Brooks & Dunn
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| Brooks and Dunn | ||
|---|---|---|
 Ronnie Dunn (left) & Kix Brooks (right)
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| Background information | ||
| Genre(s) | Country | |
| Years active | 1991 - present | |
| Label(s) | Arista Records | |
| Website | http://www.brooksanddunn.com/ | |
| Members | ||
| Kix Brooks (vocals, guitar, mandolin) Ronnie Dunn (vocals, guitar) |
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Brooks & Dunn is an American country music singer-songwriter duo. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn debuted as Brooks & Dunn in 1991. They have since won the Vocal Duo Award of the Country Music Association every year between 1992 and 2006, with the exception of 2000 in which Southern Rock duo Montgomery Gentry took the honor. Other notable awards include the CMA Album of the Year award for 1994 and the Entertainer of the Year gong for 1996. As of 2004, the duo had won 19 CMA awards[1] and remain the foremost duo in their genre.
Brooks & Dunn's music covers the full range of modern country music, and their chart-topping hits have included everything from the Ronan Keating-penned ballad "The Long Goodbye," through the Rivers Rutherford-written "Ain't Nothing About You," to the gospel music-influenced "Believe." They are also associated with being pioneers of the line dance craze of the mid-1990s. One of their hits, "Boot Scootin' Boogie" - the video for which was made at the country dance club, Tulsa City Limits Tulsa, Oklahoma - is most emblematic of this style.
Both band members write, sing, and play guitar. One or both artists writes or co-writes a large majority of their material, and self-penned successes include the 2004 smash "Red Dirt Road" which the duo wrote together. Both artists have served as song-writers for other artists, too. Ronnie Dunn co-wrote country superstar Toby Keith's song "Don't Leave (I Think I Love You)" which appeared on his 2003 album Shock'n Y'all. Dunn's vocal performances have tended to be released as radio singles. In fact, only one of the duo's several #1's - "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" has featured Kix on lead vocals. Furthermore, the last Brooks & Dunn single to feature Kix on lead vocals was 1999's "South Of Santa Fe".
Brooks & Dunn are renowned for their high-energy stage shows. Recent tours have featured Australian country singer Keith Urban, fellow duo Montgomery Gentry, and successful country newcomer 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.
The duo's songs have been used by President George W. Bush as his official campaign songs in both his election and re-election campaigns. In 2000, the then Texas Governor chose the blue-collar line-dance-friending hit of the mid-1990s, "Hard Workin' Man," and in 2004, the President selected the (pre-9/11) hit patriotic "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.
The duo have made appearances on several other artist's albums as well; they recorded the duet "If You See Him/If You See Her" with Reba McEntire and most recently Ronnie recorded a duet with Keith Urban on Urban's newest album, Love, Pain & the whole crazy thing. Ronnie also recorded a duet with teenaged country newcomer Ashley Monroe.
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[edit] Biographies
[edit] Ronnie Dunn
Bass player and vocalist, was born Ronnie Gene Dunn in Coleman, Texas on June 1, 1953. He was raised in Grove and Tulsa, Oklahoma and Port Isabel, Texas by his father, a truck driver, and his mother, a devout Christian. Ronnie graduated from Port Isabel High School in 1971. He briefly attended Abilene Christian College, studying psychology and theology, but was expelled from the school for some of his performances. He is currently in the Oklahoma Hall of Fame. He won a songwriting and singing promotion with a prize of a trip to Nashville and a potential recording contract. At that time, no contract was offered and Ronnie went back to Tulsa. His wife encouraged him to follow his dream and they returned to Nashville. By 2000, he had won 17 BMI awards.
[edit] Kix Brooks
Who was born Leon Eric Brooks, III in Shreveport, Louisiana on May 12, 1955. He has one sister, one half-sister, one half-brother and his father adopted one son of his third wife. After graduating from Sewanee Military Academy, He briefly attended LA Tech University as a Theatre Arts major. He moved to Alaska to work for his Father on an oil pipeline for one summer and then returned to LA Tech to finish his education. He then moved to Maine and wrote advertising for his sister and brother-in-law's company. His father urged him to pursue his desire of being a musician and Kix moved to Nashville in the early 1980s. His then girlfriend (now wife Barbara) followed shortly thereafter. He began working for Tree Publishing as a staff songwriter. He recorded his first solo single, "Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down", for Avion in 1983, but returned to songwriting after its failure.[1] By 2000, he had won 6 BMI awards. As of January 2006, Kix Brooks is the new host of American Country Countdown, a well-known syndicated radio program formerly hosted by Bob Kingsley.
[edit] Band members
- Lou Toomey - Guitar
- Terry McBride - Bass
- Dwain Rowe - Keyboards, backup vocals
- Tony King - Guitar, backup vocals
- Jimmy Stewart - Fiddle, Acoustic Guitar, Banjo
- Gary Morse - Steel Guitar, Lap Steel, Dobro
- Trey Gray - Drums
- Kim Parent - backing vocals
- Trez Gregory - backing vocals
- Julie Downs - backing vocals
[edit] Recent News
- Brooks & Dunn have been nominated twice for Duo Video of the Year in the CMT Music Awards. They have been nominated for "Hillbilly Deluxe" and for "Building Bridges". The final four nominees in each category were announced Feb. 28.
[edit] Discography
- Brand New Man (1991)
- Hard Workin' Man (1993)
- Waitin' On Sundown (1994)
- Borderline (1996)
- The Greatest Hits Collection (1997)
- If You See Her (1998)
- Tight rope (1999)
- Steers & Stripes (2001)
- It Won't Be Christmas Without You (2002)
- Red Dirt Road (2003)
- The Greatest Hits Collection II (2004)
- Hillbilly Deluxe (2005)
[edit] Singles
| Year | Title | Chart Positions | Album | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| US Hot 100 | US Country | |||
| 1991 | "Brand New Man" | - | #1 | Brand New Man |
| 1991 | "My Next Broken Heart" | - | #1 | Brand New Man |
| 1992 | "Neon Moon" | - | #1 | Brand New Man |
| 1992 | "Boot Scootin' Boogie" | #50 | #1 | Brand New Man |
| 1992 | "Lost And Found" | - | #6 | Brand New Man |
| 1993 | "Hard Workin' Man" | - | #4 | Hard Workin' Man |
| 1993 | "We'll Burn That Bridge" | - | #2 | Hard Workin' Man |
| 1993 | "She Used To Be Mine" | - | #1 | Hard Workin' Man |
| 1993 | "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)" | #97 | #2 | Hard Workin' Man |
| 1994 | "That Ain't No Way To Go" | - | #1 | Hard Workin' Man |
| 1994 | "She's Not The Cheatin' Kind" | - | #1 | Waitin' On Sundown |
| 1994 | "I'll Never Forgive My Heart" | - | #6 | Waitin' On Sundown |
| 1994 | "Ride 'Em High, Ride 'Em Low"A | - | #73 | Waitin' On Sundown |
| 1995 | "Little Miss Honky Tonk" | - | #1 | Waitin' On Sundown |
| 1995 | "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone" | - | #1 | Waitin' On Sundown |
| 1995 | "Whiskey Under The Bridge" | - | #5 | Waitin' On Sundown |
| 1996 | "My Maria" | #79 | #1 | Borderline |
| 1996 | "I Am That Man" | - | #2 | Borderline |
| 1996 | "Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing" | - | #13 | Borderline |
| 1996 | "A Man This Lonely" | - | #1 | Borderline |
| 1997 | "Why Would I Say Goodbye" | - | #8 | Borderline |
| 1997 | "Honky Tonk Truth" | - | #3 | Greatest Hits |
| 1997 | "He's Got You" | - | #2 | Greatest Hits |
| 1998 | "If You See Him/If You See Her" (w/ Reba McEntire) | - | #1 | If You See Her |
| 1998 | "How Long Gone" | - | #1 | If You See Her |
| 1998 | "Husbands And Wives" | #36 | #1 | If You See Her |
| 1999 | "I Can't Get Over You" | #51 | #5 | If You See Her |
| 1999 | "South Of Santa Fe"B | - | #41 | If You See Her |
| 1999 | "Against The Wind"A | - | #53 | King Of The Hill: Original Television Soundtrack |
| 1999 | "Missing You" | #75 | #15 | Tight Rope |
| 1999 | "Beer Thirty" | #94 | #19 | Tight Rope |
| 2000 | "Goin' Under Gettin' Over You"A | - | #60 | Tight Rope |
| 2000 | "You'll Always Be Loved By Me" | #55 | #5 | Tight Rope |
| 2001 | "Ain't Nothing 'Bbout You" | #25 | #1 | Steers And Stripes |
| 2001 | "The Long Goodbye" | #39 | #1 | Steers And Stripes |
| 2001 | "Only In America" | #33 | #1 | Steers And Stripes |
| 2002 | "My Heart Is Lost To You" | #48 | #5 | Steers And Stripes |
| 2002 | "Every River" | #75 | #12 | Steers And Stripes |
| 2002 | "Hangin' 'Round The Mistletoe"A | - | #47 | It Won't Be Christmas Without You |
| 2002 | "It Won't Be Christmas Without You"A | - | #41 | It Won't Be Christmas Without You |
| 2003 | "Rockin' Little Christmas"A | - | #57 | It Won't Be Christmas Without You |
| 2003 | "Winter Wonderland"A | - | #57 | It Won't Be Christmas Without You |
| 2003 | "Red Dirt Road" | #25 | #1 | Red Dirt Road |
| 2004 | "You Can't Take The Honky Tonk Out Of The Girl" | #39 | #3 | Red Dirt Road |
| 2004 | "That's What She Gets For Loving Me" | #53 | #6 | Red Dirt Road |
| 2004 | "That's What It's All About" | - | #2 | The Greatest Hits Collection II |
| 2005 | "It's Getting Better All The Time" | - | #1 | The Greatest Hits Collection II |
| 2005 | "Play Something Country" | #37 | #1 | Hillbilly Deluxe |
| 2005 | "Believe" | #60 | #8 | Hillbilly Deluxe |
| 2006 | "Building Bridges" (w/ Sheryl Crow and Vince Gill) | #66 | #4 | Hillbilly Deluxe |
| 2006 | "Hillbilly Deluxe" | - | #16 | Hillbilly Deluxe |
AAlbum cut; charted without officially being released.
B"South of Santa Fe" was the last single on which Kix Brooks sang lead vocals.
[edit] Awards
- 2006 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 2006 CMA Music Video of the Year "Believe"
- 2006 CMA Single of the Year "Believe"
- 2006 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 2006 Academy of Country Music Song of the Year "Believe"
- 2005 Billboard Music Awards Favorite Country Group
- 2005 American Music Awards Favorite Band, Duo or Group
- 2005 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 2005 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 2005 People's Choice Awards Favorite Country Group
- 2004 American Music Awards Favorite Band, Duo or Group
- 2004 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 2004 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 2003 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 2003 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 2002 CMT Flameworthy Video Music Awards Group/Duo Video of the Year
- 2002 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1999 TNN/Music City News Vocal Group or Duo of the Year
- 1999 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1998 TNN/Music City News Vocal Group or Duo of the Year
- 1998 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1997 TNN/Music City News Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1997 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1997 American Music Awards Favorite Band, Duo or Group
- 1997 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo/Group
- 1996 Grammy Best Country Performance by Duo/Group w/Vocals
- 1996 CMA Entertainer of the Year
- 1996 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1996 Academy of Country Music Entertainer of the Year
- 1996 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 1995 TNN/Music City News Vocal Group/Duo of the Year
- 1995 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1994 TNN/Music City News Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1994 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1994 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 1993 TNN/Music City News Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1993 Grammy Best Country Performance by Duo/Group w/Vocals
- 1993 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1993 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 1992 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year
- 1992 Academy of Country Music Album of the Year
- 1992 Academy of Country Music Single of the Year
- 1992 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
- 1991 Academy of Country Music Top New Vocal Duo/Group
- 1991 Academy of Country Music Top Vocal Duo
[edit] Gallery
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