Brooks & Dunn's initial run of hits, and the ongoing revival in interest in their music, aided by such students of '90s county as Luke Combs and Ashley McBryde, makes perfect sense.

Kix Brooks went from a sought-after songwriter for the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band and other mainstream '80s acts to a top-notch guitarist and showman, while Ronnie Dunn ranks among the best honky-tonk vocalists since Keith Whitley. Together, they elevated those individual strengths en route to 20 No. 1 hits and a 2019 induction into the Country Music Hall of Fame.

Beyond those obvious truths, however, there's plenty of fun facts and happy happenstances involving the duo's lives and music, from their literary alter-egos to a Willie Nelson-like ability to appeal to both sides of the political aisle -- even in recent, polarizing times.

Read on to learn more lesser-known truths from the duo's early years and their nearly 30-year run atop the country music world.

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