Introduction
Timeless Tunes and Lasting Bonds: Brooks & Dunn Reveal Their Favorite Country Songs Of All Time
Few names in country music carry as much weight — or as much heart — as Brooks & Dunn. For more than three decades, Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have stood as the beating pulse of modern country, crafting anthems that shaped a generation and defined the genre’s golden age. Yet even legends have their own heroes, and recently, in a rare and heartfelt conversation, Brooks & Dunn Reveal Their Favorite Country Songs Of All Time — a list that not only reflects their influences but also paints a portrait of two men who still see themselves as lifelong fans of the music they helped elevate.
When you hear the words “Brooks & Dunn,” you think of roaring crowds, line-dancing anthems, and timeless hits like Boot Scootin’ Boogie, My Maria, and Neon Moon. But behind the energy and success lies something much simpler: two men who love country music down to their bones. Their admiration for the artists who came before them runs deep — and when they speak about their favorite songs, it’s not as superstars reminiscing from the top, but as fans whose lives were changed by melody and storytelling.
Brooks & Dunn Reveal Their Favorite Country Songs Of All Time, and unsurprisingly, their choices tell the story of the genre itself — a journey from the dusty honky-tonks of Texas to the bright lights of Nashville. Ronnie Dunn, known for his soulful voice and emotional depth, points to Merle Haggard’s Sing Me Back Home as one that has always haunted him. “That song,” he said once, “it’s real. You can’t fake that kind of truth.” For Dunn, country music has always been about honesty — about laying your soul bare in three and a half minutes and hoping someone out there feels the same way.
Kix Brooks, the Louisiana-born showman with a storyteller’s spirit, often mentions the likes of Hank Williams and Willie Nelson when he talks about the songs that made him who he is. Your Cheatin’ Heart, he says, is one of those songs that can stop you in your tracks no matter how many times you’ve heard it. “It’s not just about heartbreak,” Brooks explained in an interview years ago. “It’s about the way country music tells the truth without dressing it up.”
As Brooks & Dunn Reveal Their Favorite Country Songs Of All Time, it’s clear that their admiration stretches beyond their own era. They speak of George Jones’s He Stopped Loving Her Today with reverence, calling it “the greatest country song ever written.” They laugh about how many times they’ve tried to sing it together — and how impossible it is to match the raw ache in Jones’s delivery. They also tip their hats to Waylon Jennings, Johnny Cash, Loretta Lynn, and Dolly Parton — names that built the foundation on which Brooks & Dunn later stood.
But what’s most touching about their reflections is how personal they are. For every chart-topping hit they mention, there’s also a deep cut — a song that may not have made radio history but left a mark on their hearts. Ronnie speaks fondly of Vern Gosdin’s Chiseled in Stone, calling it “one of the most perfectly written songs of sorrow.” Kix, meanwhile, recalls the first time he heard Blue Eyes Crying in the Rain on a jukebox in his hometown, saying that moment changed the way he understood country music forever.
Listening to them talk about these songs is like sitting with two old friends who have lived a lifetime in the rhythm of the genre. There’s no pretense, no performance — just gratitude. They know they’ve been blessed to contribute their own verses to the great story of country music, but they never forget who wrote the earlier chapters.
In a world that moves faster every day, their reverence for these classic songs is a reminder of what makes country music endure. It’s not about the trends, or even the fame — it’s about truth, memory, and heart. When Brooks & Dunn Reveal Their Favorite Country Songs Of All Time, they remind us that the greatest songs don’t just entertain us — they live with us, shaping the way we love, hurt, and heal.
For fans, hearing their heroes talk about their heroes is like tracing the roots of a great old tree — one whose branches keep growing, but whose foundation remains strong. Brooks & Dunn’s list isn’t just a collection of songs; it’s a reflection of the soul of country music itself. And as long as voices like theirs keep singing its praises, that soul will never fade.