Brooks & Dunn on Country Music Hall of Fame Induction Honor: 'We Owe Each Other a Lot'

Brooks & Dunn was just announced as inductees for the Country Music Hall of Fame, and neither Kix Brooks nor Ronnie Dunn can quite believe their good fortune. The duo, who just announced the release of Reboot, their first album in almost 12 years, is humbled to receive what many consider, including Brooks & Dunn, to be the pinnacle of their career.

"Obviously I think we owe each other a lot, and the major part of our recognition came from whatever it was that we did together and had together, and we'd never been able to describe that or explain that," Brooks told PopCulture.com. "That whole thing is just weird. We get introduced and we jump in a rocket ship and take off, especially when we did. We've both been around town and it's not like we haven't been singing or had record deals or any of that stuff. Why this worked, I don't know.

"It'd be nice, I think, if we both could have done a lot of stuff individually," he continued. "Someday, and I think people that are fans of ours kind of know the stuff we do as individuals. I'm proud to go in with Ronnie. We made a big old mess out there for 20 years, and it was a lot of fun. And I look back on it with a big smile on my face. It's like I don't know how the hell that happened, but man, I guess it did or we wouldn't be sitting here right now."

Neither Brooks nor Dunn have been secretive about the fact that they both pursued solo careers first, and were put together by their record label – never imagining how successful they would be, or that their music would stand the test of time.

"[It's] a lot of give and take," Dunn said. "A lot of compromise, and it's somehow worked. It's like a marriage that lasts for a long time. You probably get to the end of that trail, and we've been married for what? 26 years. I think the biggest thing's probably having separate buses."

The honor, saved for the most successful and iconic artists in country music, is validation that their work was significant in the long run.

"I think for lack of any other better way to explain it, if you get an award for Single of the Year, and all those awards that we've gotten are all 'of the year,'" Brooks reflected. "It's just sort of the biggest thing that our industry has to say."

Brooks & Dunn will be officially inducted later this year, along with Ray Stevens and Jerry Bradley. The event is closed to the public.

Photo Credit: Getty images/Jason Kempin