Biography
Kix Brooks built a thriving career as a songwriter before joining the most successful country duo of the 1990s as one half of Brooks & Dunn. Born in Shreveport, Louisiana, in 1955, he first absorbed country sounds from his neighbor Johnny Horton. During his youth he performed with Horton’s daughter, and he continued playing clubs and writing songs throughout high school. After finishing school he took a job on the Alaska oil pipeline, then settled in Maine and appeared regularly at ski resorts and other local stages.
In the early 1980s he moved to Nashville and signed on as a staff songwriter with Tree Publishing, where his material found its way to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Highway 101, and John Conlee. He issued his first solo single, “Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down,” on Avion in 1983, but the track’s modest chart showing led him back to songwriting. In 1989 he recorded a full album for Liberty/Capitol; the self-titled Kix Brooks never charted on its initial release yet was reissued in 1994 once Brooks & Dunn had reached stardom. The song “Sacred Ground” later became a hit for McBride & the Ride.
Brooks & Dunn disbanded on September 2, 2010, after a final concert in Nashville. Brooks returned with his first post-split solo album, New to This Town, in September 2012.
In the early 1980s he moved to Nashville and signed on as a staff songwriter with Tree Publishing, where his material found its way to the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Highway 101, and John Conlee. He issued his first solo single, “Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down,” on Avion in 1983, but the track’s modest chart showing led him back to songwriting. In 1989 he recorded a full album for Liberty/Capitol; the self-titled Kix Brooks never charted on its initial release yet was reissued in 1994 once Brooks & Dunn had reached stardom. The song “Sacred Ground” later became a hit for McBride & the Ride.
Brooks & Dunn disbanded on September 2, 2010, after a final concert in Nashville. Brooks returned with his first post-split solo album, New to This Town, in September 2012.
Albums
