Brooks & Dunn photo courtesy of Sony Music Nashville.

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“After 20 years of making music and riding this trail together, we have agreed as a duo that it’s time to call it a day. This ride has been everything and more than we could ever have dreamed. We owe it all to you, the fans. If you hear rumors, don’t believe them, it’s just time.”

With that simple message, Brooks & Dunn announced in August that they were riding off into the sunset. They did it in style, recounting their successes with a two-CD, 30-track compilation, #1’s…And Then Some. It included a pair of new hits, “Indian Summer” and “Honky Tonk Stomp,” in addition to such signature cuts as “Brand New Man,” “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Play Something Country” and “Only In America.”

Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn benefited from their two-man lineup; there aren’t a lot of duos in the business, and they came along just as the Judds were ending their run at the top in 1991. As a result, Brooks & Dunn won the Country Music Association’s Vocal Duo of the Year 14 times in 15 years on their way to landing at No. 2 on the CMA’s all-time list of winners.

The guys put on high-energy, party-focused concerts, and they threaded their albums with big, sing-along choruses. But they also left some very meaningful music, including the spiritual “Believe” and the reflective “Red Dirt Road.”

Both Kix and Ronnie are expected to continue their work with solo albums. And they’ll make one final push on the road with a 2010 tour, The Last Rodeo.

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