Kix Brooks

Kix Brooks
Brooks in April 2010
Background information
Birth name	Leon Eric Kix Brooks, III
Born	May 12, 1955 (1955-05-12) Shreveport, Louisiana, USA
Genres	Country
Occupations	Singer-songwriter
Years active	1983–present
Labels	Capitol, Arista Nashville
Associated acts	Ronnie Dunn
Website	www.brooks-dunn.com/

Leon Eric "Kix" Brooks III (born on May 12, 1955 in Shreveport, Louisiana, USA), is an American country music artist, best known for being one half of the duo Brooks & Dunn.

Early life

Brooks grew up in Shreveport, Louisiana. He has one sister, one half-sister, one half-brother and his father adopted one son of his third wife. He attended Riverside Elementary for grades K-5. After graduating from the former Sewanee Military Academy, an Episcopalian institution in Sewanee, Tennessee, Brooks attended Louisiana Tech University in Ruston, where he was a theatre arts major. He moved to Alaska to work for his father on an oil pipeline for one summer and then returned to Louisiana Tech to finish his education. He then moved to Maine and wrote advertising for a company owned by his sister and brother-in-law.

Musical career

His father urged him to pursue his desire to become a musician, and Kix moved to Nashville in the early 1980s. His then girlfriend (now wife Barbara, with whom he has a son and daughter) followed shortly thereafter. He began working for Tree Publishing as a staff songwriter. He recorded his first solo single, Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down, for Avion in 1983 but returned to songwriting after its failure. He also released an album, Kix Brooks, in 1989 on Capitol Records. This album also featured the song "Sacred Ground", which became a #2 country hit for McBride & the Ride in 1992.

He was one half of country music duo Brooks & Dunn. Brooks usually provides backing vocals on their songs and singles. The singles featuring Brooks on lead vocals include, "You're Gonna Miss Me When I'm Gone", which went to Number One, Lost and Found, and "Rock My World (Little Country Girl)." He has not sung lead on any of the duo's singles since 1999's "South of Santa Fe".

On August 10, 2009, Brooks & Dunn announced to their fans, via their website that they intended to disband after 20 years of touring. According to the short statement released on their web site, Brooks & Dunn intend to release a greatest hits album, tour throughout the rest of 2009, and have a farewell tour in 2010.

Awards

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. They have won the Country Music Association Vocal Duo Of The Year award every year since they debuted in 1991 except in 2000 when the honor went to Montgomery Gentry, and in 2007 and 2009 when it was awarded to Sugarland. They have sold over 30 million records and continue to be one of the most consistently successful touring acts on the concert circuit.

Other achievements

Brooks (right) performing with Bob DiPiero for U.S. troops in Afghanistan on behalf of the USO in December 2010

Since January 2006, Brooks has hosted American Country Countdown, a syndicated radio countdown show based on Mediabase country charts. Brooks succeeded the show's former host, Bob Kingsley. Brooks is also co-owner of Arrington Vineyards with winemaker Kip Summers, and businessmen Fred Mindermann and John Russell. Arrington Vineyard is a winery located outside of Nashville.

Discography

Studio albums

Title	Details
Kix Brooks	Release date: 1989 Label: Capitol Records Formats: Compact disc, LP

Singles

Year	Single	Peak positions	Album
		US Country
1983	"Baby, When Your Heart Breaks Down"	73	Kix Brooks
1989	"Sacred Ground"	87
2012	"New to This Town" (featuring Joe Walsh)A	58	TBD

• ^ACurrent single.

Guest singles

Year	Single	Artist	Peak positions	Album
			US Country
1990	"Tomorrow's World"	Various	74	Non-album song