Brooks & Dunn and Midland brought their collaboration for B&Ds new album Reboot to life when they teamed up to perform Boot Scootin Boogie on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday night.
Midland singer Mark Wystrach set the scene with the songs famous opening lyric Out in the country, past the city limits sign before Ronnie Dunn and his honeyed voice joined in. His partner of nearly 30 years Kix Brooks laid down some rootsy harmonica, while Midlands Jess Carson and Cameron Daddy chimed in on background vocals. Boot Scootin Boogie is nearly as old as the duo themselves, released early on in Brooks & Dunns career on their 1991 debut album Brand New Man.
On Reboot, the Country Music Hall of Fame duo paired up with young country stars to rerecord iconic hits like Boot Scootin Boogie, Red Dirt Road and Believe. Dunn told Rolling Stone recently that he was struck by how invested todays artists are in country musics past.
I know there is a concern for a lot of the newer acts, where you go, Do they have an awareness of who were their predecessors and how far back does that go? By doing the project, it opened my eyes, he said. They showed up knowing what these songs were.
Midland will play the Tortuga Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, this weekend, before resuming their Electric Rodeo headlining tour. The trek hits the Ryman Auditorium in Nashville on May 5th. Brooks & Dunn continue their Las Vegas residency with Reba McEntire this summer and will also play a series of festival dates.