NASHVILLE, TN. (Brooks & Dunn Official Website) - He's got horses. He's got 4-wheelers. He's got a stocked pond. Heck, he's even got an award-winning pair of longhorns. So, when Kix Brooks kicks back from the whirlwind tour schedule he maintains with partner Ronnie Dunn, you can bet the high-flying songwriter/guitarist heads straight to his 550-acre spread outside Nashville. And this Friday, the good folks at USA Today are taking their readers along for the fun and the frolic when their Weekend Destination section features Brooks' farm.
"When they said they wanted to experience it," says Brooks with a laugh, "I thought, 'Come on…. We're gonna show you a real good time!' And they gave me almost a whole day, so they sure did get a lot of ground covered… I don't know how often they have to go 4-wheeling or climb trees to do what they do, but that day, they did. Thank heavens those guys are athletic and have a sense of humor, 'cause we tore it up."
In addition to riding the horse who starred in the "My Maria" video, Brooks took them into the barns, the farmhouse retreat and the "toy shack," where he keeps his rebuilt Corvette - purchased to commemorate his first No 1 record as a songwriter, which was the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band's "Modern Day Romance." That at home feel only reinforces the sense the fans have of the 4-time Entertainers of the Year as people who lead lives that are pretty consistent with the men they see onstage.
Beyond USA Today, though, the fans will have plenty of other opportunities to see the men whose Hillbilly Deluxe hits stores next Tuesday, August 30th. Kicking off street week with a bang, the men currently criss-crossing the country wt. the highly combustive Deuces' Wild Tour will wake up and rock Manhattan - as part of "Good Morning America"'s Summer Concert Series, this Monday, August 29th, live from Bryant Park.
Then later that night, Brooks & Dunn will be beamed live to 61 movie theaters across America for "One Night Only." In addition to taking questions from the fans via satellite and doing an acoustic performance, the hard-charging duo will premiere their back-to-the-roots concert, filmed live at Tulsa's world-famous Cain's Ballroom, home of the spring-loaded dance floor.
"Cain's was always one of those places," says Dunn, clearly in awe of the high temple of honky tonk and progressive rock's legacy. "Being able to play there brought a lot of things full circle for us - not to mention plugging us into some pretty impressive history! Now we're able to share this institution with people all over the nation, so they can see the place I saw an awful lot of music when I was coming into my own as a songwriter."
Word has it a People feature will also hit the stands this week, along with the debut of CMT's "Homecoming" special Saturday night, August 27 - which takes both Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks back to the people and places who helped make them who they are today. With Hillbilly Deluxe due Tuesday and Deuce's Wild kicking up dust front, left and center, it's no wonder everywhere you look there they are… and there's plenty more where that came from: all you gotta do is look around.
