In 1988, singer-songwriters Ronnie Dunn and Leon “Kix” Brooks III teamed up to form Brooks & Dunn at the suggestion of producer Tim DuBois. Blending honky-tonk, mainstream country, and rock music, the duo reached the top of the charts for the first time in 1991 with “Brand New Man,” the title track from their debut album. It certainly wouldn’t be their last. But on this day in 2009, Brooks & Dunn shocked fans by announcing their breakup after 10 albums and 18 CMA trophies.
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Why Did Brooks & Dunn Break Up?
Less than one year after cracking the Top 5 with the Reba McEntire collaboration “Cowgirls Don’t Cry,” Brooks & Dunn called it quits in a joint statement on their official website. Both Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn made it clear that this didn’t spell the end of music for either one of them, however.
“After 20 years of making music and riding this trail together, we have agreed as a duo that it’s time to call it a day,” the statement read. “This ride has been everything and more than we could ever have dreamed … We owe it all to you, the fans.”
“If you hear rumors, don’t believe them, it’s just time,” the pair concluded.
That would become a running theme as Brooks & Dunn discussed their split. As Kix Brooks put it in an interview with CMT, “We both feel like it’s just too good a horse to ride it into the ground.”
Wanting to wrap up their two-decade career in “the classy, right way,” the duo released their final (at the time) album, Number 1s… and Then Some, the next month. A year later, Brooks & Dunn would perform their final concert together at Nashville’s Bridgestone Arena.
[RELATED: Madonna, Merle, and a Country Girl: How Brooks & Dunn Found a Hit in the Strangest Place]
The “Reboot” Years
Both artists continued releasing solo material during their hiatus. After reuniting for a handful of live performances, Brooks & Dunn put out their 11th studio album, Reboot, in 2019. The record featured re-recorded versions of 12 songs, this time as collaborations with other country music artists. A sequel of sorts, Reboot II, followed in 2024.
In November 2024, the “Neon Moon” hitmakers revealed that a brand-new album is in the works — their first of original material since 2007’s Cowboy Town. In an interview with Holler Country, Ronnie Dunn said they are taking special care with this one.
Now, as opposed to back when we were on that perpetual corporate treadmill of having to put out a record a year and do all this, we’re able to sit back and take our time,” he explained.
Featured image by Jon Kopaloff/FilmMagic
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