Brooks & Dunn photo by Russ Harrington, courtesy of SonyBMG Nashville.
Nov. 14, 2008 — When Reba McEntire joined Brooks & Dunn during Wednesday’s CMA Awards performance of "Cowgirls Don’t Cry," it represented not only a special live version of their current single -- it also signaled a rare creative move.
Just hours after the three singers left the stage of Nashville’s Sommet Center, a studio version of the collaboration was shipped to radio stations. It’s an unusual move since Kix Brooks and Ronnie Dunn’s original recording is already at No. 19 on the Country Aircheck singles chart.
Reba’s participation is a natural update for "Cowgirls," and not just because of her history with the rodeo. Ronnie joined her on last year’s Reba Duets album on a song called "Does The Wind Still Blow In Oklahoma," and he wrote "Cowgirls" shortly after writing "Oklahoma."
"It’s not a cowgirl-specific song," Ronnie says. "It’s about the things that women have to endure. Guys are taught, ‘Hey, you don’t cry. Cowboy, you don’t cry; get up and do it again.’ Well, I was thinkin’ about Reba when I wrote it. I was thinkin’ about how she grew up, and I sent her the lyrics the night that I wrote that song, and I mean I got 100 e-mails goin’: ‘You gonna record that song? You gonna record that song?’ I told her, ‘I wrote it about you.’"
Ronnie had no idea at the time that she would indeed record it with Brooks & Dunn, or that they would work together on a video. It should be out by the end of November.
In the meantime, it’s worth recalling another instance when a solo recording was turned into a duet after the single’s original release: Miley Cyrus was added to Billy Ray Cyrus’ version of "Ready, Set, Don’t Go," rejuvenating Billy Ray’s recording career in the process.
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