind ", which the duo recorded for the King of the Hill (soundtrack)|soundtrack to the cartoon King of the Hill . Tight Rope was certified gold for U.S. shipments of 500,000 copies, but did not receive any higher certification.

Stephen Thomas Erlewine gave this album a mixed review, referring to the "Missing You" cover as a "misstep". Jon Weisberger thought that the album was "consistent" but added that it did not have any "surprises".

Steers & Stripes

Their seventh studio album, Steers & Stripes , was released on April 17, 2001. For this album, the duo worked with producer Mark Wright, who also produced for Lee Ann Womack at the time. Its lead-off single, " Ain't Nothing 'Bout You ", became their longest-lasting Number One hit, with a six-week stay at that position. This song was the second song of the duo's career to be named the top single of the year according to Billboard Year-End; it was also their highest peak on the Billboard Hot 100 at the time, peaking at number 25 there. The next two singles from Steers & Stripes both made Number One as well: " Only in America (song)|Only in America " and " The Long Goodbye (Brooks & Dunn song)|The Long Goodbye ", the latter of which was written by Ronan Keating and Paul Brady . After it, the duo charted at number five with " My Heart Is Lost to You " and number twelve with a cover of Kim Richey 's " Every River ". All of these other singles also made the pop charts.

This album was generally well-received, with the reviews in Allmusic and Country Standard Time noting that the album was more consistent than the previous ones. Nash was less favorable, referreing to the up-tempos as "retreads" but praising Dunn's voice.

''It Won't Be Christmas Without You and Red Dirt Road

Brooks & Dunn released a Christmas album in 2002 titled '' It Won't Be Christmas Without You ''. Four of its cuts made the country music charts based on seasonal airplay: the title track, "Hangin' 'round the Mistletoe", "Rockin' Little Christmas" and a rendition of " Winter Wonderland ".

Red Dirt Road , the duo's eighth studio album, was released in 2003. It was led off by its Red Dirt Road (song)|title track , which became the duo's eighteenth number one on Billboard . Two more singles were released from it: " You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl ", which spent five weeks in the number three position, and " That's What She Gets for Loving Me " at number six. On the Hot 100, these songs respectively peaked at 25, 39 and 53.

Erlewine described Red Dirt Road as a concept album in his review of it, saying that its title track and other songs offered a "tribute to their roots and upbringing." Nash gave the album an A-minus rating, saying that Brooks & Dunn "dig even deeper" on the album; she also referred to the title track as a "gutsy account of the terrible beauty of coming of age." A less favorable review came from Country Standard Time , whose critic Jeffrey B. Remz called it "satisfactory, but not much more." Both Nash and Remz compared "You Can't Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl" to the sound of The Rolling Stones .

The Greatest Hits Collection II and Hillbilly Deluxe

Arista released Brooks & Dunn's second Greatest Hits package, The Greatest Hits Collection II , in October 2004. The album included singles from If You See Her , Steers & Stripes and Red Dirt Road , as well as the previously-unreleased " That's What It's All About " and " It's Getting Better All the Time ". Respectively, these cuts peaked at numbers two and one on the country music charts, as well as 38 and 56 on the Hot 100.

In August 2005, the duo released " Play Something Country ", the first cut from its ninth studio album, Hillbilly Deluxe (Brooks & Dunn album)|Hillbilly Deluxe . According to Dunn, this song was inspired by Gretchen Wilson , with whom the duo was touring at the time. A month after the album's release, "Play Something Country" became the duo's twentieth and final number one on Hot Country Songs, and went to number 37 on the pop charts. The album's second single, " Believe (Brooks & Dunn song)|Believe ", peaked at number eight and won the duo the next year's Single of the Year and Song of the Year awards from the Country Music Association. After it was " Building Bridges (song)|Building Bridges ", which featured guest vocals from Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow and peaked at number four. Before the duo released this song, it was released in the mid-1980s by its co-writer Larry Willoughby , and later by Nicolette Larson . The final release from Hillbilly Deluxe was the title track, which peaked at number sixteen on Hot Country Songs.

Erlewine gave this album a positive review, saying that it was not "quite as ambitious" as the previous two albums, but "just as satisfying".

Cowboy Town and #1s… and then some

Their tenth studio album, Cowboy Town , was released on October 2, 2007. Its lead-off single " Proud of the House We Built " reached number four on the country charts and 57 on the Hot 100. Following this song were " God Must Be Busy " at number eleven and " Put a Girl in It " at number three. After this song, the duo released " Cowgirls Don't Cry ", which they later performed with Reba McEntire at the Country Music Association awards. Following this performance, the song was re-released with McEntire's vocals. In early 2009, the song peaked at number two on the country charts.

The duo released its final compilation, Number 1s… and Then Some|#1s… and Then Some , on September 8, 2009. The album features 28 past hits songs and two new songs. Both of these new songs, " Indian Summer (Brooks & Dunn song)|Indian Summer " and " Honky Tonk Stomp " (the latter a collaboration with Billy Gibbons of ZZ Top ), peaked at number sixteen on the country music charts.

2009–2010: Retirement

On August 10, 2009, Brooks & Dunn announced that they would be splitting up. They informed fans by releasing this statement on their website:

Dunn contributed a cover of Gary Stewart (singer)|Gary Stewart 's " She's Actin' Single (I'm Drinkin' Doubles) " to the Country Strong (soundtrack)|soundtrack to the 2011 film Country Strong . He released a Ronnie Dunn (album)|self-titled solo album through Arista in 2011. The album includes the singles " Bleed Red " and " Cost of Livin' ", both of which charted within the top 30 of Hot Country Songs .

Other works

On November 3, 2008, the duo appeared on a panel to discuss entertainment law at the University of Tennessee's College of Law. They duetted in Cledus T. Judd's "Garth Must Be Busy", a parody of Brooks and Dunn's "God Must Be Busy". They also appeared in Cledus' music video.

Musical style

Steve Huey of Allmusic contrasts Brooks' and Dunn's voices, saying that Dunn "was the quietly intense singer with the soulful voice, while Kix Brooks played the part of the high-energy showman." He also describes their sound as "a winning formula of rambunctious, rocked-up honky tonk with punchy, danceable beats smooth, pop-tinged ballads."

Slim & Howdy

In the liner notes to each of their studio albums, Brooks & Dunn wrote short stories about Slim & Howdy, fictionalized cowboy versions of themselves. The duo worked with Bill Fitzhugh in late 2008 and wrote a book titled The Adventures of Slim and Howdy .

On the road

Brooks & Dunn are renowned for their high-energy stage shows. In 2008, Brooks & Dunn paired up with ZZ Top and Rodney Atkins for a tour entitled Cowboy Town. This concert has been shown on Great American Country|GAC as well. Other recent tours have featured Australian country singer Keith Urban , fellow duo Montgomery Gentry , and Gretchen Wilson . Their Deuces Wild tour of 2005 featured fellow country duo Big and Rich . In 2006, the duo opened for the Rolling Stones at their Omaha, Nebraska show. Also in 2006, they toured with country artist Sara Evans and embarked on their The Long Haul Tour, which featured artists Jack Ingram and Sugarland (band)|Sugarland .

The duo's songs have been used by President George W. Bush as his official campaign songs in both his 2000 election and 2004 re-election campaigns. In 2000 then Texas Governor Bush chose the blue-collar line-dance-friending hit of the mid-1990s, " Hard Workin' Man (song)|Hard Workin' Man ," and in 2004 the President selected the patriotic hit, " Only in America (song)|Only in America ." Brooks & Dunn both supported the President's re-election campaign, performing at a Republican rally featuring Laura Bush on the eve of the election. John Kerry also had it played at the 2004 Democratic National Convention . The song also played when Barack Obama announced Joe Biden as his vice president in Springfield, Illinois in 2008. "Only in America" was played after President Barack Obama gave his nomination acceptance speech in 2008.

They performed a concert tour in Australia in February and March 2008. http://www.entertainmentdepot.com.au/news/brooks-dunn-australian-tour

Discography

Albums

1991: Brand New Man

1993: '' Hard Workin' Man

1994: '' Waitin' on Sundown

1996: Borderline (Brooks & Dunn album)|Borderline

1997: The Greatest Hits Collection (Brooks & Dunn album)|The Greatest Hits Collection

1998: If You See Her

1999: Tight Rope (Brooks & Dunn album)|Tight Rope

1999: Super Hits (Brooks & Dunn album)|Super Hits

2001: Steers & Stripes

2002: '' It Won't Be Christmas Without You

2003: Red Dirt Road

2004: The Greatest Hits Collection II

2005: Hillbilly Deluxe (Brooks & Dunn album)|Hillbilly Deluxe

2007: Cowboy Town

2008: Playlist: The Very Best of Brooks & Dunn

2009: Number 1s… and Then Some|#1s… and Then Some

Awards

Academy of Country Music

Year	Award
2010Crystal Milestone Award	Top Vocal Duo
2008	Top Vocal Duo
2007	Top Vocal Duo
2007	Vocal Event of the Year ("Building Bridges" with Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow )
2006	Top Vocal Duo
2006	Home Depot Humanitarian Award
2005	Top Vocal Duo
2005	Song of the Year ("Believe")
2004	Top Vocal Duo
2003	Top Vocal Duo
2002	Top Vocal Duo
2001	Entertainer of the Year
	Video of the Year ("Only in America")
	Top Vocal Duo
2000	Top Vocal Duo
1997	Vocal Duo or Group of the Year
1996	Entertainer of the Year
1996	Top Vocal Duo
1995	Entertainer of the Year
1995	Top Vocal Duo
1994	Top Vocal Duo
1993	Vocal Duo of the Year
1992	Vocal Duo of the Year
	Album of the Year ( Brand New Man )
	Single Record of the Year ("Boot Scootin’ Boogie")
1991	Award Vocal Duo of the Year
1991	Top New Vocal Duo or Group of the Year

Country Music Association

Year	Award
2006	Single of the Year ("Believe")
	Music Video of the Year ("Believe")
	Vocal Duo of the Year
2005	Vocal Duo of the Year
2004	Vocal Duo of the Year
2003	Vocal Duo of the Year
2002	Vocal Duo of the Year
2001	Vocal Duo of the Year
1999	Vocal Duo of the Year
1998	Vocal Duo of the Year
1997	Vocal Duo of the Year
1996	Entertainer of the Year
1996	Vocal Duo of the Year
1995	Vocal Duo of the Year
1994	Vocal Duo of the Year
1993	Vocal Duo of the Year
1992	Vocal Duo of the Year

American Music Awards

Year	Award
2005	Favorite Country Band, Duo, or Group
2004	Favorite Country Band, Duo, or Group
1997	Favorite Country Band, Duo, or Group

Grammy Awards

Year	Award
1996	Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("My Maria")
1993	Best Country Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals ("Hard Workin’ Man")

Billboard Music Awards

Year	Award
2005	Favorite Country Group

BMI Awards

Year	Award
2009	President's Awards

People's Choice Awards

Year	Award
2005	Favorite Country Group

CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards/CMT Music Awards

Year	Award
2002	Group or Duo Video of the Year ("Only in America")
2010	Duo Video of the Year ("Indian Summer")

TNN/Music City News Awards

Year	Award
1999	Vocal Group or Duo of the Year
1998	Vocal Group or Duo of the Year
1997	Vocal Duo of the Year
1996	Vocal Duo of the Year
1995	Vocal Group or Duo of the Year
1994	Vocal Duo of the Year
1993	Vocal Duo of the Year

Copyright Citations

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