Brooks & Dunn

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BROOKS & DUNN

Formed: 1990, Nashville, Tennessee

Members: Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks (born Shreveport, Louisiana, 12 May 1955); Ronnie Dunn (born Coleman, Texas, 1 June 1953).

Genre: Country

Best-selling album since 1990: Steers and Stripes (2001)

Hit songs since 1990: "Brand New Man," "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind," "The Long Goodbye"

Composed of two veteran vocalists who had pursued solo careers with little success, Brooks & Dunn became one of the most popular acts in country music in the 1990s. Key factors in their ongoing success are versatility and flexibility. By the early 1990s, they had proven themselves adept in handling a variety of modern country styles, from "western swing"–styled dance numbers to pop-influenced ballads. Although both members play guitar and sing leads, Ronnie Dunn is generally considered the stronger vocalist, while Kix Brooks is described as the crowd pleaser, performing the "duckwalk," a dance move inspired by rock great Chuck Berry, during live concerts. As songwriters, they display an ability to update classic country themes with wit and humor, particularly on their earlier albums. Brooks & Dunn continued recording into the early 2000s with little sign of commercial decline, although later albums tended to smooth over the duo's sound with a glossy finish, in keeping with the slickness of contemporary country.

Beginnings

Brooks was raised in Shreveport, Louisiana, not far from the family of Johnny Horton, a popular country singer who died in 1960. Brooks made his singing debut at the age of twelve with Horton's daughter; later, in high school, he began performing his own songs in local clubs. After graduation, Brooks worked on the Alaskan pipeline and then moved to Maine, where he often performed in ski resorts. By the early 1980s he had relocated to the country music hub of Nashville, Tennessee, and begun writing hits for artists such as John Conlee and Highway 101. In 1989 Brooks released a self-titled solo album that made little commercial impact. Dunn's route to Nashville was quite different. Initially planning to become a Baptist minister, he studied theology at Abilene Christian College in his home state of Texas. Having learned to play the bass during high school, Dunn became increasingly interested in music during his college years, spending much of his free time in local music bars. Leaving college to move to Tulsa, Oklahoma, with his family, he soon found work within the house band at a popular nightclub, Duke's Country. Having scored two minor country hits for a small label, Dunn moved to Nashville after winning a talent contest. Through the influence of producer Scott Hendricks, he met Arista Records vice president Tim DuBois, who encouraged him to write songs and perform with Brooks.

1990s Success

Impressed with the pair's first writing collaboration, "Brand New Man," DuBois offered the newly formed Brooks & Dunn a recording contract. "Brand New Man," with its tight, close harmonies and lyrics celebrating rebirth and love, was a smash hit, reaching the number one country chart position in 1991. Many critics have judged Brand New Man (1991), Brooks & Dunn's first album, as their finest. A pleasing blend of up-tempo swing numbers and heartfelt ballads, the album is smooth and radio-friendly without succumbing to blandness. "My Next Broken Heart," another number one hit, is a rousing western-swing number, enlivened by Dunn's high, keening voice, one of the most impressive instruments to emerge within 1990s country. The song features woebegone lyrics that mine the best of classic country humor: "I thought all along you'd be the death of me / But I met one tonight who wants what's left of me." "Neon Moon" is more pop-oriented: an easy, percussive ballad on which Dunn's vocals convey a sense of wistful longing. "Boot Scootin' Boogie," another number one hit, is one of the album's most enjoyable tracks. Driven by a lean guitar rhythm and a pounding piano, the song recalls the spirited, rowdy, "honky-tonk" country hits of the 1950s. With four number one hits in all, Brand New Man established Brooks & Dunn as major country stars, the most successful vocal duo since 1980s country act the Judds.

Throughout the 1990s, Brooks & Dunn's string of number one country hits continued unabated. Sometimes described as country's answer to 1980s rock group Hall & Oates, the duo gradually moved in a pop direction as the decade progressed. Hits such as "She Used to Be Mine" (1993) and "That Ain't No Way to Go" (1994) feature a polished production that adheres to the increasingly slick dictates of 1990s country. On rocking up-tempo songs such as "Hard Workin' Man" (1993), Brooks & Dunn retained more of the verve displayed on their debut. While extolling virtues of traditional masculinity, "Hard Workin' Man" reflects the socially sensitive attitude of the early years of the Clinton administration. After singing lines such as "I can ride, rope, hammer, and paint, do things with my hands that most men can't," Dunn ends the song with the spoken interjection, "and women too." While giving the appearance of an amusing afterthought, the line nonetheless illustrates the social changes that had permeated country during the early 1990s.

By the mid-1990s, Brooks & Dunn had settled upon a standard formula for album releases: several large ballad and up-tempo hits, surrounded by less distinctive tracks, or "filler." Waitin' on Sundown (1994) contains what critics have described as one of the duo's finest hits, "She's Not the Cheatin' Kind." An account of a spurned wife who goes out for a night of dancing in order to forget her husband's unfaithfulness, the song features lyrics with a strong female point of view: "She's not the cheatin' kind/ She's been cheated one too many times." The impassioned quality of Dunn's singing—smooth, but capable of a tough shout when pushed—gives the song an added dimension of truthfulness. Elsewhere on Waitin' for Sundown, Brooks & Dunn display their keen songwriting ability. Penned by both members, "Whiskey under the Bridge" sports the kind of witty title—a popular saying rephrased in a humorous way—that characterized country music writing of the past. While the duo's late 1990s albums are less satisfying from an artistic perspective, they often feature inspired vocal performances. Criticized by reviewers as overly produced, Borderline is enhanced by Dunn's energetic delivery of the 1970s pop hit "My Maria." Soaring into a gliding falsetto on the song's chorus, Dunn displays further development as a singer.

Ongoing Popularity after 2000

In 2001 Brooks & Dunn released one of their most commercially successful albums, Only in America. Reflecting a trend of the early 2000s toward flag-waving conservatism in country, the number one hit "Only in America" features a mildly patriotic message, one underscored with lyrics that display little of the duo's past ingenuity: "If we all get a chance / Everybody gets to dance." "The Long Goodbye," another number one hit, is a pop ballad lacquered with synthesized aural effects such as the sound of wind blowing. While well arranged and orchestrated, the song deviates far from Brooks & Dunn's roots, the only discernable country influence being the twang in their voices. Veering from the hard rock of "See Jane Dance" to the Latin rhythms of "My Heart Is Lost to You," Only in America manages to display the versatility for which the duo is known.

One of the most enduringly popular of all 1990s country groups, Brooks & Dunn hit upon a successful formula and retained it through the early 2000s, making adjustments for the pop-oriented influences that overtook country in the mid- to late 1990s. While the wit and bite of their early lyrics disappeared on later albums, Brooks & Dunn continued to deliver vocal performances full of energy and charisma.

SELECTIVE DISCOGRAPHY:

Brand New Man (Arista, 1991); Hard Workin' Man (Arista, 1993); Waitin' on Sundown (Arista, 1994); Tight Rope (Arista, 1999); Steers and Stripes (Arista, 2001).