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The popular Country music duo at Ronnie Dunn’s property outside of Nashville. “I want to
make the best music possible and enjoy our
lives a little bit,” Brooks says.
Photo: Russ Harrington |
I meet the tall, thin, ruggedly handsome Ronnie Gene Dunn at The Barn behind the main house on his 18-acre spread, about a 15-minute drive from downtown Nashville. Warm and friendly, Dunn delights in showing off this 1940s barn that was originally a stable and hayloft. He alone is responsible for the renovation, design, and decor of the stunning building, which houses a recording studio and is filled with Western collectables: longhorns, cowhides, leathers, antique furniture, and bronzes.
The Barn is the site for many of Nashville’s charitable events. “Janine [his wife of 16 years] and I enjoy hosting events here for such organizations as Gilda’s Club for breast cancer, St. Jude’s, Vanderbilt Children’s Hospital, and many others,” Dunn says. “We just had a barn blowout for our daughter Haley’s school, and we played a full show. So far we haven’t received any bomb threats from the neighbors.”
An appointment with a carpet man takes us back to the main house so that Ronnie can select the color for a new antelope patterned carpet for a stairway. The interior of the house, worthy of an Architectural Digest spread, also has been designed and decorated by Dunn, with traditional furnishings accented by antiques, rare books, and priceless artwork. His collection of museum-quality Soviet-era Impressionist paintings is impressive.
A self-portrait by T.C. Cannon dominates one wall of the living area. Dunn describes Cannon as the van Gogh of Indian art; others have called him one of the most innovative and influential American Indian artists of the 1970s.
Read the complete story in the
pages
of Cowboys & Indians magazine at
your local newsstand or call (800) 982-5370.
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