Keepin’ records and taking names.
Last night, the 60th Annual Academy of Country Music Awards were held in Frisco, Texas. The night was filled with some great moments before the show even got underway, like Zach Top being named the New Male Artist of the Year or Cody Johnson and his wife announcing they are pregnant with a baby boy on the red carpet.
Once the stars headed into the Ford Center, the evening continued with more memorable moments, like Alan Jackson making the crow tear up during his emotional performance of “Remember When” and Lainey Wilson taking home the Entertainer of the Year award for the second consecutive year, making her the first woman in over a decade to do so.
The night was also filled with typical award show nonsense, too. Like Old Dominion winning Group of the Year again over the Red Clay Strays and Flatland Cavalry, or Rascal Flatts is teaming up with the Backstreet Boys for a closing performance. While award shows have significantly improved over the years, we can’t win them all as country fans, right?
While a few records were set last night, like Lainey Wilson’s ETOY win, one country duo has stood the test of time and extended its already record-setting number of ACM Award wins. Last night, Brooks & Dunn won, taking home Duo of the Year. This was Ronnie Dunn and Kix Brooks’ 17th time taking home the award in this category.
Sheesh.
Brooks & Dunn won their first ACM Award in 1992 and recalled the moments after their first acceptance speech with Billboard. Brooks said it felt like they were in the game that year, given it was their first major award show. Dunn added:
“I remember we were walking off the stage, I was looking this way, and [Kix] was looking that way, and we were both fighting back tears.”
They’ve been icons for quite some time, and since the release of Reboot II, which gave their career a resurgence, it seems like they will continue to be a major player for the foreseeable future.
However, their 17th win for Duo of the Year wasn’t the only record they extended last night. They also kept their reign as the most awarded duo in ACM history, adding another notch to their belt with 31 wins total.
While they still have a way to catch up to the most awarded ACM artist, Miranda Lambert, they are still in a league of their own with 31 awards to their name.
Brooks & Dunn has stood the test of time in this cutthroat industry and proved last night that they are not going anywhere.
The night before the ACM Awards, country music stars gathered for the ‘Play Something Country’ Gala, where the famed ’90s duo was honored. The event featured a seated dinner, a silent auction, and performances of their greatest hits by Eric Church, Cody Johnson, Lainey Wilson, Megan Moroney, and more.
One of the standout performances of the evening was Eric Church covering “You’re Gonna Miss Me When I’m Gone.” This single is one of the few where Kix Brooks took the lead vocals in the studio and is a certified country heartbreaker. Eric Church did the song justice with his take.
Check it out before you go.
@katdunn ACM Awards 60th Anniversary Gala honoring Brooks & Dunn #brooksanddunn #ericchurch #acmawards @ACM Awards ♬ original sound – katdunn
