June 1: Country music singer-songwriter Ronnie Dunn of Brooks & Dunn is 60-years-old today.

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Ronnie Gene Dunn was born in Coleman, Texas, and attended 13 schools in his first 12 years of school. He finished his education at Abilene Christian University in 1975 as a psychology major. While he was in college, he served as a music and youth minister at Avoca Baptist Church in Avoca, Texas.

When Ronnie began 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 chose to leave the university and moved to Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a chance at the country music scene. He lived there for many years while listening and learning from local honky tonks such as Tulsa City Limits - which is prominently featured in the music video for Brooks & Dunn's hit "Boot Scootin' Boogie."

Ronnie 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" in 1983 and "She Put the Sad in All His Songs" in 1984.
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n 1990, he and Kix Brooks formed Brooks & Dunn. They released their first album, Brand New Man, with their first four singles in 1991, and was certified 6x platinum by the RIAA. Since then, Brooks & Dunn have released 12 studio albums, two Greatest Hits albums, and a Christmas album. The three Greatest Hits albums feature seven songs that never appeared. on earlier albums.

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Brooks & Dunn have sold over 30 million records, had 26 #1 singles, and are one of the most consistently successful acts on the concert circuit. In 2009, they announced that they would disband in 2010.

In late 2010, Dunn announced that he was working on a solo album. The album's first single, "Bleed Red," was released to country radio on January 30, 2011, and debuted at number 30 on the Billboard Hot Country Songs chart for the week ending February 19, 2011. On March 21, 2011 it was announced that Ronnie's self titled album Ronnie Dunn would release on June 7, 2011.

Ronnie Dunn has won more than twenty Broadcast Music Incorporated (BMI) awards, including Country Music Songwriter of the Year in 1996 and 2001.

He has received more than 27 ACM awards for Top Vocal Duo since 1991, (except for 2000 when the honor went to Montgomery Gentry and 2009 when the honor went to Sugarland,) including three Entertainer of the Year awards and vocal event of the year in 2005, for their hit "Building Bridges" with Vince Gill and Sheryl Crow's background vocals, along with his Single of the Year for his gospel song "Believe."

He is a member of both the Oklahoma and Arkansas Music Halls Of Fame.

Brooks and Dunn have won more Country Music Association awards and Academy of Country Music awards than any act in the history of country music.

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. 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 USA.

For more about Ronnie, visit his Website at - http://www.ronniedunn.com/


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