Back in the mid-90s, Kix Brooks used to sing lead on the occasional Brooks & Dunn single. It’s been forever since a single without Ronnie Dunn has been heard. Is there a reason for this? Does he not want to? Have they not been allowed to record that way anymore? Just something I randomly thought of…
I might be the only one to respond to this thread, but sadly I don’t know the answer. Ironically, I have had this very conversation with a friend, and he pointed out that quite a few of the of their best songs feature Kix on lead vocals.
I don’t know the reason, but I have a feeling it has to do with ego. The two do not get along well. The travel in separate buses (no cite). In fact, the band recently broke up (again).
Plus, they have had fewer big hits since the 90s. I’m not sure what the ratio of Dunn to Brooks is, but I can only think of one big hit they’ve had since the 90’s: Only In America.
My overall conclusion was that this situation is similar to a question posed to Keith Richards as to why he never sings for the Stones. His reply, was, “I play the guitar. What would Keith do while I was singing?”
FYI- they put on an excellent concert.
I’ll just respond that I like many of their songs, but don’t know the band well enough to know the personalities involved.
The simple fact is that Kix Brooks has a rather generic, uninteresting voice. Not a bad voice, just nothing special. On most of the songs with his lead vocals, you really wouldn’t know it was Brooks & Dunn without the DJ telling you so. OTOH, Ronnie Dunn has a powerful, very distinctive voice that is immediately recognizable.
They don’t? Their wiki page says they live on the same street in a Nashville suburb.
That was the rumor. Again, I have no cite, so grain of salt!
Brooks & Dunn have had many big hits in this decade, just not the monster hits they had in the 90’s. I haven’t bought any Brooks & Dunn albums since Greatest Hits in 97(?), maybe Kix sings on album tracks, but not on singles anymore. What was the last single with a Kix lead? Mama Don’t Get Dressed Up For Nothin? Lost and Found?
Play Something Country rocks. Wish YouTube had a HQ version. 
So, for the country music illiterate: Is Brooks the Oates of Brooks & Dunn?
Hah! I recently came across an old Hall & Oates video on YouTube and thought exactly the same thing, so I suppose he is 
I think you nailed it!