The match between Leon “Kix” Broooks and Ronnie Dunn is one that country is forever grateful for. Alone, neither musician made much traction as a solo artist. Together, they become a powerhouse duo that has become one of the most successful country acts in modern history.



Both spent their youths training musically, and their young adulthood wandering from odd job to odd job. Dunn had actually wanted to become a Baptist minister, even going as far as attending Abilene Christian University before he was kicked out for performing music in local bars. It seemed like both were natural born musicians.

In 1988, both men earned the notice of an Arista executive who smelled a deal. He brought them together—the lower-key, more pensive Dunn and the highly animated Brooks. The chemistry couldn’t have been more perfect. They began writing and recording together, and when the label saw the results they knew they had a hit on their hands.

Brooks & Dunn released their first album in 1991. Brand New Man featured three number one singles that raced up the country charts: “My Next Broken Heart,” “Neon Moon” and “Boot Scootin’ Boogie.” And people’s boots did scoot, kicking off a line-dancing fad that swept up country joints across the nation. The duo’s follow-up album, Hard Workin’ Man, appeared two years later. It followed up on the smash success of their debut, scoring five singles that peaked on the country charts’ Top 5, and seemed to cement the group as truly great entertainers. In 1994, they released their third record, Waitin’ on Sundown, which went platinum twice. There were no doubters in the industry after that.

“Little Miss Honky Tonk” was one of their biggest hits on that record. “I get out on the redneck side every now and then/Call up my baby she comes over and the party begins/She’s a slick nickel, she’s right on the money/I wouldn’t give her up for a thousand buckle bunnies/I’m her big cat daddy, she’s my little miss honky tonk,” the lyrics go. Brooks & Dunn built their reputation on songwriting like this—fun and freewheeling, with plenty of “honky-tonk” slang that let’s their listeners know they’re keeping things real.

In 1996, the duo continued their hot streak by releasing Borderline, which also went double-platinum and was loaded with hits. Songs like “My Maria,” “A Man This Lonely” and “I Am That Man” were the top songs off that record, and they managed to all earn heavy radio play as well.

The group’s albums would begin to lose some popularity after this, slowly but steadily increasing as the ‘90s wore on and the new millennium began. But they revised their sound in 2001 and restored themselves as kings of the country charts.

It’s not much wonder that Brooks & Dunn tickets sell just as well today as they did in the mid-‘90s. Find yours at http://www.stubhub.com/brooks-and-dunn-tickets/.