Introduction
Long before the platinum records, sold-out arenas, and unforgettable country anthems, Kix Brooks was just a young boy growing up in Shreveport, Louisiana.
He had no idea that one day his name would become part of country music history. But the foundations of that journey were already being laid in an ordinary neighborhood, surrounded by music, family memories, and the influence of two legendary country artists: Johnny Horton and Hank Williams Sr.
And perhaps the most remarkable part of the story is that his first real connection to the music business began just down the street.
A CHILDHOOD SURROUNDED BY MUSIC
Born Leon Eric Brooks III on May 12, 1955, Kix Brooks grew up in a family where music was more than entertainment. It was part of everyday life.
His grandmother played an important role in nurturing his early musical interests. When he was around six years old, she bought him a small ukulele from Sears and Roebuck.
It was a simple instrument, but it opened an entirely new world for the young boy.
Kix began learning chords, singing songs, and entertaining his grandparents. His father later bought him a steel-string guitar when he was around ten or eleven.
Those early experiences helped him discover something that would eventually define his life: the joy of making music and sharing it with other people.Stream Albums
THE NEIGHBORHOOD CONNECTION THAT CHANGED EVERYTHING
One of the most fascinating details about Kix’s childhood was his connection to Johnny Horton.
The legendary country singer, remembered for songs such as “The Battle of New Orleans” and “Sink the Bismark,” was part of the musical world surrounding Kix’s neighborhood.
Johnny Horton had been married to Billie Jean Horton, who had also been married to Hank Williams Sr. Their family lived close to the Brooks family, and Kix became friends with Billie Jean’s daughter.
For a young boy already fascinated by guitars and country songs, this was an extraordinary connection.
Kix later recalled that Johnny Horton was one of his earliest musical influences. In a 1994 interview with the Los Angeles Times, he explained that “The Battle of New Orleans” and “Sink the Bismark” were among the songs he learned to play on guitar.
He also credited Hank Williams Sr. as one of the artists who helped shape his early understanding of country music.
These were not distant names in a history book. Their music was something Kix could learn, play, and carry with him.
HIS FIRST PERFORMANCE CAME AT JUST 12
In the sixth grade, Kix and his young band, known as The Originals, performed at a gathering at the Horton family’s home.
Kix later described that first performance in an interview with PBS. It took place in the family’s driveway around 1966 or 1967.
The band was young, inexperienced, and, by his own humorous description, probably loud and messy.
But it was a beginning.
The Country Music Hall of Fame confirms that Kix gave his first paid performance at the age of twelve alongside Billie Jean Horton’s daughter.
Think about that for a moment.
Before he ever stood beneath the lights of a major concert stage, before the awards and the millions of records sold, he was a twelve-year-old boy playing music in a neighborhood driveway.Stream Albums
There was no grand production, no famous audience, and no guarantee of success. Just a young musician discovering what it felt like to perform.
FROM A YOUNG SONGWRITER TO A COUNTRY MUSIC ICON
Kix continued developing his musical abilities throughout his teenage years. By the age of fourteen, he was already writing songs.
His path was not an overnight success story.
After attending Louisiana Tech University, he experienced different jobs and different chapters of life, including working on an oil pipeline in Alaska and spending time in Maine.
Eventually, he moved to Nashville in 1979 to pursue his musical ambitions.
Before becoming a superstar performer, he established himself as a songwriter. His compositions found success through artists such as John Conlee and the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band.
Then, in 1990, he joined forces with Ronnie Dunn.
Together, they became Brooks & Dunn, one of the most successful duos in country music history, delivering enduring hits such as “Boot Scootin’ Boogie,” “Neon Moon,” and “Brand New Man.”
Their success would eventually take them into the Country Music Hall of Fame.
THE BOY WHO NEVER LEFT MUSIC BEHIND
Looking back, Kix Brooks’s story reminds us that musical legends do not always begin with extraordinary opportunities.
Sometimes, they begin with a grandmother buying a child a small instrument, a father encouraging him to play guitar, and neighbors whose songs become part of his childhood.
Johnny Horton and Hank Williams Sr. helped shape the musical imagination of a young Kix Brooks. His family gave him the encouragement to explore it. And his first performance showed him that music could become something more than a childhood pastime.
The world would eventually know him as one half of Brooks & Dunn.
But before the fame, before the cowboy hats, and before thousands of fans sang along to his songs, there was simply a boy in Louisiana learning his first chords.
And that may be the most meaningful part of his story.