This Ronnie Dunn Merle Haggard Cover Is Absolute Perfection [WATCH]
Ronnie Dunn's delivery of Merle Haggard's "That's the Way Love Goes" is pure, nostalgic perfection. The new Country Music Hall of Fame member covers the song on his recently released Re-Dunn album, but he also turned in a live performance of the track, which readers can watch above, during a trip to the Taste of Country studio.
Dunn arrived for his studio performance with an acoustic guitarist and steel guitarist in tow, and the two elevate the Lefty Frizzell- and Whitey Shafer-penned song with Dunn and the helm. The Brooks & Dunn member's instantly recognizable voice is still pitch-perfect, three decades into his career.
Dunn is intimately familiar with "That's the Way Love Goes": He'd often cover the song early on.
"I came up through the ranks in Texas and Oklahoma playing bars," Dunn tells Taste of Country. "There's certain songs that you gravitate to over the years."
Haggard's version of "That's the Way Love Goes" earned him a Grammy for Best Country Vocal Performance -- Male, but he wasn't the only country artist to top the charts with the tune. Both Haggard and Johnny Rodriguez took the now-classic to No. 1; Rodriguez released the song in 1973, while Haggard did so in 1983.
"It's simple: It's a verse and a chorus. Very few songs are written that way," Dunn says of the song. "You can get to the point, economize with lyrics and the melody, and make it just get there, surf that little wave. It's so fun to sing."
Dunn released Re-Dunn, an album of covers of songs that have been important to him throughout his life and career, in January. In April, he and Brooks & Dunn partner Kix Brooks dropped Reboot, a record of reimagined versions of their biggest hits, sung with new country stars.
10 Things You Probably Don't Know About Brooks & Dunn