Ronnie Dunn
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Ronald Gene Dunn (born June 1, 1953) is an American
country music Country (also called country and western) is a genre of popular music that originated in the Southern and Southwestern United States in the early 1920s. It primarily derives from blues, church music such as Southern gospel and spirituals, ...
singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of
Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were so ...
. He released his
self-titled An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...
debut album for Arista Nashville on June 7, 2011, reaching the Top 10 with its lead-off single "
Bleed Red "Bleed Red" is a song written by Tommy Lee James and Andrew Dorff, and recorded by American country music singer Ronnie Dunn. The song is Dunn's first solo release after Brooks & Dunn disbanded in 2010. "Bleed Red" was released to country radio o ...
". In 2013, after leaving Arista Nashville in 2012, Dunn founded Little Will-E Records. On April 8, 2014, Ronnie Dunn released his second solo album, ''Peace, Love, and Country Music'' through his Little Will-E Records. On November 11, 2016, he released his third album ''
Tattooed Heart ''Tattooed Heart'' is the third solo studio album by American country music artist Ronnie Dunn. The album was released on November 11, 2016 via Nash Icon Records. The album was originally scheduled for release on October 21, 2016. The lead sin ...
'' on
NASH Icon Nash is a media brand owned by Cumulus Media. It covers country music-related properties owned by Cumulus, including radio stations, digital properties and publications ('' Nash Country Daily''), Nash TV (a video on-demand service operated in pa ...
label. His fourth album ''
Re-Dunn ''Re-Dunn'' is the fourth solo studio album by country music artist Ronnie Dunn. The album was released January 10, 2020, via LWR. The album is a 24-song project that features covers that have left an impact on Dunn, with him calling it a "passion ...
'' was released on January 10, 2020. In 2019, Dunn was inducted into the
Country Music Hall of Fame The Country Music Hall of Fame and Museum in Nashville, Tennessee, is one of the world's largest museums and research centers dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of American vernacular music. Chartered in 1964, the museum has amas ...
.


Early life

Dunn was born in
Coleman, Texas Coleman is a town in and the county seat of Coleman County, Texas, United States. As of the 2010 census, its population was 4,709. Geography Coleman is located north of the center of Coleman County at (31.827694, −99.425689). U.S. Routes 84 a ...
, and attended 13 schools in his first 12 years of school. He began school in New Mexico and finished his formal education at
Abilene Christian University Abilene Christian University (ACU) is a Private university, private Churches of Christ, Christian university in Abilene, Texas. It was founded in 1906 as ''Childers Classical Institute''. ACU is one of the largest private universities in the Sout ...
in 1975 as a psychology major. While playing
bass guitar The bass guitar, electric bass or simply bass (), is the lowest-pitched member of the string family. It is a plucked string instrument similar in appearance and construction to an electric or an acoustic guitar, but with a longer neck and ...
and singing with bands in clubs in the Abilene, Texas, area, the university gave him the choice of either quitting the band or the university. He left the university, then moved to
Tulsa, Oklahoma Tulsa () is the second-largest city in the state of Oklahoma and 47th-most populous city in the United States. The population was 413,066 as of the 2020 census. It is the principal municipality of the Tulsa Metropolitan Area, a region with ...
, for a chance at the country music scene. He lived there for many years while drawing much inspiration from local
honky tonk A honky-tonk (also called honkatonk, honkey-tonk, or tonk) is both a bar that provides country music for the entertainment of its patrons and the style of music played in such establishments. It can also refer to the type of piano ( tack piano) ...
s such as Tulsa City Limits, prominently-featured in the music video for Brooks & Dunn's hit "
Boot Scootin' Boogie "Boot Scootin' Boogie" is a song first recorded by the band Asleep at the Wheel for their 1990 album, ''Keepin' Me Up Nights''. American country music duo Brooks & Dunn recorded a cover version, which was included on their 1991 debut album, ''Bra ...
". While in college, he served as a music and youth minister at Avoca Baptist Church in
Avoca, Texas Avoca ( ) is an unincorporated community in Jones County, Texas, United States. It is on State Highway 6 at the intersection of Farm-to-Market Roads 600 and 1636, 8 mi southeast of Stamford. Avoca is part of the Abilene, Texas metropolitan ...
.


Musical career


Brooks & Dunn

Dunn began his musical career as a solo artist. He charted two minor singles with Churchill/MCA Records: in 1983, he released "It's Written All Over Your Face", and in 1984, "She Put the Sad in All His Songs". In 1990, he and
Kix Brooks Leon Eric Brooks III, better known by his stage name Kix Brooks (born May 12, 1955), is an American country music artist, actor, and film producer best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn and host of radio's ''American Country Co ...
formed Brooks & Dunn. In 1991, they released their first album, ''
Brand New Man ''Brand New Man'' is the debut studio album by American country music duo Brooks & Dunn. It was released on August 13, 1991, by Arista Records. Produced by Don Cook and Scott Hendricks, the album produced four consecutive Number One singles on ...
'', certified 6× platinum by the
RIAA The Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) is a trade organization that represents the music recording industry in the United States. Its members consist of record labels and distributors that the RIAA says "create, manufacture, and/o ...
. Brooks & Dunn released 12 studio albums, two greatest hits albums, and a Christmas album. Brooks & Dunn sold over 30 million albums, had twenty number-one singles on ''Billboard'', and were one of the most-consistently successful acts on the concert circuit. In 2009, they announced they were temporarily disbanding in 2010. On December 3, 2014,
Brooks & Dunn Brooks & Dunn are an American country music duo consisting of Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn, both of whom are vocalists and songwriters. The duo was founded in 1990 through the suggestion of Tim DuBois. Before their formation, both members were so ...
reunited, and along with
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
, performed a series of concerts throughout the summer and fall of 2015.


2011–12: Debut solo album and departure from Sony

In late 2010, Dunn announced that he was working on a solo album. The album's first single, "
Bleed Red "Bleed Red" is a song written by Tommy Lee James and Andrew Dorff, and recorded by American country music singer Ronnie Dunn. The song is Dunn's first solo release after Brooks & Dunn disbanded in 2010. "Bleed Red" was released to country radio o ...
", was released to country radio on January 29, 2011, and debuted at number 30 on the ''Billboard''
Hot Country Songs Hot Country Songs is a chart published weekly by ''Billboard'' magazine in the United States. This 50-position chart lists the most popular country music songs, calculated weekly by collecting airplay data from Nielsen BDS along with digital sal ...
chart for the week ending February 19, 2011, and ended as a Top 10, his first of his solo career. Dunn's self-titled album ''
Ronnie Dunn Ronald Gene Dunn (born June 1, 1953) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive. Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn. He released his self-titled deb ...
'' was released on June 7, 2011. The second single from the album, "
Cost of Livin' "Cost of Livin'" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music singer Ronnie Dunn. It was released in June 2011 as the second single from his self-titled album, and his second release following the split of the duo Brooks & Dunn. ...
", was released on June 6, 2011, and debuted at number 56 on the country chart. It peaked at number 19, followed by "
Let the Cowboy Rock "Let the Cowboy Rock" is a song co-written and recorded by American country music artist Ronnie Dunn. It was released in January 2012 as the third single from his self-titled album. Dunn wrote this song with Dallas Davidson. History While the s ...
" at number 31. The album debuted at number one on the ''Billboard''
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...
, as well as number 5 on the ''Billboard'' 200, selling 45,000 copies in its first week in the US. In June 2012, Ronnie Dunn took to social media to ask his fans what the fourth single on the album should be. Shortly after, Ronnie got a call from the executives at Sony Music saying that his "fb post killed the "Let The Cowboy Rock" single. He then requested for radio to start playing "Once" as the next single. Before the song could be released to radio as a single, he was released from the label.


2013–14: Little Will-E Records and ''Peace, Love, and Country Music''

In March 2013, Ronnie Dunn previewed the song "Country This" on SoundCloud. On June 4, 2013, Ronnie released the two new tracks, "Country This" and "Kiss You There", exclusively on iTunes. The songs were each previewed for a month on The Highway on Sirius XM. On July 9, 2013, Dunn announced his new record deal, a joint effort between HitShop Records and his own label Little Will-E Records with HitShop executing radio promotion while Dunn retains personal brand control. The lead-off single for his second solo album, "Kiss You There", was released to country radio on July 29, 2013. After an unsuccessful run with "Kiss You There", Dunn and HitShop Records parted ways. On November 19, 2013, Dunn released the second single from the forthcoming album, "Wish I Still Smoked Cigarettes". In January 2014 Dunn also released "Grown Damn Man" as a promotional single from the second solo album. The album, ''Peace, Love and Country Music'', was released on April 8, 2014.


2014–2018: Nash Icon record deal and ''Tattooed Heart''

On December 1, 2014, Ronnie Dunn began to speculate on his Facebook page that he had signed with the newest imprint of
Big Machine Label Group Big Machine Records is an American independent record label, distributed by Universal Music Group. Specializing in country and pop artists, Big Machine is based on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee. The label was founded in September 2005 by ...
,
NASH Icon Nash is a media brand owned by Cumulus Media. It covers country music-related properties owned by Cumulus, including radio stations, digital properties and publications ('' Nash Country Daily''), Nash TV (a video on-demand service operated in pa ...
, but the label never confirmed nor denied. On January 12, 2015, President of Big Machine
Scott Borchetta Scott Borchetta (born July 3, 1962) is an American record executive and founder of the Big Machine Label Group. He started the label in 2005 with 13 employees, as its president/CEO and encompasses four imprints: Big Machine Records, BMLG Recor ...
officially announced that Dunn had joined
Reba McEntire Reba Nell McEntire (born March 28, 1955), or simply Reba, is an American country music singer and actress. Dubbed " the Queen of Country", she has sold more than 75 million records worldwide. Since the 1970s, McEntire has placed over 100 single ...
and
Martina McBride Martina Mariea McBride (née Schiff, born July 29, 1966) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record producer. She is known for her soprano singing range and her country pop material. McBride was born in Sharon, Kansas, and reloc ...
making him the third artist to join the roster. Borchetta stated in a press release "Ronnie Dunn has one of the smoothest, most-recognized and most-popular voices of the last twenty-five years in Country music. I'm truly honored to have him join us and take his rightful place as an Icon. Great music is on the way." Dunn also commented in the article saying "This is the best possible scenario that I can imagine. The Big Machine and Cumulus combination is a force, and I am proud to be included in this innovative venture". The press release went on to announce Ronnie Dunn was about to hit the studio to record what is now his third solo album and that the lead-off single of the album was released in early spring of 2015. The lead single from Dunn's third solo album, "Ain't No Trucks in Texas", was released on July 17, 2015. On April 22, 2016, Dunn announced the second single, " Damn Drunk", on his Facebook page. The song was released August 5, 2016. On August 22, 2016, Dunn announced that the title of his upcoming third solo album will be ''
Tattooed Heart ''Tattooed Heart'' is the third solo studio album by American country music artist Ronnie Dunn. The album was released on November 11, 2016 via Nash Icon Records. The album was originally scheduled for release on October 21, 2016. The lead sin ...
'' and It released on November 11, 2016.


2019-Present: ''Reboot'' and ''Re-Dunn''

In 2019, Brooks & Dunn returned to the studio for the first time since the release of their 2009 compilation, '' #1s… and Then Some''. The result was a new album, ''Reboot'', a collection of some of Brooks & Dunn's greatest hits re-recorded as duets between the duo and up-and-coming country music stars. The album was released on April 5, 2019. It debuted at No. 1 on ''Billboard''s
Top Country Albums Top Country Albums is a chart published weekly by '' Billboard'' magazine in the United States. The 50-position chart lists the most popular country music albums in the country, calculated weekly by Broadcast Data Systems based on physical sales a ...
chart. Dunn performed at the 2019
Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum The Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum (MHOF) in Nashville honors all musicians regardless of genre or instrument. The MHOF timeline starts with the beginning of recorded music and inductees are nominated by current members of the American Feder ...
Concert and Induction Ceremony. Dunn announced in 2019 that he would be releasing a covers album in January 2020. Titled ''
Re-Dunn ''Re-Dunn'' is the fourth solo studio album by country music artist Ronnie Dunn. The album was released January 10, 2020, via LWR. The album is a 24-song project that features covers that have left an impact on Dunn, with him calling it a "passion ...
'', the album is a collection of twenty-four classic rock and country covers. A cover of " Amarillo by Morning" was released on September 6, 2019.


Personal life

Dunn married his wife, Janine, on May 19, 1990; the couple have three children.


Awards

Ronnie Dunn has 15 Grammy nominations, 24
Broadcast Music Incorporated Broadcast Music, Inc. (BMI) is a performance rights organization in the United States. It collects blanket license fees from businesses that use music, entitling those businesses to play or sync any songs from BMI's repertoire of over 20.6 mill ...
(BMI) Million-Airplay awards, and was BMI Country Music Songwriter of the Year in 1996 and 2001. He has 27 ACM awards, winning Top Vocal Duo every year since 1991 except for 2000 (the honor went to
Montgomery Gentry Montgomery Gentry is an American country music duo founded by singers Eddie Montgomery and Troy Gentry, both Kentucky natives. They began performing together in the 1990s as part of two different bands with Montgomery's brother, John Michael Mo ...
), and 2007 and 2009 (the honor went to Sugarland), including three Entertainer of the Year awards and vocal event of the year in 2005, for their hit " Building Bridges" with
Vince Gill Vincent Grant Gill (born April 12, 1957) is an American country music singer, songwriter and musician. He has achieved commercial success and fame both as frontman of the country rock band Pure Prairie League in the 1970s and as a solo artist ...
and
Sheryl Crow Sheryl Suzanne Crow (born February 11, 1962) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and actress. Her music incorporates elements of rock, pop, country, folk, and blues. She has released eleven studio albums, five compilations and three li ...
's background vocals, along with his Single of the Year for his gospel song " Believe". He is a member of the Texas,
Oklahoma Oklahoma (; Choctaw language, Choctaw: ; chr, ᎣᎧᎳᎰᎹ, ''Okalahoma'' ) is a U.S. state, state in the South Central United States, South Central region of the United States, bordered by Texas on the south and west, Kansas on the nor ...
and
Arkansas Arkansas ( ) is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage ...
Music Halls of Fame. Brooks and Dunn have more Country Music Association awards and
Academy of Country Music The Academy of Country Music (ACM) was founded in 1964 in Los Angeles, California as the Country & Western Music Academy. Among the founders were Eddie Miller, Tommy Wiggins, and Mickey and Chris Christensen. They wanted to promote country music ...
awards than any act in the history of country music. Dunn was also the
National Anthem A national anthem is a patriotic musical composition symbolizing and evoking eulogies of the history and traditions of a country or nation. The majority of national anthems are marches or hymns in style. American, Central Asian, and European n ...
singer before Game 3 of the 2011 World Series in
Arlington, Texas Arlington is a city in the U.S. state of Texas, located in Tarrant County. It forms part of the Mid-Cities region of the Dallas–Fort Worth–Arlington metropolitan statistical area, and is a principal city of the metropolis and region. ...
.


Discography


Studio albums


Singles


Featured singles


Other appearances


Music videos


Awards and nominations


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dunn, Ronnie American country singer-songwriters American male singer-songwriters Abilene Christian University alumni Grammy Award winners Singer-songwriters from Louisiana 1953 births Living people People from Coleman, Texas Texas Republicans Brooks & Dunn members MCA Records artists Musicians from Tulsa, Oklahoma Arista Nashville artists Singer-songwriters from Texas Singer-songwriters from Oklahoma Country musicians from Texas Country musicians from Louisiana Country musicians from Oklahoma