Brooks & Dunn are like country's peanut butter and jelly. It feels impossible not to imagine them together in some capacity. It's evident in the prestige earned and the music alike that people agree. However, picture the idea of them dissenting before they even began their legendary run. Could you even imagine not hearing "Brand New Man" for the first time? What do country bars across the country feel like without "Neon Moon" howling on the speakers? It's a harrowing idea to lose such integral music to the genre.
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However, there was a moment in time in which Brooks & Dunn were closer to falling apart than creating classics. Recently, the pair spoke with Bobby Bones, where they opened up about their dynamic from 1990 to now. They didn't know it would become what it did but their chemistry was immediately evident. However, there was a strange feeling internally because Kix and Ronnie were both wired to do things solo.
Brooks & Dunn Open Up About The Ups and Downs as a Group
"I mean 35 years, a lot of ebb and flow, for sure. We've both been doing this a long time without a whole lot to show for it, honestly. And all of a sudden #1, #1, #1. You're like, 'What in the hell?'" Kix explains. "It's just weird when you beat up bars and you work so hard and you feel like you're every bit as good then a you' now but what just happened?"
Then, Dunn explains how he felt like there was nothing in common between himself and Brooks. He describes it like "a NASCAR race," in that a potential crash felt inevitable. Evidently, there was no full on crash but they did "hit the wall" many times throughout their career. Ultimately, it was a matter of managing egos, which made them call it a career in 2010.
"And I don't have any trouble saying that now after 35 years. We've been through freaking miles of up and down, and mud, and running through the freaking daisies out there. It's just, it's crazy to look back on, even going through 2010 when we quit and meant it," Brooks says.
However, in the end, some shows with Reba and realizing the fun they had together, it made it all worth it in the end. But it wasn't without its struggles. Ronnie Dunn puts it simply: "We tried to blow it real hard."
