Brooks & Dunn are looking back on their legendary career. The duo, made up of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, released their debut album, Brand New Man, 35 years ago. Now, they just wrapped up their 2026 Neon Moon Tour, with plans to tour Australia in 2027.
Few musical acts, whether solo, duo, or group, have lasted nearly as long as Brooks & Dunn. Which, according to Dunn, might be exactly why it works.
“I think maybe the unpredictability of some of it,” Dunn tells CBS Mornings. “Even the tension between the two of us. It’s never blatant tension. It’s like a marriage in a lot of ways. Rumor has it if you stay with it long enough, it will fall into place.”
“I’ve said this a lot, and I’m proud of it,” adds Brooks. “35 years, we’ve never raised our voices to each other. We’ve had plenty of disagreements, but we’ve never blown up at each other.”
Not that it’s always smooth sailing. The two have had a lot of give and take in the last 35 years, including present day.
“We’re compromising right now, working on a new record,” Dunn says. “We’re songwriters, and we’re firing stuff back and forth, critiquing one another’s music. I want all my songs on there. He wants all his songs on there. So we have to work that stuff down. You sweat and bleed every word.”
“And we both realize, down deep, that song I wrote is better than that song I wrote,” Brooks remarks. “So, you gotta be honest with yourself, and then at some point, we have to be honest with each other.”
“And I think we’ve done a pretty good job of getting through that,” he adds.
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The Success of Brooks & Dunn
Last year, Brooks & Dunn were named the most-awarded artists in CMA Awards history, with a total of 20 trophies. 16 of those are for Vocal Duo of the Year, a category they are nominated in again in 2026.
Their unlikely success, combined with longevity, is a gift that isn’t lost on them.
“I think people do at this point kind of cheer us on,” Brooks says. “And there has been obviously a resurgence of 90s music. I feel like we did have a heck of a run in the 90s. There’s a lot of parents who really like 90s music, turned their kids onto it.”
Brooks & Dunn are certainly hard workers, but Dunn says there is more at work than just their talent and drive.
“Things have changed along the way,” Dunn acknowledges. “For some reason, cosmically, we’ve just been at the right place at the right time.”
Brooks &. Dunn did famously split in 2010, although not because of any ill feelings towards each other. Fortunately, they reunited several years later, still finding magic together.
“I think he engages with the crowd on an intimate basis. It brings it home,” Dunn says of Brooks.
As for Dunn, Brooks says his talent is unmatched.
“He’s a singing song of a b–ch, if you haven’t heard,” Brooks boasts with a laugh.
Photo Credit: CMA / Katie Kauss
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