THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Wednesday, April 19, 1995 TAG: 9504190027
SECTION: DAILY BREAK PAGE: E6 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY FRANK ROBERTS, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 72 lines
WHEN BROOKS & DUNN come to town, park themselves and their gear, it looks like a truck stop.
They will be truckin' into Hampton Coliseum Saturday with ``seven semis full of stuff,'' Kix Brooks said, during a phone interview from Nashville. ``We try and bring a production that goes along with the music.
``Fans have come to expect good production, video screens, hot lights - a stage that's full of fun. But we try to lean on the music more than the special effects.''
Just look at the music: ``Boot Scootin' Boogie,'' which initiated a dance craze; the ``man'' songs, including ``Hard Workin' Man'' and ``Brand New Man''; there's ``Rock My World'' and the out-of-the-world ``Neon Moon.''
The latest B&D effort is ``Little Miss Honky Tonk,'' which, Brooks safely predicts, ``will probably be No. 1.''
That is a familiar location for Kix Brooks & Ronnie Dunn. They first hit big with their 1991 debut album, ``Brand New Man,'' which reached triple platinum in '93. It netted four No. 1 songs.
Kix - so named, he said, because he gave his mom a fit prior to birth - sort-of explains the pair's success.
``The style just evolved. We've been around long enough to develop our own style,'' he said. ``Our influences are contemporary - like the Eagles and the Stones.''
The Rolling Stones influenced B&D in another way.
``They were the first rock act to put their names on credit cards,'' Brooks said. ``We're the first country act.''
Brooks & Dunn Visa cards, yet.
They have another interest - racing on the Nashville Speedway as both sponsor and drivers.
``We wreck 'em more than we finish,'' Brooks said, adding that his partner ``once had a wreck and landed upside down.''
The fast-moving pair does not worry much about injuries, but they do worry about Brooks & Dunn.
``We started out worrying. We're still the most paranoid act in the music business,'' Brooks said, then slipped into another showbiz problem. ``Our egos don't get in the way of our brains. We're very much aware of how lucky we are. We know how fleeting success can be, so we work hard to stay on top.''
That work is paying off. B&D often break attendance records, including some during the current Steel Canyon Tour.
Brooks came on the Nashville scene as a songwriter, penning hits for The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Ricky Van Shelton, Crystal Gayle and many others.
Dunn hit Music City after winning the Marlboro National Talent Round-up.
The two met just a few months before deciding to work together. They had something in common besides music.
Both their dads were in the oil pipeline business. Brooks spent a year in Fairbanks working the Alaska pipeline.
Brooks & Dunn also design their own line of Western shirts for Panhandle Slim. They introduced the clothes in a big way - a fashion show at Radio City Music Hall.
But music is their No. 1 priority.
Bob Guerra, program director of KZLA-FM, Los Angeles major country station, explains their success.
``It's their songs. It's as simple as that,'' he said. ``They're good songwriters, writing the kind of songs people want to hear. And, they have a strong vocal presence that enhances the songs.'' ILLUSTRATION: Photo
WARNER BROS. MUSIC
Fans will see wild production, video screens and hot lights when
Brooks & Dunn perform at Hampton Coliseum.
by CNB