Brooks & Dunn Biography

Brooks & Dunn came together when Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks established themselves as a country music duo in 1990. Although both Dunn and Brooks had experienced some prior success on their own, Brooks & Dunn’s unique blend of country, rock, and a bit of honky-tonk proved to be a formula which allowed them to achieve together far beyond what they had previously as solo artists.

Brooks & Dunn’s debut album, Brand New Man, was an immediate success, spawning four number one hits, including the title track, upon its release in 1991. The album eventually went six times platinum and earned Brooks & Dun the CMA Duo of the Year Award in 1992. For the remaining two decades, the duo went on to create a series of equally successful albums and singles, including: Hard Workin’ Man (1993), Waitin’ on Sundown (1994), Borderline (1996), If You See Her (1998), Tight Rope (1999), Steers & Stripes (2001), Red Dirt Road (2003), Hillbilly Deluxe (2005), Cowboy Town (2007), “My Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon,” “Lost and Found,” “She Used to Be Mine,” “We’ll Burn that Bridge,” “Rock My World (Little Country Girl),” “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind,” “Little Miss Honky Tonk,” “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone,” “A Man This Lonely,” “Why Would I Say Goodbye,” “Beer Thirty,” “You’ll Always Be Loved by Me,” “Only in America,” “The Long Goodbye,” and of course “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” an early hit which is credited for having sparked the mid 1990’s line dancing craze.

Brooks & Dunn rode their success all the way into the millennium’s first decade, until disbanding as a full-time duo in 2009. The group released an additional compilation album and performed a final concert in 2010 before parting ways for a number of years. During this time, Ronnie Dunn released a self-titled album, featuring the top ten hit, “Bleed Red,” in 2011. He has also contributed guest vocals on tracks for a number of different artists, including Ashley Monroe, Carlene Carter, Keith Urban, and Trisha Yearwood. Kix Brooks released the album New to this Town in 2012.

Brooks & Dunn reunited in 2014 to perform alongside Reba McEntire for a series of shows in Las Vegas. In 2016, they joined forces with other artists to perform on the album Forever Country, featuring medleys of hits such as “I Will Always Love You,” “On the Road Again,” and “Take Me Home, Country Roads.” The group remains one of America’s most successful country duos in recent memory, having earned two Grammies, seventeen Country Music Association Awards, and a staggering twenty-six Academy of Country Music Awards throughout their time together.