Brooks & Dunn’s Ronnie Dunn Pulls Back the Curtain on Country Music: “Everybody Hates One Another”

Ronnie Dunn came to Nashville as a solo artist, charting two minor singles before teaming up with Leon “Kix” Brooks in 1990. The two formed Brooks & Dunn, scoring a No. 1 hit with their first-ever single, “Brand New Man.” Today, Brooks & Dunn has released 11 studio albums and 50 singles, 20 of which hit No. 1. And it wasn’t easy—Ronnie Dunn recently revealed that Nashville is quite cutthroat.

Ronnie Dunn: Country Music Is “So Darn Competitive”

To the outsider, country music may project an image of congeniality and camaraderie. However, Brooks & Dunn can attest that not all is as it seems.

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“As friendly as they say the world of country music is, it is so darn competitive,” Ronnie Dunn said during the duo’s recent appearance on This Past Weekend with Theo Von. “Everybody hates one another. They act like they don’t on tv, but…”

When pressed further by Von, Dunn elaborated. “Big time competitive,” the two-time GRAMMY winner said. “One of my favorite things is Dolly Parton in an interview years and years ago, they were talking about somebody… and she just goes, ‘Oh honey, there’s room for everybody.’ No, there’s not.”

Being a country musician can often feel like a never-ending game of catch-up, explained the 71-year-old “Boot Scootin’ Boogie” hitmaker. “How many number ones do you have? Who had a number one this week? Who has this?” said the Brooks & Dunn member. “And we can be cool and sit back and go, we don’t care. It’s no big deal. We’re not in it for that. We’re in it for the love, and that’s not the case.”

How Did Brooks & Dunn Meet?

Both Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn arrived in Nashville chasing solo success. United, they became the best-selling duo in country music history.

In 1990, then-Arista Records Nashville chief Tim DuBois introduced the two over lunch and urged them to join forces. They hesitantly agreed, becoming Brooks & Dunn.

Selling more than 30 million albums, Brooks & Dunn announced their retirement in 2009, performing their final show in 2010. They reunited five years later for a series of concerts with Reba McEntire in Las Vegas.

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