Kix Brooks Rocks On Without Ronnie Dunn

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn may have hung up their chaps on September 2 when they wrapped up their 20-year partnership by performing their final concert in Nashville on the Last Rodeo tour, but the duo obviously plan to ride into the sunset -- solo -- on separate horses. While Ronnie Dunn is already working on his own album, Kix has hit the road solo.

CMT reports that Kix was front and center at Joe's Bar in Chicago last week, entertaining by candlelight and receiving a very warm reception from the audience. His appearance was part of the CMA Songwriters Series which included Kix, Bob DiPiero, David Lee Murphy and The Band Perry.

Kix took a moment to lovingly poke fun at the set-up -- following the Band Perry -- as he was about to perform: "They cheated," he said in jest. "They got the only pretty one on stage."

Kix took a trip down memory lane before he sang his first Brooks & Dunn hit, sharing with the crowd about the old days performing in the Old Absinthe House in New Orleans every night before he got to Nashville. Kix took Ronnie to Bourbon Street after some early success in Nashville and discovered a country karaoke bar. Apparently after getting drunk on Jell-O shots, they fought their way through the crowd, took the stage and sang one of their own tunes. "We nailed it,' declared Kix.

Next he sang his 2003 "rural-raisin' anthem," 'Red Dirt Road,' (co-written with Ronnie) and ended his "songwriter's" contribution by introducing one of Brooks & Dunn's most patriotic songs, 'Only in America' (co-written with Don Cook and Ronnie Rogers), telling the crowd that when Barack Obama was leaving the Democratic National Convention in 2008, 'Only in America' started blaring from the loudspeakers. "This guy is fixin' to be president ... and I'll be damned if he doesn't start playing this song," laughed Kix, explaining that he got an immediate text message from fellow country artist John Rich (a staunch supporter of Republican candidate John McCain) saying, "Uncool, dude. Uncool!"