Brooks & Dunn

小簡介
Kix Brooks和Ronnie Dunn在1988年結識于美國田納西州的首府Nashville，兩人間相似的詞曲風格，以及表演方式的相似，使兩人馬上就組成為二重唱組合。于是這個組合成為了90年代以來最成功的鄉(xiāng)村二重唱組合，連續(xù)八年被鄉(xiāng)村音樂協(xié)會授予年度最佳二重唱組合獎，成立十五年來，兩人的唱片銷量早已經超過2100萬張，如今他們已經擁有一張五白金唱片，兩張四白金唱片，三張三白金唱片，五張雙白金唱片，以及六張白金唱片，在整個90年代，他們共擁有27首前十名的單曲和10首冠軍單曲，這樣驕人的成績，使他們成為僅次于大名鼎鼎的保羅西蒙&加芬科爾（Simon & Garfunkel）的銷量最好的二重唱組合。
在成立Brooks & Dunn組合之前，Kix Brooks來自于路易斯安那州西北部的Shreveport，而Ronnie Dunn則來自德克薩斯州的Coleman。Brooks第一次登臺演出是在他12歲的時候，當時他與Johnny Horton的女兒同臺演出，高中的時候他開始把握每個演出的機會來表現(xiàn)自己。他的音樂影響來自于父親，他父親的業(yè)余愛好就是在當?shù)氐男穲F唱歌和彈奏吉他。經過了在阿拉斯加州石油管道的幾年工作之后，Brooks來到田納西州來繼續(xù)自己的音樂生涯。Ronnie Dunn的歷程卻和Kix Brooks不同，Dunn曾經在幾支小樂隊擔任主唱，他的理想原本是成為一名傳教士，但是對音樂的熱衷，最終使他和Brooks走在了一起，在Arista唱片公司的Tim DuBois的引薦之下，Brooks和Dunn開始了他們輝煌的音樂生涯。
Brooks & Dunn曾經于1993年和1996年憑借《Hard Workin' Man》和《My Maria》兩次獲得格萊美最佳鄉(xiāng)村音樂組合獎（Best Country Performance By A Duo or Group With Vocal）。
The undisputed kings of the 90s line-dancing craze, Brooks & Dunn are not only the biggest-selling duo in country music history, theyve also sold more records than any other duo period, save for Simon & Garfunkel. Ronnie Dunn was the quietly intense singer with the soulful voice, while Kix Brooks played the part of the high-energy showman. Neither had been able to break through as a solo act, but together they hit upon a winning formula of rambunctious, rocked-up honky tonk with punchy, danceable beats, and alternated those cuts with smooth, pop-tinged ballads. The combination made them one of the most popular country artists of the 90s, and they were still going strong as the new millennium dawned.
Leon Eric Kix Brooks (born in Shreveport, LA) and Ronnie Gene Dunn (born in Coleman, TX) arrived in Nashville from very different backgrounds. Brooks was a neighbor of Johnny Horton and first began singing with the country legends daughter at age 12; after a time working on the Alaskan oil pipeline, he moved to Maine and performed in ski resorts and other local venues. He went to Nashville in the early 80s and found success as a songwriter, penning hits for John Conlee, Highway 101, and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, among others; however, his solo recordings — a few small-label singles in 1983 and a self-titled album in 1989 — failed to make any impact. Dunn, meanwhile, had been playing with traditional string bands since he was a teenager, but originally aspired to become a Baptist minister. He attended the highly conservative Abilene Christian University, but was kicked out for continuing to play music on the side in area bars. He decided to pursue music full-time and moved to Tulsa, where he led a house band and recorded for a local label from 1983-1984. In 1988, he won a songwriting contest whose prize included a recording session in Nashville; the producer, Scott Hendricks, was impressed enough to pass some of Dunns material on to Arista executive Tim DuBois. DuBois had a hunch that Dunn and Brooks would complement each other well, and he introduced the two and encouraged them to try writing and recording some demo songs together. When he heard the results, DuBois signed the newly minted Brooks & Dunn duo to a contract.
Brooks & Dunn issued their debut album, Brand New Man, in 1991, and it was an out-of-the-box smash. The title track, My Next Broken Heart, Neon Moon, and Boot Scootin Boogie all hit number one on the country charts, and the latter song in particular was an inescapable smash that helped kick-start the line-dancing fad that swept country bars across the nation. Brand New Man eventually went on to sell over five million copies, and made the duo into country superstars; their supporting tour established their penchant for theatrical live shows as well. Their follow-up, Hard Workin Man, consolidated their success with a string of five Top Five country hits: the title track, the number ones She Used to Be Mine and That Aint No Way to Go, and the number twos Well Burn That Bridge and Rock My World (Little Country Girl). Hard Workin Man sold over four million copies, and by the time its run of singles was exhausted, the duo had already completed a follow-up in 1994s Waitin on Sundown. Five more Top Ten hits followed, including the number ones Shes Not the Cheatin Kind, Little Miss Honky Tonk, and Youre Gonna Miss Me When Im Gone (the others were Ill Never Forgive My Heart and Whiskey Under the Bridge). Waitin on Sundown went double platinum, confirming Brooks & Dunns status as a blockbuster success.
Brooks & Dunns commercial dominance continued apace with 1996s Borderline, another double-platinum success which produced two more chart-toppers in My Maria (a cover of the B.W. Stevenson pop hit from 1972) and A Man This Lonely, and a number two hit in I Am That Man. In 1997, the duo issued The Greatest Hits Compilation, whose new tracks, Honky Tonk Truth and Hes Got You, both reached the Top Five. And they werent done as hitmakers by any means; despite failing to go platinum, 1998s If You See Her contained two number ones in Husbands and Wives (a Roger Miller cover) and How Long Gone, and another Top Fiver in I Cant Get Over You. With such a consistent track record, Brooks & Dunn were perhaps due for the inevitable slip, and 1999s Tight Rope was the closest thing to a commercial misstep theyd ever recorded. Despite some chance-taking in the production and the cover of rocker John Waites ballad Missing You, other parts of the album found their formula wearing thin. The record produced only one Top Ten hit in Youll Always Be Loved by Me, and failed to even go gold.
Faced with a downturn in their sales, Brooks & Dunn spent more time crafting their next album, 2001s Steers and Stripes. It helped restore their commercial fortunes with a trio of chart-topping singles: Aint Nothing Bout You, Only in America, and The Long Goodbye. The following year, the duo issued their first holiday album, It Wont Be Christmas Without You. The duo pushed the envelope even further with 2003s Red Dirt Road, a song cycle that served as both a biography and a tribute to their roots and upbringing. The rowdy Hillbilly Deluxe, a Top Ten hit, followed in 2005, with 2007 bringing Cowboy Town, released on Arista Records.