5 Facts You Might Not Know About Ronnie Dunn

Before you catch Ronnie Dunn at Rimrock Auto Arena on July 23, here's a few things you might not know about the country superstar.

• Dunn originally wanted to be a Baptist minister, and attended Abilene Christian University, in Abilene, TX. He attended this bible college until he was asked to leave because he was performing at the local bars. He left for Tulsa, Oklahoma, for a chance to become a country star.

• Along with Brooks and Dunn partner Kix Brooks and author Bill Fitzhugh, Dunn co-wrote a book titled The Adventures of Slim & Howdy. The novel features Brooks and Dunn's alter-egos Slim and Howdy as they travel across the country pursuing a musical career. Their adventures include getting caught up in a rigged poker game, encountering a snake handler, and a run-in with Los Zetas, the deadly Mexican organized crime gang.

• If being a minister or an author had fallen through, perhaps Dunn could have made a living has a clothing designer.  He designed shirts for Panhandle Slim, the Texas based western clothing line.

• Dunn actually began his musical career as a solo artist in 1983. He had two singles with Churchill/MCA Records, "It's Written All Over Your Face" in 1983 and "She Put the Sad in All His Songs" in 1984. It wasn’t until 1990 that Dunn and Kix Brooks formed Brooks & Dunn.

• Although spending 20 years in Brooks & Dunn, Dunn said in an interview with Billboard.com that he was "scared to death" kicking off his new solo career.  "I think fear and insecurity are great motivators," Dunn said last June. "I worked overtime -- not that I have to -- to stay neurotic. I never take anything for granted. I look at my age. I look at the length of time that we were in the marketplace with Brooks & Dunn, and I don't know how people are going to accept me and I don't assume in any way they're gonna come running to this project."  Obviously these fears were quelled when his self-titled album entered the Billboard Country Albums chart at number one.

The Breakfast Flakes present Ronnie Dunn in Concert: Saturday, July 23, 7pm at Rimrock Auto Arena, 308 6th Ave N, Billings.  Tickets available at MetraPark Box Office or here.