Brooks & Dunn calls it quits after 20 years

AP Photo / John Russell, file

In this Sept. 12, 2007 file photo, Kix Brooks, left, and Ronnie Dunn of the country duo Brooks & Dunn pose for a portrait at The Factory in Franklin, Tenn.

AP Photo / John Russell, file

In this Sept. 12, 2007 file photo, Kix Brooks, left, and Ronnie Dunn of the country duo Brooks & Dunn pose for a portrait at The Factory in Franklin, Tenn.

The best-selling country duo posted a message on its Web site Monday saying they've agreed to "call it a day" after 20 years of making music together.

"This ride has been everything and more than we could ever have dreamed ... We owe it all to you, the fans," Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn said in the message. "If you hear rumors, don't believe them, it's just time."

Brooks & Dunn will release a greatest-hits album on Sept. 8 and tour one last time in 2010.

The duo's many hits include "Boot Scootin' Boogie," ''My Maria," ''Red Dirt Road" and "Cowgirls Don't Cry" with Reba McEntire.

Their label, Arista Nashville, said the group has sold more than 30 million albums.

Brooks, 54, and Dunn, 56, were struggling solo artists when Arista's Tim DuBois urged them to join forces in 1990. Together they've scored 23 No. 1 hits.

They've recorded 10 studio albums, the latest 2007's "Cowboy Town."

The pair steeped themselves in the mythical West (their emblem is a sun-bleached steer's skull) and rode the charts with a driving honky-tonk sound. They took a turn with 2003's "Red Dirt Road" and often pay homage to their classic rock influences, including playing shows with the Rolling Stones and ZZ Top.

Brooks & Dunn won the Country Music Association's vocal duo of the year award every year between 1992 and 2006, except for 2000.

The CMA named them entertainer of the year in 1996.

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On the Net:

http://www.brooks-dunn.com/site.php

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