VOA标准英语2011--Ronnie Dunn Makes Solo Debut

Ronnie Dunn Makes Solo Debut¹

After spending the past 20 years performing as half of Brooks² & Dunn, the Country duo's lead singer Ronnie Dunn is striking out on his own with his debut solo album.
Ronnie Dunn recorded three singles in the early 1980s, but none garnered³ enough success to get his solo career off the ground. In 1990, he teamed with Kix Brooks to form Brooks & Dunn. The duo's popularity was immediate⁴. Beginning with their 1991 debut single, "Brand New Man," Brooks & Dunn topped the Country chart 26 times and sold more than 30 million albums worldwide. Between 1992 and 2006, Brooks & Dunn won the Country Music Association's Vocal⁵ Duo of the Year Award 14 times. They've collected over 60 industry honors, including three Entertainer of the Year Awards from the Academy of Country Music.
Although he had two decades of success behind him, Ronnie Dunn told "Billboard⁶" he was "scared to death" about launching a solo career.
He said, "I think fear and insecurity are great motivators. I look at the length of time that we were in the market place 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." At the same time, Ronnie says it was liberating⁷ to have complete control over his solo project.
Ronnie's fans and Country radio showed their support for his new solo career by making its first single "Bleed Red" a Top 10 hit. The album debuted⁸ at Number One on the Country chart and at Number Five on the Billboard 200.
Ronnie recently kicked off a U.S. concert tour that will keep him on the road through mid-September.
Dunn wrote or co-wrote nine of the 12 songs and also produced the album. His new single,"Cost of Livin'," deals with a war veteran who returns home and becomes a victim of the current economic downfall.

1 debut   

n.首次演出，初次露面

参考例句：

• That same year he made his Broadway debut, playing a suave radio journalist.在那同一年里，他初次在百老汇登台，扮演一个温文而雅的电台记者。
• The actress made her debut in the new comedy.这位演员在那出新喜剧中首次登台演出。

2 brooks   

n.小溪( brook的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• Brooks gave the business when Haas caught him with his watch. 哈斯抓到偷他的手表的布鲁克斯时，狠狠地揍了他一顿。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• Ade and Brooks exchanged blows yesterday and they were severely punished today. 艾德和布鲁克斯昨天打起来了，今天他们受到严厉的惩罚。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 garnered   

v.收集并（通常）贮藏（某物），取得，获得( garner的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• Mr. Smith gradually garnered a national reputation as a financial expert. 史密斯先生逐渐赢得全国金融专家的声誉。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He has garnered extensive support for his proposals. 他的提议得到了广泛的支持。 来自辞典例句

4 immediate   

adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的

参考例句：

• His immediate neighbours felt it their duty to call.他的近邻认为他们有责任去拜访。
• We declared ourselves for the immediate convocation of the meeting.我们主张立即召开这个会议。

5 vocal   

adj.直言不讳的；嗓音的；n.[pl.]声乐节目

参考例句：

• The tongue is a vocal organ.舌头是一个发音器官。
• Public opinion at last became vocal.终于舆论哗然。

6 billboard   

n.布告板，揭示栏，广告牌

参考例句：

• He ploughed his energies into his father's billboard business.他把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。
• Billboard spreads will be simpler and more eye-catching.广告牌广告会比较简单且更引人注目。

7 liberating   

解放，释放( liberate的现在分词 )

参考例句：

• Revolution means liberating the productive forces. 革命就是为了解放生产力。
• They had already taken on their shoulders the burden of reforming society and liberating mankind. 甚至在这些集会聚谈中，他们就已经夸大地把改革社会、解放人群的责任放在自己的肩头了。 来自汉英文学 - 家（1-26） - 家（1-26）

8 debuted   

初次表演，初次登台（debut的过去式与过去分词形式）

参考例句：

• In late 2003 a full-size SUV, the Pathfinder Armada, debuted. 2003年末，全尺寸SUV的探路者无敌舰队，推出。
• The album debuted at number two and quickly went platinum. 专辑一亮相就荣登排行榜第二名，很快就取得了白金销量。