The son of a country music enthusiast, Dunn was born in Coleman, Texas, and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Playing in bands since his teens, he briefly studied psychology and theology at Abilene Christian College. Expelled from the school for "performing in honky tonks," he continued to attract attention with his Tulsa nightclub performances. Although Dunn recorded several tunes for Churchill Records in 1983 and 1984, none provided a breakthrough. He fared much better four years later, when an appearance in the Marlboro National Country Music talent contest led to an opportunity to record in Nashville. Brought together with Brooks, who despite writing songs for Crystal Gayle and the Oak Ridge Boys had found little success with his own recordings (by Tim DuBois), Dunn finally discovered a formula for success.
Brooks Dunn’s 1991 debut, Brand New Man, was a hit out of the gate, launching a career that proved to be one of the most successful in contemporary country music. Ronnie Dunn played with Kix Brooks for nearly two decades, and during that time they were always at the top of the country charts, racking up an astonishing 20 number one singles during that time. The duo announced an amicable split in 2009 followed by a farewell tour in 2010. Dunn was the first of the pair to launch a solo career, releasing a self-produced eponymous solo album in the summer of 2011. Ronnie Dunn debuted at number one on the U.S. country charts and had a Top Ten single in "Bleed Red." Dunn's 2014 album, Peace, Love and Country Music, didn't make any waves -- neither of its singles cracked the Billboard Top 40 -- so he switched to Nash Icon in 2016, releasing the album Tattooed Heart in November of that year.
Dunn reunited with Brooks in 2019 for Reboot, an album featuring new versions of old Brooks Dunn hits cut with younger artists. Dunn quickly followed Reboot with Re-Dunn, a solo album featuring covers of his favorite old tunes.
In 2022, Dunn returned with 100 Proof Neon, a collection of retro-country where he had a writing credit on seven of the eleven tunes. ~ Craig Harris, Rovi