Brooks & Dunn’s Record Label Thought One of Their Biggest Hits Was “Too Progressive”

In 1992, Brooks & Dunn released their fourth single, “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”, from their freshman Brand New Man album. The duo, made up of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, already had three No. 1 hits, which is why their record label consented to release “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”, even though they thought it would never work at country radio.

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At the time, Brooks & Dunn were on Arista Records Nashville. Tim DuBois, who was the head of their record label, thought it was too futuristic for the genre. So although Brooks & Dunn wanted “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” to be their first single, they led with the record’s title track instead.

“[DuBois] said he was afraid of ‘Boot Scoot’ at the time,” Dunn tells Wide Open Country. “It was too progressive, according to Tim. Didn’t want to come with ‘Neon Moon’, which was a ballad. A shuffle like ‘My Next Broken Heart’ was going to be hard to sell to radio, so we came [up] with ‘Brand New Man.’”

Ironically, “Brand New Man” was also unique for country radio, although perhaps not to the degree of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”.

“We started where most songs don’t by doing the chorus first,” Dunn says of their first single. “That doesn’t happen much, so it kind of comes strong out of the box at you.”

What Made Brooks & Dunn Release “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”

DuBois might have had reservations about “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”, but so did Brooks & Dunn. In fact, they may have never released the fast-tempo song, if not for their outspoken fans.

“The fans made that happen, too,” Brooks tells Taste of Country. “We were playing clubs, actually. That was our first year of touring.”

Brooks & Dunn were also buoyed by their three consecutive No. 1 singles, which boosted their confidence that “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” might work at country radio.

“By the time we got to ‘Boot Scoot’, I just remember going to clubs and people having posters and stuff. I know they were lighting up radio stations,” Brooks says. “Finally, they said, ‘Hey, it’s time to put this one out.’”

“Boot Scootin’ Boogie” became a multi-platinum hit for Brooks & Dunn. A four-week No. 1 single, it also hit the Top 50 on the pop charts. In 2019, Brooks & Dunn recorded a new version of “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” with Midland for their Reboot record. Another version of the song, this one with the rock band Halestorm, appears on their 2024 Reboot II record.

After “Boot Scootin’ Boogie”, Brooks & Dunn released “Lost And Found”. The song peaked inside the Top 10.

Photo by Ron Galella/Ron Galella Collection via Getty Images