Brooks & Dunn News

(4/25/01, 6 p.m. ET) -- Brooks & Dunn will kick off its Neon Circus & Wild West Show on Saturday (April 28) in Birmingham, Alabama. The award-winning duo couldn't have picked a better time to launch a new tour, thanks to the strong momentum created by its current single, "Ain't Nothing 'Bout You," which holds the Number One spot on the Billboard Hot Country Singles & Tracks chart for the second week in a row, and its brand new album, Steers & Stripes, which debuted in the top spot on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart.

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn have decided to share the stage this summer with the likes of Montgomery Gentry, Toby Keith, and Keith Urban, all of whom get "two thumbs up" from the three-time entertainers of the year. Brooks & Dunn zeroed in on these acts thanks to some advice Reba McEntire shared with them early in their careers, as Dunn tells LAUNCH: "Reba used to tell us early on, it's really important when you put on a big multi-act show to pick the right acts, and how do you do it, and luck has a lot to do with it. We used to ask her, 'Well, where do you get your crystal ball?' 'cause she lucked out. She picked up Garth before he really popped, then right after that she picked up Clint Black. I think before Garth she picked up Randy Travis, and then we came along. It's just keeping your hand on the pulse of what you think is hot, up-and-coming stuff, and then having the stars line up at the same time. With this thing in particular, they just did."

Brooks adds that the duo is honored to have these top-notch up-and-comers share the bill, as he explains: "These guys are all our buddies. We've worked with them in the past and they're all real hot. It also comes down to them wanting to be on your tour. We're lucky that all these guys are like 'Yeah, let's do this. Let's run together,' because you're looking at the hottest acts in country right now and they can pretty much do what they want to, you know?"

Brooks & Dunn are scheduled to perform on the Academy Of Country Music Awards on May 9. The show will air live from the Universal Amphitheater at 8 p.m. ET on CBS.

-- Margy Holland, New York

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