On a new episode of I Miss…90s Country Radio with Nick Hoffman on Apple Music Country, Nick features music and highlights from iconic 90s duo Brooks & Dunn – with commentary from the duo on their career, music and legacy. Tune in and listen to the episode in-full this Friday (May 28) at 6pm PT / 8pm CT / 9pm ET or anytime on-demand on Apple Music Country.
Ronnie Dunn on being paired up with Kix Brooks
We were kind of tricked by Tim DuBois. I don’t know if he even knew what he was up to when he introduced us. He probably did, but he made it seem very innocent. He played some, a few of Kix’s songs for me, and I liked them. And then the next thing we know, he’s asking us to write a few songs together.
Kix Brooks on “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”
I think it was a real, looking back, a real blessing to us that, that wasn’t our first single because we really had some legs underneath this when that single happened in such a huge way and it wasn’t like we were seen as a dance band or country dance band or anything like that. I think people thought we had some credit at that point.
Kix Brooks on being paired up with Ronnie Dunn
I don’t think either one of us had a lot to say, I think we were both pretty skeptical of the idea. We were both grown men, had kind of been around the Nashville block more than once. We both had kind of record deals that didn’t pan out to be much and so when he suggested we write some songs together, we both know enough about how things go around that you got nothing to lose. So we said, okay. And we screwed up that week and wrote what became our first two number one songs. Next thing we know we’re like “This didn’t make any sense at all, just never should have worked.” A duo, we still don’t sing harmonies very good.
Kix Brooks on the irony of Brooks & Dunn’s first CMA nomination
It was a couple of years before that I hadn’t been able to get tickets for the CMAs, and then a couple of years later you’re standing on that stage going, “What the hell just happened?” It was surreal, for sure.
Kix Brooks on the duo’s first album, “Brand New Man”
Certainly, a record like “Brand New Man” working the way it did gave us a little confidence about what we were doing. We started looking around in a different way, like, “Okay, we actually got a tiger by the tail here now, instead of just trying to find a tiger.”
Ronnie Dunn on the song “Hard Workin’ Man”
We were having the house painted when that song came out and the next day, my house painter came back with “Hard Working Man” stickers, bumper stickers, all over his truck. I figured, “okay, we’ve hooked another one.” Let’s go.
Kix Brooks on Ronnie Dunn’s lead vocals
The thing, it’s human nature, obviously. I wanted to sing, but Ronnie’s such a good singer. And I think it was just, you take a bruise on your ego and you go, “Okay, we got a band here. Are we in business or not?” It’s not like I didn’t get a lick in here and there. And I think it gave us, as a duo, a little depth. It still does.
Kix Brooks on the outfit he wore for the “Hard Workin’ Man” album cover
I can remember our manager at the time, Bob Titley, when we shot that album cover going, “There’s going to be a time in your life you’re really going to regret wearing that stuff.” I’ve always had an obnoxious component to my thing, and I don’t apologize for it.
Trace Adkins on Brooks & Dunn
Was there a more dominant act in the ’90s than Brooks and Dunn? Garth may argue that he was, but man, those guys, there certainly was no duo that had ever had that kind of success. The Bellamy Brothers, they had a little run there, but in the ’90s, nobody was going to touch Brooks & Dunn.
Kix Brooks on Ronnie Dunn’s reluctance to cut “My Maria”
Ronnie did not want to cut that song, and I did not see that as a cover song. It was a regional hit, but I can’t tell you how many people to this day think we wrote that song.
Ronnie Dunn on his initial reluctance to cut/sing “My Maria”
I was afraid to even sing it lot for a while. I was hesitant to do it because I thought, “Oh man, it’s just that falsetto thing.” It’s a rock song, in my opinion. And I was very much wrong.
Kix Brooks on getting Ronnie Dunn to cut “My Maria” a second time
“I’ve heard him sing probably more than anybody at this point and I knew, man, if I could just convince him, can we please cut it one more time? And it was weeks after that, that it took because he didn’t want to cut it in the first place and to his credit, he went back and did it again. Man, I was so excited to hear that record the second time.”
“I read some article the other day that said, “It was Brooks & Dunn’s probably most defining song,” and that’s probably one of the few that we did not write, so it kind of hurt my feelings, but I’m over it.”
Kix Brooks on the Brooks & Dunn legacy
We talked about it recently. With all the thousands of dollars worth of confetti that we blew in the air and stuff we blew up and inflatable girls and awful looking clothes and through that period when it was just how much nonsense can we create in one roll the dice. To think now that people are talking about the music and none of that stuff. Occasionally a flame shirt comment will come up, but it was a lot worse than that on that end of things and the music is what people are talking about. I think that’s the greatest compliment to both of us.
Ronnie Dunn on Brooks & Dunn’s legacy
From day one, if there’s one thing you want to, years from now, look back and say, and we always said it was that music would be timeless. The music would define it. And that’s all you can ask for, because you know you’re going to get older, you’re going to look older, you’re going to do whatever. But if that music can hang around and do its job, then you made your mark.
