During a recent interview, Ronnie Dunn opened up about reuniting with Kix Brooks after the iconic country music duo split years ago. Brooks & Dunn became one of the biggest acts in country music in the ’90s as the pair spent 20 years making music and touring to sold-out crowds together. Yet they abruptly decided to call it quits on their legendary careers back in 2009 to the shock of country music fans everywhere. More than a decade after their split, Brooks & Dunn are reunited and touring together once again, and Dunn says fans seem more excited than ever to see them perform.
While speaking on The Bobby Bones Show, the radio host asked Dunn about their reunion and how it came about. Dunn explained that their manager is to thank for getting the ball rolling on their eventual reunion. A few years ago, their manager approached them about making their 2019 album Reboot. The album featured re-recorded versions of the famous duo’s songs, and each was recorded as a collaboration with other country artists.
Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn created a list of collaborators they wanted to work with, and their manager made the calls. Every single artist agreed to be on their new album without question. More importantly, as Brooks & Dunn started to work together again in the studio, it became the precursor to their reunion.
“And it just kinda reignited the thing,” Ronnie Dunn said on The Bobby Bones Show.
Ronnie Dunn Talks the Resurgence of ’90s Country Music
Earlier this year, Brooks & Dunn set out on their first tour together in years. The Reboot 2022 Tour is their first since 2009, and it’s still ongoing with six shows left that run through mid-August. Not only is Ronnie Dunn back on tour, but he just released a new solo album, 100 Proof Neon, on Friday. And the legendary musicians couldn’t have picked a better time to return.
The genre is in the middle of a ’90s country music revival, and that suits Ronnie Dunn just fine. His brand of music is back in style, and that’s given him inspiration to keep creating new music. While speaking to Billboard recently about his new album, Dunn talked about things coming full circle in recent years.
“I feel lucky that it’s swinging back around to that and it’s right back in my wheelhouse – it also motivates me to keep creating,” Ronnie Dunn tells Billboard. “We went through a phase in country music where it was pretty much boxed into one sound. Now it’s opening up in a big way. We [Brooks & Dunn] were chasing the ’70s and ’80s thing back in the ’90s. And we integrated as much rock as we felt like we could get away with.”
As mentioned, you still have time to catch Brooks & Dunn on their first joint tour in 13 years. They have six shows left on the Reboot Tour, which you can check out on their website for more information.
