"Brooks & Dunn came together in 1988, a collaboration conspired by Artista executive Tim DuBois. Leon Eric (Kix) Brooks was born in Shreveport, Louisiana. He began his music career singing alongside country legend Johnny Horton's daughter. Kix then went on to do some odd jobs - first working the Alaskan Oil pipeline and then going on to Maine where he performed at Ski Resorts and local venues. His first years in Nashville, at the beginning of the ‘80s, were spent writing songs.Ronnie Gene Dunn was born in Coleman, Texas. As a teenager he started playing with traditional string bands, but his first career choice was to be a Baptist Minister. After being kicked out of school for continuing to play in bars while being a student, he decided to go to Tulsa and start pursuing a career in music, where he led a house band in '83 and '84. He eventually moved to Nashville after winning a songwriting contest with a prize that included a session of recording in that city.The duo released their debut album Brand New Man in 1991, and the album became an instant hit with two number one singles ""Brand New Man"" and ""My Next Broken Heart."" The smooth blend of their voices showed the world that they were definitely the biggest new thing on the table in country music at that time. Hard Workin' Man was their next release in 1993 and peaked at number 9 on The Billboard 200, with six chart singles, most notably the number one songs ""She Used to Be Mine"" and ""That Ain't No Way To Go."" The Group has won two Grammy Awards, with ""Hard Working Man"" in 1993 and ""My Maria"" in 1996 both receiving the Best Country Performance By a Duo or Group With Vocal."