BROOKS & DUNN RETURNS TO NO. ONE ON THE BILLBOARD COUNTRY
ALBUMS CHART WITH “HIGH-OCTANE” REBOOT
The 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame Inductee Makes History with
the Most Top 10 Albums on
the Billboard 200 by a Country Duo or Group
Nashville, TN -
April 15, 2019 - The best-selling duo of all time, Brooks & Dunn,
debuted at No. One this week on Billboard’s Top Country Albums
chart with their collaboration project REBOOT. It
bowed with 31,000 equivalent album
units earned (21,200 in traditional album sales) in the week ending April 11.
Proving “the
timing couldn’t be better to celebrate the influence of Ronnie Dunn and Kix
Brooks” (Music Row), the impressive feat marks the first
time the duo has topped the album charts since 2009 while simultaneously
earning the duo their 10th Billboard 200 Top 10 album, the most of any country
duo or group in the chart’s history. The 12-track collection produced by Dann
Huff “revisits some of the duo’s most iconic songs with the genre’s hottest
young talents” (PEOPLE) including Kane Brown, Thomas
Rhett, Brett Young, LANCO, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs,
Midland, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tyler Booth and Kacey Musgraves.
“We always said that after all the crazy highs we’ve had along this journey,
that the most important thing to us was that the music that held up over time,”
said Ronnie Dunn. “To have a No. One record with these songs we love is
wild and we’re so happy to have worked on this project with so many current
talents. It is a testament to the power of collaboration.”
“These songs are so important to us, and we’re so thankful that they have had
this chance to have new life breathed into them,” added Kix Brooks. “We had so
much fun in the studio with everyone, it’s been a really special project for
us.”
To mark the release, the next inductees into the Country Music Hall of
Fame, Brooks & Dunn, took an “electrifying performance” (Billboard) of “Boot
Scootin’ Boogie” with Midland to The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon, watch here:
Additionally,
there was a “thrilling take” (Rolling Stone) of “Brand
New Man” with Luke Combs to Academy of Country Music
Awards, watch here:
With 20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two Grammy awards, dozens of ACM
and CMA honors and a discography counting more album sales than any duo in
history – regardless of genre – Brooks & Dunn’s influence on today’s
country has never been in question. Hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My
Maria,” “Only in America,” and “Believe” have propelled the duo to more than 30
million albums sold, with the New York Times heralding “together
they helped drive the power-country era of the early-to-mid 1990s and continued
to benefit from the sea change in the genre they helped initiate right
through their most recent albums.” Their original “Merle Haggard meets The
Rolling Stones” vibe made them progressive stars in their own right.
In 2014, the duo announced their reunion along with long-time friend, Reba
McEntire, for a residency called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum
at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues
to be extended including more shows throughout this year.
The
best-selling duo of all time, Brooks & Dunn’s eagerly-awaited collaboration
project REBOOT is now available. To celebrate the
release, the duo's street week is stacked with a string of national TV
appearances. Fans were able to tune in to the live debut of tracks taken
from REBOOT when the duo performed in Las Vegas with Luke Combs
on Academy of Country Music Awards for a
high-energy version of “Brand New Man” on Sunday (April 7). They will then headed to New York City with Midland for The Tonight Show Starring
Jimmy Fallon for a special performance of “Boot Scootin’
Boogie” on Tuesday (April 9) at 11:35pm CT on NBC. The duo will also continue
their roles as guest advisors to Blake Shelton on The Voice this
week, offering their expertise to contestants on April 8, 9 on NBC at 8pm
ET/PT.
Leading up to the release of REBOOT, Brooks & Dunn, who were just announced
as the next inductees into the Country Music Hall of Fame,
have garnered praise for the project’s appreciation for today's country music
as well as the duo’s legacy of an “incredible run of hits” (Rolling
Stone). Associated Press highlighted
the collection declaring it "shows the timelessness of the duo’s catalog
of more than 20 No. 1 country hits, which has continued to influence a new
generation of country singers,” as CMT remarks
“REBOOT remembers and respects the music we grew up with.”
REBOOT - Track List:
1. Brand New Man (with Luke Combs)
2. Ain't Nothing 'Bout You (with Brett Young)
3. My Next Broken Heart (with Jon Pardi)
4. Neon Moon (with Kacey Musgraves)*
5. Lost and Found (with Tyler Booth)
6. Hard Workin' Man (with Brothers Osborne)
7. You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone (with Ashley McBryde)
8. My Maria (with Thomas Rhett)
9. Red Dirt Road (with Cody Johnson)
10. Boot Scootin' Boogie (with Midland)
11. Mama Don't Get Dressed Up For Nothing (with LANCO)
12. Believe (with Kane Brown)
Produced by Dann Huff
*Produced by Dann Huff and Kacey Musgraves
With
20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two Grammy awards, dozens of ACM and
CMA honors and a discography counting more album sales than any country
duo in history – regardless of genre – Brooks & Dunn’s influence on today’s
country has never been in question. Hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My
Maria,” “Only in America,” and “Believe” have propelled the duo to more than 30
million albums sold, with the New York Times heralding “together
they helped drive the power-country era of the early-to-mid 1990s and continued
to benefit from the sea change in the genre they helped initiate right
through their most recent albums.” Their original “Merle Haggard meets The
Rolling Stones” vibe made them progressive stars in their own right.
In 2014, the duo announced their reunion along with long-time friend, Reba
McEntire, for a residency called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum
at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues
to be extended including more shows throughout this year.
BROOKS & DUNN SHARE MOODY REBOOT OF “AIN’T NOTHING ‘BOUT
YOU” WITH BRETT YOUNG AHEAD OF FORTHCOMING ALBUM RELEASE APRIL 5
The Best-Selling Duo Of All Time Will Be Inducted Into The Country Music Hall Of Fame This Year Duo Will Perform On This Year’s Academy Of Country
Music Awards On April 7
Nashville, TN - March 22, 2019 - The best-selling duo of all time Brooks & Dunn are continuing to
give fans a taste of what to expect from their upcoming collaboration
projectREBOOT out April 5,
sharing “Ain’t Nothing 'Bout You” with Brett Young, available HERE. The
new collaboration offers up a twist on the track, which in the hands of
producer Dann Huff and Brett Young takes on a sexy, urban sheen – topped off
with a slick saxophone outro.
“Dann really ran with this one,” Ronnie Dunn explains. “He locked into this
funky groove on the guitar with a killer light-R&B vibe, and it’s perfect
for Brett’s voice.”
“I was so honored to get asked to be on this project with Brooks & Dunn,
the lineup on this record is through-the-roof talent and the guys are country
music icons,” added Brett Young about the experience. “As soon as I got into
the studio Ronnie and Kix made me feel so comfortable, which I was so
thankful for, and I can’t wait for everyone to hear what we came up with
together."
REBOOT will see Brooks & Dunn team up with Kane Brown, Thomas
Rhett, Brett Young, LANCO, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Luke
Combs, Midland, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tyler Booth and Kacey Musgraves
on re-ignited versions of their biggest hits. Fans who pre-order REBOOT
will instantly receive the new song alongside “Brand New Man” with Luke
Combs, “My Next Broken Heart” with Jon Pardi, “Believe” with Kane Brown
and "Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up for Nothing” with LANCO ahead of its
release.
It was also revealed this week that Brooks & Dunn will be inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame in the “Modern Era Artist” category. A formal
induction ceremony will take place at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and
Museum later this year. A Country Music Hall of Fame exhibit on
Brooks & Dunn will also open Aug. 9. The museum’s exhibition will recall
their early careers as solo artists and songwriters, the circumstances
that united them as performers, and their innovative approach to stage
production and touring.
The duo were also announced as performers on this year’s Academy
of Country Music Awards. Their performance will air
live on Sunday, April 7, 2019 at 8:00 PM ET / delayed PT on CBS.
BROOKS
& DUNN JOIN THIS SEASON OF THE VOICE AS GUEST BATTLE ADVISORS FOR NEXT FOUR
EPISODES
Fans Tune In To Catch
The Best-Selling Duo on NBC
Nashville, TN – March 25, 2019 – The best-selling duo of all
time, Brooks & Dunn, were set to begin a special stint on The
Voice, as guest advisors to Blake
Shelton during this season's battle rounds. The duo, who were
just announced as the next inductees into the Country Music Hall of
Fame, will share insight stemming from their more than two-decade
career with contestants starting Monday (March 25) on NBC at
8p ET/PT, with three additional episodes featuring the duo set to air April 1,
8 and 9.
With 20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two Grammy awards, dozens of ACM
and CMA honors and a discography counting more album sales than any
country duo in history – regardless of genre – Brooks & Dunn’s influence
on today’s country has never been in question. Hits like “Boot
Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria,” “Only in America,” and “Believe” have
propelled the duo to more than 30 million albums sold, with the New
York Times heralding “together they helped drive the
power-country era of the early-to-mid 1990s and continued to benefit from
the sea change in the genre they helped initiate right through their most
recent albums.” Their original “Merle Haggard meets The Rolling Stones” vibe
made them progressive stars in their own right. In 2014, the duo announced
their reunion along with long-time friend, Reba McEntire, for a residency
called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las
Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues to be extended including more
shows throughout this year.
The
Country Music Association held a press
conference (March 18, 2019) at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum to
announce the 2019 inductees into the Country
Music Hall of Fame – Jerry Bradley, Non-Performer; Brooks & Dunn,
Modern Era Artist; and Ray Stevens, Veterans Era Artist. Photo credit: CMA
Country
Hall Adds Three: 2019 Country Music Hall of Fame inductees are: In
the Non-Performer category, Jerry
Bradley In the Veterans Era Artist
category, Ray Stevens In
the Modern Era Artist category, Brooks
& Dunn. The
honorees will be celebrated at the annual invitation-only Medallion Ceremony
later this year.
JUST ANNOUNCED: Country Music Hall of Fame Class of 2019. Congratulations to the new Members-Elect. pic.twitter.com/2DRRAkhGzy
— Country Music HOF (@countrymusichof) 18 March 2019
Ryman Hospitalities WSM-AM/Nashville morning host
and Grand Ole Opry announcer Bill Cody filled
in for an ailing Reba McEntire as
host of the morning's proceedings, and all inductees were on hand to accept the
honor.
A member of a Nashville music
industry dynasty, Bradley joins his father Owen and uncle Harold in the Hall,
which brought the newest inductee to tears at the podium. "As my old
friend, Norro Wilson, would say, I don't know how I got here, but I ain't
leaving," said Bradley. "I want to thank the Country
Music Association and the Country Music Hall of Fame for this great
honor. I am surprised and emotional knowing that I'll be joining my dad and
uncle in the Hall."
"This is, without a doubt, the
greatest honor anyone could ever receive," said Stevens. "Not only in
Nashville, but in any place in the world. It's almost too much to take in,
being recognized as worthy of joining this group of folks ... I am seldom at a
loss for words, but when they told me I was going to be inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame, I was thoroughly caught by surprise."
"When you're a huge fan of
country music, there's nothing more humbling," Kix Brooks said.
"My idols are on that wall in there, so to think that Ronnie and I are
going to be placed beside those guys is probably one of the coolest things I
could ever imagine happening. I'm not sure I'll ever consider myself [their]
peer." Adds Ronnie Dunn, "This means so much to
us, and I will be honored to accept it, but I still don't think I'm ever gonna
be able to believe it."
Bradley, Stevens and Brooks &
Dunn will be celebrated at the annual invitation-only Medallion Ceremony later
this year.
“One of my favorite days of the
year is when I get to tell the new class they are being inducted into the
COUNTRY MUSIC HALL OF FAME,” said CMA CEO Sarah
Trahern. “This is the highest achievement in Country Music, and I couldn’t
be more thrilled to welcome JERRY, BROOKS & DUNN and RAY into the
distinguished group and honor this incredible career milestone."
Watch the entire press conference
(from 30 mins) here:
"I am seldom at a loss for words but when they told me I was
going to be inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame, I was thoroughly
caught by surprise," explains Stevens.
"What a great honor to be included in the company of the people who are
already members. When I heard the news, I was speechless and all I can say is,
'It don't get no better than this!'"
The
formal induction ceremony for Stevens, Brooks & Dunn, and Bradley will take
place at the Country Music Hall of Fame® and Museum in the CMA Theater later
this year. Since 2007, the Museum's Medallion Ceremony, an annual reunion of
the Hall of Fame membership, has served as the official rite of induction for
new members.
CMA
created the Country Music Hall of Fame
in 1961 to recognize noteworthy individuals for their outstanding contributions
to the format with country music's highest honor.
Non-Performer – Jerry Bradley
Jerry
Bradley
has left an indelible mark on the Country Music business. He was the head of RCA Records from 1973 to 1982. During
his tenure, Ronnie Milsap, Dolly Parton and Jerry Reed achieved
pop-crossover stardom, and Elvis Presley returned to the Country hit parade.
Bradley signed Milsap to RCA. In addition, he signed Alabama, and was
at the helm of the label as the group achieved stardom with its first
chart-topping successes. He oversaw the creation of Country Music’s first
Platinum-certified album, Wanted! The Outlaws, ushering in an
entire era of Country Music with its stars Waylon Jennings, Willie Nelson,
Jessi Colter and Tompall Glaser leading an “outlaw”
movement.
As a record producer, Bradley has worked with
such Country Music Hall of Fame members as Eddy
Arnold, Floyd Cramer, Charley Pride and Dottie West.
He was a longtime board member of the Country
Music Association and CMA Board
President in 1975.
He was a key figure in orchestrating CMA’s
annual Fan Fair.
After the Gaylord company bought Acuff-Rose
Publishing in 1985, Bradley was named the head of its newly formed Opryland
Music Group. For OMG’s 16th Avenue label, Bradley continued to produce hits for
Pride. Among the publishing company’s success stories were Kenny Chesney, Skip
Ewing and Aaron Tippin, all of whom became top recording
artists.
Bradley belongs to one of the greatest
dynasties of the Nashville music industry. His father was Country Music Hall of
Fame member Owen Bradley. Jerry’s
uncle was Country Music Hall of Fame member Harold Bradley, a member of the fabled “A-Team” of session
musicians and believed to be the most recorded guitarist in history. Bradley’s
uncle Charlie and cousin Bobby Bradley are noted recording-studio engineers.
His aunt was the pioneering female Music Row office manager Ruby Bradley
Strange. Jerry’s sister is retired BMI executive Patsy Bradley. His wife Connie
Bradley was the chief of ASCAP’s Music City office from 1980 to 2010. His son
is artist manager Clay Bradley.
Jerry
Bradley will join the Country Music Hall of
Fame class of 2019 in the Non-Performer category. Photo credit: Courtesy of
Jerry Bradley
In 1973, Bradley became the head of RCA’s
Nashville operation. Under his leadership, the label became one of the first in
Nashville to achieve autonomy from New York. This meant that he and his
successors were free to sign artists, design album graphics and create
marketing materials without oversight. He gradually replaced RCA’s “old guard”
record producers with new talents such as Tom Collins, Harold Shedd
and Norro Wilson. He helped tutor his RCA successor, Joe Galante,
teaching the younger executive to appreciate Country Music. He
signed Milsap in 1973 and remained at the helm of RCA, just as
he crossed over to the pop charts with “It Was Almost Like a Song” (1977) and
“(There’s) No Gettin’ Over Me” (1981). Parton had ambitions beyond Country
Music. Bradley helped her achieve these with “Here You Come Again” (1977) and
“9 to 5” (1980).
Thanks to Bradley’s RCA team, Presley returned
to the Country spotlight in the mid-1970s with “I’ve Got a Thing About You
Baby,” “Help Me,” “T-R-O-U-B-L-E” and more. Bradley had begun producing records
in the early 1970s. His initial successes included hits with Nat Stuckey
(1971’s “She Wakes Me With a Kiss Every Morning”) and Johnny Russell
(1973’s “Rednecks, White Socks and Blue Ribbon Beer”). In 1973, he began
producing Pride. They had more than a dozen No. 1 records together, including
“Someone Loves You Honey” (1978) and “Mississippi Cotton Picking Delta Town”
(1974). He signed Alabama to RCA in 1980 and launched the act’s historic string
of hits. The label’s promotion of such No. 1 smashes as 1980-81’s “Tennessee
River,” “Feels So Right” and “Why Lady Why” led to Alabama’s superstardom,
Country Music Hall of Fame induction, and more than 75 million in sales.
While at RCA, Bradley also presided over star-making
hits by such artists as Dave & Sugar, John Denver and Sylvia. During his
1986-2002 spell at the Opryland Music Group, Bradley produced Pride’s
“Shouldn’t It Be Easier Than This” (1987), “I’m Gonna Love Her on the
Radio” (1988) and more. He also signed such artists as
John Conlee and Neal McCoy. Jerry and Connie Bradley are now
retired and remain beloved figures in the Nashville music
community.
RAY STEVENS
Veteran
Era Artist – Ray Stevens
Having one of the most multifaceted careers in entertainment has
led Ray Stevens to the Country Music
Hall of Fame.
During
his six decades in the music business, he has been a session musician, a TV
celebrity, a song publisher, a singer, a record producer, a real-estate
magnate, a label owner, a nightclub entrepreneur, a music arranger, a video
director, a studio builder, a pop-music hit maker, a comic, a gospel artist and
a country star.
Ray
Stevens will join the Country Music Hall of
Fame class of 2019 in the Veterans Era Artist category. Photo credit: Angela
Talley Photo credit: Angela Talley
Stevens
is renowned for recording both novelties like "The Streak" and
serious fare such as "Everything Is Beautiful." He
was elected to the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 1980.
Born
Harold Ray Ragsdale in Georgia in 1939, Stevens was a piano player from the age
of seven. He grew up in Albany, Georgia, where he formed his first band and
became a teenage disc jockey.
When
he was 17, the family moved to Atlanta. He met his music mentor there,
publisher/entrepreneur Bill Lowery. The mogul took him to Nashville to record
and arranged a contract with Capitol Records. The company issued his
self-composed teen tune "Silver Bracelet" with his "Ray
Stevens" stage name in 1957.
Stevens
majored in music in college. But he truly received his education from Lowery,
as did his peers Bill Anderson, Mac Davis, Jerry Reed and Joe South.
Lowery
began using Stevens as an instrumentalist, backup vocalist and producer on
recording sessions. The youngster also continued to make his own records. He
first made the pop hit parade in 1960 with his novelty ditty "Sergeant
Preston of the Yukon," issued on Lowery's NRC label.
Stevens
next signed with Mercury Records. He
moved to Nashville in early 1962 and hit the ground running as a session
musician on Leroy Van Dyke's "Walk On By" and Joe Dowell's
"Wooden Heart."
Those
hits were recorded on the same day. So was his own comedic smash "Ahab
the Arab," which exploded on the pop charts later that year. He
continued to record humorous, self-composed songs for Mercury for the next five
years.
He
also continued to work as a Music Row session musician. Stevens backed Brook
Benton, Ronnie Dove, Brenda Lee, Patti Page, Elvis Presley, Charlie Rich, B.J.
Thomas, and hundreds of others. He is the tenor harmony singer on the 1968
Waylon Jennings hit "Only Daddy That'll Walk the Line."
Stevens
began his stint on Monument Records with serious material, such as "Unwind"
and the socially conscious "Mr. Businessman" in 1968. He also
produced some of Dolly Parton's early recordings for the label.
He
roared back into the pop Top 10 with 1969's wacky "Gitarzan," but later
that year introduced Kris Kristofferson's somber "Sunday Mornin' Comin'
Down." The latter song marked Stevens' debut on the country charts. When
pop superstar Andy Williams went on hiatus from his network television show in
the summer of 1970, Stevens was tapped to host the temporary replacement variety
series. For its theme song, Stevens wrote "Everything Is Beautiful."
Released
on Williams' Barnaby label, "Everything Is Beautiful" became
a No.1 pop smash (#6 in UK). It also earned Stevens his first Grammy. The song
has since been recorded by more than 100 other artists.
In
1971, Stevens scored his first Top 20 country hit with the gospel standard
"Turn Your Radio On." In 1972, his recording of "Love
Lifted Me" earned him a gospel Grammy nomination. "Bridget the
Midget" became a massive #2 British hit in that year as well. It
was the early 1970s when Stevens invested in Nashville real estate, built his
Music Row studio/office complex and formed his own publishing company. Staff
songwriters included Layng Martine (Presley's "Way Down," Billy Crash
Craddock's "Rub It In"), Mark Peterson (Sammy Kershaw's
"Cadillac Style" and "I Can't Reach Her Anymore") and Buddy
Kalb (Chet Atkins' "Frog Kissin'" and many Stevens singles).
Released
in 1974, "The Streak" topped both pop and country hit parades and
became a five-million-selling phenomenon. It reached No.1 one on the UK Singles Chart, spending a single week at the top
of the chart in June 1974. The following year, Stevens created an ear-tickling,
bluegrass-jazz arrangement of the Johnny Mathis pop standard "Misty."
It became his biggest country hit and earned him his second Grammy.
His
innovative skills as an arranger were also in evidence on a doo-wop version of
the operetta oldie "Indian Love Call" (1975) and a treatment of the
Glenn Miller swing classic "In the Mood" (1977) done in clucking
chicken voices (billed as The Henhouse Five Plus Too).
He
continued to mix comic and serious songs during stints with Warner Bros. and
RCA. But when he signed with MCA Records' country division in 1984, it was as a
comedy act.
Stevens
emphasized his funny forte in the 1980s with such country hits as his
self-composed "Shriner's Convention" (1980) and the Kalb-penned
"Mississippi Squirrel Revival" (1985). "I Need Your Help Barry
Manilow" (1980) and "Would Jesus Wear a Rolex" (1988) earned him
comedy Grammy nominations.
The
fan-voted Music City News Awards
named Stevens its Comedian of the Year
for nine consecutive years from 1986-1994. His humorous efforts for MCA earned
him a string of Gold and Platinum albums. He repeated these feats during a
stint at Curb Records. In
1991, Stevens opened his own theater in Branson, Missouri. During the next
three seasons, he performed for more than a million fans there.
At
the venue, he noted audience enthusiasm for his humor videos. His 1992
compilation "Comedy Video Classics"
became a 10-times Platinum home video. This led to a series of similar DVD
projects, several of which became million sellers.
Stevens
marketed both video and music efforts on his own Clyde label in the new
millennium. In 2012, he issued the giant, 96-song boxed set "Encyclopedia
of Recorded Comedy Music."
He
published his autobiography, "Ray
Stevens Nashville," in 2014. The following year, he launched his own
television series on RFD-TV and then Public Television. In
2018, Stevens opened CabaRay. This 700-seat dinner theater is Nashville's most
sophisticated and technologically advanced showroom.
Today,
Stevens is regarded as the most successful comedy recording artist of all time.
For more information on Ray Stevens, visit raystevens.com.
Modern Era Artist – Brooks & Dunn
For Brooks & Dunn, the road to the Country Music Hall of Fame has
been paved with unparalleled accomplishments. The duo dominated the Country
popularity charts for two decades with 60
charted singles, more than 40 Top 10
hits, 20 No. 1 triumphs, and 12 Platinum-plus albums.
Named CMA Entertainer of the Year in 1996, Brooks & Dunn are the most
awarded CMA duo of all time. They have created such timeless musical moments as
“Neon
Moon,” “Believe,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Play
Something Country” and “Rock My World (Little Country
Girl).” Their concert prowess set a new bar of entertainment in Country Music.
In fact, their achievements transcend the Country genre. By any measure, Brooks
& Dunn are one of the most successful musical duos in American music history.
Brooks
& Dunn will join the Country Music Hall of
Fame class of 2019 in the Modern Era Artist category. Photo credit: Chris Owyoung/Todd Owyoung
The act was forged by Arista Records executive Tim DuBois. Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn
were both eager to join the label’s roster in 1990. DuBois suggested that the
solo artists join forces. At the time, Brooks had the longer Music Row
pedigree. During the 1980s, he was well known as a hit songwriter in the
Country community. Born Leon Eric Brooks
III in 1955, he is a native of Shreveport, Louisiana. He acquired his
nickname while still in the womb.
Kix Brooks was playing guitar by age six,
performing onstage by age 12 and writing songs by age 14. His college roommate
was future BMI executive Jody Williams, who urged him to move to Nashville in
1979. Brooks’ subsequent songwriting successes include his co-written “I’m Only
in It for the Love” for John Conlee (1983), “Modern Day Romance” for the Nitty
Gritty Dirt Band (1985) and “Who’s Lonely Now” for Highway 101 (1989). As a
solo recording artist, he grazed the Country charts with “Baby When Your Heart
Breaks Down” (1983) and “Sacred Ground” (1989). In 1986, he co-wrote
Nashville’s official city song “I Still Hear the Music of Nashville.”
Meanwhile, Ronnie Dunn was becoming a regional honky-tonk star in Texas and
Oklahoma. Born in Texas in 1953, he originally performed in his father’s
Country band. He was a gospel artist while attending college in Abilene. His
performances in Tulsa nightclubs led music mogul Jim Halsey to sign him to his
Churchill label in 1981. Dunn first appeared on the charts in 1983 with “It’s
Written All Over Your Face” and, the next year, “She Put the Sad in All His
Songs.” Although he wrote neither song, he was blossoming as a songwriter at
the time with “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” among other compositions. He won the
Marlboro Country Talent Search in 1988. This eventually led him to the doorstep
of Arista Records. Humphead RONNIE DUNN BIOGRAPHY
The label was already a pop
powerhouse. In 1990, it was opening a Country Music division with DuBois at the
helm. He knew both Dunn and Brooks and suggested that they write songs
together. Meanwhile, Asleep at the Wheel recorded Dunn’s “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”
for their 1990 Arista album KEEPIN’ ME
UP NIGHTS. When Dunn and Brooks came up with “Brand New Man” (with
collaborator Don Cook), DuBois urged them to join forces as an Arista act.
Although each had solo aspirations and didn’t know one another well, they
agreed to become a team.
Brooks & Dunn became overnight stars with the 1991 release
of “Brand
New Man” and “My Next Broken Heart.” Dunn’s
searing performance of his self-written “Neon Moon” cemented the new act’s
stardom in 1992. The duo’s recording of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” became a Country dance club sensation.
The team earned the first of 14 CMA Vocal Duo of the Year awards
that fall. Also, in 1992, McBride & the Ride revived Brooks’ “Sacred
Ground” and took it to the top of the Country charts. The following year,
Brooks & Dunn won their first Grammy with “Hard Workin’ Man.” “She Used to
Be Mine” hit No. 1 in 1993. “Rock My World (Little Country Girl),” “That Ain’t
No Way to Go” and “She’s Not the Cheatin’ Kind” continued the duo’s hit streak
in 1994.
By the mid-1990s, Brooks & Dunn
were renowned for high-energy, high-tech concert performances. Dunn’s
electrifying singing and Brooks’ exuberant showmanship packed arenas. “Little
Miss Honky Tonk” and “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone”
both hit No. 1 in 1995. The 1996 smash “My Maria” became the biggest Country
hit of the year and earned the team a second Grammy. Brooks & Dunn capped
1996 with the CMA Entertainer of the Year honor. Hits such as “A Man
This Lonely” (1997), the Reba McEntire collaboration “If
You See Him” (1998), “How Long Gone” (1998) and “Husbands
and Wives” (1998) buoyed the duo to the end of the decade. In 2001, “Ain’t
Nothing ‘Bout You” became the year’s biggest Country single. “Only
in America,” co-written by Brooks, has been used extensively in
presidential campaigns for both parties.
Brooks & Dunn leaped back to
the top of the charts with “Red Dirt Road” and “You
Can’t Take the Honky Tonk Out of the Girl” in 2003. Dunn’s co-written “Play
Something Country” and “Believe” became iconic singles of
2005, with the latter winning CMA Single and Music Video of the Year awards.
The duo reunited with McEntire on 2008’s “Cowgirls Don’t Cry.” Brooks &
Dunn have also collaborated on recordings with such artists as Asleep at the
Wheel, Johnny Cash, Billy Gibbons and Mac Powell. In 2006, Brooks became the
host of the nationally syndicated radio show “American Country Countdown,” having taken home CMA and ACM awards
for his hosting duties. As a CMA board member and Chairman of the Board in 2005, he was pivotal in the creation of
its “Keep the Music Playing” program benefiting music education, which has
become the CMA Foundation. He was also the first recipient of the CMA Humanitarian Award in 2015. Brooks
& Dunn earned a star on the Hollywood
Walk of Fame in 2008.
The duo announced their retirement
in 2010, with a final performance benefiting the Country Music Hall of Fame,
before reuniting in 2015. Dunn was inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2018. He also launched his
own photography venture known as the “Lensman Project,” offering fans a look
into his passion for capturing special moments, with his work being featured in
Cowboys & Indians Magazine as well as being exhibited at Cheyenne Frontier
Days.
In 2014, the duo announced their
reunion along with long-time friend, McEntire, for a residency called “Together in Vegas” at The Colosseum at
Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received rave reviews and continues to be
extended with more shows throughout this year. Brooks & Dunn recently
announced their upcoming collaboration album REBOOT. Available on April 5, the 12-track release will see the duo
team up with Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young, LANCO, Ashley
McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Midland, Cody Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tyler
Booth and Kacey Musgraves on re-ignited versions of Brooks & Dunn’s biggest
hits. For more information on Brooks & Dunn, visit www.brooks-dunn.com
Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett,
Brett Young, LANCO, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Midland, Cody
Johnson, Jon Pardi, Tyler Booth And Kacey Musgraves Featured On The Upcoming 12-Track
Studio Album
Best-Selling Duo’s New Takes
On “Brand New Man” with Luke Combs and “Believe” with Kane Brown now available
Nashville, TN - Feb. 8, 2019 -
The best-selling duo of all time, Brooks
& Dunn, announced Nashville’s best kept secret with the news that their
forthcoming collaboration project REBOOT
will be available April 5 (Arista Nashville/Sony Music Nashville). Brooks &
Dunn hit the studio for the first time together since 2007 joined by an
eclectic cast of country’s hottest rising talent and producer Dann Huff to
remake 12 timeless Brooks & Dunn hits. Kane Brown, Thomas Rhett, Brett Young,
LANCO, Ashley McBryde, Brothers Osborne, Luke Combs, Midland, Cody Johnson, Jon
Pardi, Tyler Booth and Kacey Musgraves call the shots on the all-new
arrangements of face-to-face collaborations with Brooks & Dunn.
What emerged from a year of
top-secret sessions ranges from edgy-rock intensity to heartbroken EDM, and
from retro honky-tonk fun to the exposed nerves of a reflective acoustic
ballad. Offering the first taste of what to expect from the forthcoming release,
the revered duo’s takes on “Brand New Man” with Luke Combs and “Believe” with
Kane Brown are available HERE.
“This whole experience has
been humbling to say the least. What a cool rush to hear somebody do one of
your tunes in a unique way, and it still holds up,” said Ronnie Dunn. “That’s
the greatest compliment you can get as an artist. People used to ask us all the
time about the legacy we wanted to leave, and it’s honestly just that – you
hope the music stands up over time. This is the first opportunity we’ve had to
run it up a new flagpole...and it really flies.”
“They’re making their own
music,” Kix Brooks adds about the REBOOT guest list. “But just like we did,
they still remember and respect the music they grew up with. It makes you feel
good that these acts were inspired by us in some small way."
It was a chance meeting
between Luke Combs and the duo’s long-time manager that sparked the whole
project, when he had explained what the duo meant for his own music. “Brand New
Man” offers a brawny, almost gleeful rendition that is a revelation, baptized
with a splash of high-energy nostalgia. In similar fashion, Kane Brown took a
faithful approach to the spiritually-charged “Believe.” With its breathtaking
emotional beauty, Brown tapped into something so genuine it must be heard to be
truly comprehended.
“Brooks & Dunn’s music
absolutely had a tremendous impact on me,” said Combs. “To me, they invented
that foot stomping, driving sound. And it’s so cool that this has turned into
such an awesome album, with artists that actually grew up listening to Brooks
& Dunn. Their music was so influential to us that having the chance to come
in and bounce ideas off the guys and sing with them in the studio was a
once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.”
“I’ve never really sung in the
studio with someone else, especially not with someone whose voice is as good as
Ronnie’s,” said Kane Brown. “For him to be looking at me on the other side of
the glass, and both of us singing, it was just awesome. It felt like we just
got comfortable around each other, so we were really able to kill it.”
To go into the studio with
Brooks & Dunn for the making of “Brand New Man” with Luke Combs click here:
For the making for “Believe”
with Kane Brown click here:
With 20 No. One hits stretching back to 1991, two GRAMMY awards, dozens of ACM and CMA honors and a discography
counting more album sales than any duo in history – regardless of genre –
Brooks & Dunn’s influence on today’s country has never been in question.
Hits like “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “My Maria” and “Believe” have propelled
the duo to more than 30 million albums sold, with the New York Times heralding
"together they helped drive the power-country era of the early-to-mid
1990s and continued to benefit from the sea change in the genre they helped
initiate right through their most recent albums.” Their original “Merle Haggard
meets The Rolling Stones” vibe made them progressive stars in their own right.
In 2014, the duo announced
their reunion along with long-time friend, Reba
McEntire, for a residency called “Together
in Vegas” at The Colosseum at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which received
rave reviews and continues to be extended including more shows throughout this
year. For more information, visit www.brooks-dunn.com
