Ronnie Dunn

Dunn married Janine Dunn on May 19, 1990. Together they have three children: Whitney, Jesse, and Haley Marie.

Outside of his musical career, Dunn is an avid motorsports enthusiast who enjoys racing his Legends car during his leisure time.

Ronald Gene Dunn was born in Coleman, Texas, to a truck-driving, country-singing father and a conservative mother. His family moved frequently during his childhood, leading him to attend 13 different schools across Texas, New Mexico, Arkansas, and Oklahoma throughout his first 12 years of education.

He attended Abilene Christian University as a psychology major and served as a music and youth minister at Avoca Baptist Church in Avoca, Texas. While playing bass guitar and singing in regional clubs around Abilene, university officials presented him with an ultimatum to quit performing in bands or leave the school. Dunn chose music, left the university, and relocated to Tulsa, Oklahoma. In Tulsa, he performed in local honky-tonks such as Tulsa City Limits and played in his father's band.

Dunn's early solo career gained momentum after winning the Marlboro Talent Search, which secured him a recording session in Nashville. Under Churchill/MCA Records, he charted minor solo country singles in the mid-1980s, including "It's Written All Over Your Face" and "She Put the Sad in All His Songs".

In 1990, Arista Records label head Tim DuBois introduced Dunn to fellow songwriter Kix Brooks, suggesting they collaborate. The pairing resulted in the creation of Brooks & Dunn. Their 1991 debut album, Brand New Man, earned six-times platinum certification from the RIAA and launched a streak of chart-topping hits including "Boot Scootin' Boogie", "Neon Moon", and "My Maria".

Brooks & Dunn went on to sell over 30 million albums and achieve 20 number-one Billboard country singles across 12 studio albums. They became one of the most celebrated duos in country music history, receiving multiple Entertainer of the Year titles, 28 Academy of Country Music awards, and 20 Country Music Association awards. In 2006, Dunn's co-written song "Believe" won CMA Single of the Year and Song of the Year, also earning him Gospel Songwriter of the Year from the Gospel Music Association. Brooks & Dunn announced a temporary hiatus in 2009, concluding with their 2010 Last Rodeo Tour, before reuniting in late 2014 for concert residencies with Reba McEntire and recording the 2019 collaborative album Reboot. Dunn was inducted into the Country Music Hall of Fame alongside Brooks in 2019.

Following the duo's 2010 hiatus, Dunn launched his solo career with Arista Nashville, releasing his self-titled album Ronnie Dunn in June 2011. The album debuted at number one on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and number five on the Billboard 200, supported by the top 10 single "Bleed Red" and the Grammy-nominated track "Cost of Livin'".

After departing Sony Music in 2012, Dunn established his independent label, Little Will-E Records. He released his second solo album, Peace, Love, and Country Music, in April 2014. In 2015, Dunn signed with NASH Icon, an imprint of Big Machine Label Group, and issued his third solo album, Tattooed Heart, in November 2016, featuring the single "Ain't No Trucks in Texas" and a collaboration with Brooks titled "Damn Drunk". He continued releasing independent work through Little Will-E Records, including the 24-track classic covers collection Re-Dunn in 2020 and 100 Proof Neon in 2022.