NASHVILLE, TN. (Country
Music Association) - He's been Entertainer of the Year 4 times ... Headlined countless major tours and written No 1 hits for himself and many others ... and with partner
Ronnie Dunn pretty much defined what modern honky tonk music post-Waylon Jennings and the heart of Saturday night. And now, the utterly hospitable Kix Brooks has been tapped by ABC
Radio Networks as the new host for its American Country Countdown - the longest running and most listened to count to No 1 in the nation.
"The thing about Kix - not only is he a consummate entertainer, he loves what he does ... and he has done it as completely as anyone I've ever seen," says John McConnell, Senior Vice President of ABC Radio Networks, of the choice. "He knows the music. He knows the songs. He knows the people. He knows the life. But especially, he knows the stories - and the artists and fans just seem to take him places they wouldn't most other people."
Brooks will take over as the host of the 16-time Billboard Network/Syndicated Show of the Year winner in January 2006. A music intensive 4 hours that counts down the biggest 40 songs in country music each week, American Country Countdown is heard on more than 400 radio stations nationwide, along with the Armed Forces Radio Network and internationally through a joint venture with Radio Express.
"I think this is gonna be cool," says the man with the smoky voice, the quick laugh and the sparkle in his eyes. "The idea of getting to bring the listeners into our world, to give them insight into where the music comes from and what our lives are like out here ... it's a great way to bring people even closer to what we do every week - and I love that."
Having just wrapped the wildly successful Deuces Wild Tour - with special guests Big & Rich and the Warren Brothers - Brooks & Dunn head straight into their second year hosting the annual Country Music Association Awards. With their nearing platinum Hillbilly Deluxe debuting at No 1 on Billboard's Country Album Chart and "Play Something Country" topping both of the singles charts, the duo who've been hailed as "Country music's Mick and Keith" by no less than The Village Voice show no signs of slowing down... so American Country Countdown is in for a pretty spectacular ride.
"This positions us to take a show that's the standard by which everyone else is compared to even deeper places," says McConnell. "Kix is a natural story-teller - and he brings that out in others. This is a show that's not just what the hits are, but who the people writing and recording them are. So, American Country Countdown is poised to be the definitive source. And, given Kix's personality, the listeners will have a lot of fun."
Brooks & Dunn will play a rare stripped down club gig at Irving Plaza in New York City on Nov. 10, then will host "The 39th Annual Country Music Association Awards," broadcast live from Madison Square Garden on CBS, Nov. 15. With "Believe," the searing song about generational connections and faith beyond words currently taking the charts, Hillbilly Deluxe continues flexing its muscle as the duo's most personal and musically expansive project yet.
