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The Famous and Not-So-Famous Find Williamson County Hard To Beat

Kix Brooks

Kix Brooks, of Brooks & Dunn fame, has lived in Williamson County for 25 years.

Country music superstar Kix Brooks – half of the mega-duo Brooks & Dunn – may have grown up in Louisiana‚ but he feels right at home in Williamson County.

The singer/songwriter put down roots here 25 years ago when he was first get­ting his boot-clad feet wet in Nashville’s music industry.

“It was obvious driving around that everything up north of Nashville was a traffic jam. South of Nashville had a quieter attitude‚ and I heard other people in the music business were living here‚” Brooks recalls.

“Our first house was on Holt Road‚ parallel to Concord Road. Now‚ we have a home in Brentwood‚ and we’ve been there 12 years‚” he continues‚ referring to his wife‚ Barbara. “And we have 600 acres on Bear Creek Road – we’re thinking about building our next house there.”

Brooks is one of many celebrities for whom Williamson County is home‚ sweet home. Kenny Chesney‚ George Jones‚ Trace Adkins‚ Billy Ray Cyrus‚ and Tim McGraw and Faith Hill‚ as well as a host of other famous musicians‚ live in Wil­liamson County‚ along with Tennessee Titans quarterback Kerry Collins and NASCAR driver Casey Atwood.

So many stars reside in the area that Nashville’s Gray Line Tours offers a Homes of the Stars bus tour that winds its way through Williamson County‚ past the fabulous homes of Trisha Year­wood‚ Alan Jackson and Dolly Parton‚ to name just a few.

Lifelong Williamson County resident and real estate agent Mamie McArthur Sanders believes the No. 1 reason celebrities – and regular folks – are attracted to the area is because of its warm hospitality.

“People in Williamson County are very gracious and sensitive to new people coming in. Hospitality is a Southern tradition that’s held true here‚” says Sanders‚ who co-owns McArthur Sanders Real Estate with her husband‚ Brent. “The beauty of the area and the four seasons also have to do with people’s desire to live here. I don’t know of an inch of land in Williamson County that isn’t a hot market right now.”

Another draw is the county’s excellent pubic school system‚ which for Brooks was “an extra benefit.” His 20-year-old daughter‚ Molly‚ and 18-year-old son‚ Eric‚ both attended Brentwood High School.

“We didn’t move to Williamson County for the schools – we just got lucky that way‚” Brooks says. “We can see Brentwood High from our hilltop. Both our kids went to Williamson County public schools‚ and their schools were unbelievable. They both made perfect scores on their SAT verbals.”

There’s also a sense of commitment‚ values and purpose among Williamson County residents.

“The churches here are overflowing with committed people‚” Sanders says. “The appeal of going to the park with your family‚ strolling around in historic downtown Franklin‚ eating at fine res­taurants and visiting the malls are all geared toward a fantastic lifestyle. Many of the music stars have houses elsewhere‚ but they love to come home to Wil­liamson County.”

That’s certainly true for Brooks‚ who made a huge investment in the area in 2007 when he opened Arrington Vine­yards‚ a new winery. It was the brainchild of Brooks and his friend and fellow Liberty United Methodist Church member Fred Mindermann.

“Fred and Kip Summers [a Clarksville‚ Tenn.‚ winemaker] were growing 11 varieties of grapes and making test bottles of wine. I thought it was intriguing‚ and I love good wine‚” Brooks says. “They approached me five years ago about putting a vineyard at my farm in Leiper’s Fork. I became so convinced it would be successful that I didn’t want to do it‚ because I knew I’d get so much traffic in the one place I get peace and quiet.”

But Mindermann and Summers didn’t give up on the idea. They found another location off State Route 840 in Arrington with a dramatic overlook‚ and approached Brooks a second time about buying the land. The trio pooled their finances and purchased the 75-acre tract on which they’ve planted more than 10‚000 grapevines.

“We’ve been rockin’ and rollin’ ever since getting the project up to speed. We’re having a blast‚” Brooks says.

“The climate‚ hillside and even the soil here are similar to Italy. The grapes are doing amazing‚ and the sugar content is perfect. We’ve got six or seven varieties planted already.”

Initially‚ Arrington Vineyards is expec­ted to produce about 5‚000 cases of wine per year.

The winery is one of many hats for Brooks‚ who‚ with partner Ronnie Dunn‚ is touring with Alan Jackson in 2007 and hosting radio’s “American Country Count­down‚” heard weekly on more than 250 stations nationwide.

“I’m overscheduled‚ as my wife would say‚” Brooks says with a laugh. “But I enjoy my work and feel fortunate to do the things I do.”

Eventually‚ Brooks will hang up some of his hats. But don’t expect him to retire to some remote‚ exotic island – this singer’s boots are firmly planted in Tennessee.

“My heart’s in Tennessee‚ so I plan on staying here‚” Brooks says. “Especially now that I have something to look forward to … sitting up on that winery deck sipping wine.”

Story by Jessica Mozo
Photo by staff

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