Ronnie Dunn

Ronald Gene Dunn (born June 1, 1953) is an American country music singer-songwriter and record executive.

He began school in New Mexico and finished his formal education at Abilene Christian University in 1975 as a psychology major.

While playing bass guitar 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, for a chance at the country music scene.

He lived there for many years while drawing much inspiration from local honky tonks such as Tulsa City Limits, prominently-featured in the music video for Brooks & Dunn's hit "Boot Scootin' Boogie".

While in college, he served as a music and youth minister at Avoca Baptist Church in Avoca, Texas.

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 formed Brooks & Dunn.

In 1991, they released their first album, Brand New Man, certified 6× platinum by the RIAA.

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.

In late 2010, Dunn announced that he was working on a solo album.

Starting in 2011, Dunn has worked as a solo artist following the temporary dissolution of Brooks & Dunn.

He released his self-titled debut album for Arista Nashville on June 7, 2011, reaching the Top 10 with its lead-off single "Bleed Red".

The album's first single, "Bleed Red", was released to country radio on January 29, 2011, and debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs 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 was released on June 7, 2011.

The second single from the album, "Cost of Livin'", 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" at number 31.

The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums, 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.

In 2013, after leaving Arista Nashville in 2012, Dunn founded Little Will-E Records.

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".

On April 8, 2014, Ronnie Dunn released his second solo album, Peace, Love, and Country Music through his Little Will-E Records.

On December 3, 2014, Brooks & Dunn reunited, and along with Reba McEntire, performed a series of concerts throughout the summer and fall of 2015.

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.

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, NASH Icon, but the label never confirmed nor denied.

On November 11, 2016, he released his third album Tattooed Heart on NASH Icon label.

In 2019, Dunn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Dunn was born in Coleman, Texas, and attended 13 schools in his first 12 years of school.

His fourth album Re-Dunn was released on January 10, 2020.