Chris LeDoux

Chris LeDoux is a country music singer-songwriter and a rodeo star.  LeDoux was born in Biloxi, MS on October 2, 1948.  He learned to ride horses while he visited his grandparents on their Texas farm.  When he was 13, he participated in his first rodeo and after a while started winning junior rodeo competitions.  He kept competing in rodeos throughout his high school years.  LeDoux earned a rodeo scholarship to Casper College.  In 1970, he began a professional career of a rodeo cowboy.  To help pay for his expenses for his career, he began writing songs about his lifestyle.  After he had enough songs for an album, Chris recorded the album in his friend’s basement and started selling them out of the back of his truck at rodeo events.  After wining the world bareback riding championship in 1976, his music credibility took off.  LeDoux was forced to retire from the rodeo life in 1980 because of injuries and to spend more time with his family. 

After retiring, LeDoux kept writing and recording songs, he also began playing concerts.  Chris did not want to sign a recording contract, after many offers, because he wanted to keep total control over his singing career.  After being mentioned in Garth Brooks’ debut song “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)”, LeDoux signed a contract with Capitol Records.  On his second album with Capitol Records, Chris released his first and only Top Ten country single “Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy”.  As he kept releasing albums, LeDoux started singing songs written by other country artists.  But his last album, he went back to rerecord some of his earlier songwriting creations. 

In 2000, Chris LeDoux suffered from an illness that required him to get a liver transplant.  Garth Brooks volunteered to donate his liver and was found incompatible; but LeDoux received a transplant from another donor.  In 2005, Chris died from complications from cholangiocarcinoma.  After his death, LeDoux was inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs.  He was also awarded the Academy of Country Music’s Pioneer Award.  Garth Brooks came out of retirement to record “Good Ride Cowboy” as a tribute to LeDoux. 

Chris LeDoux has released many albums in his career.  His first album was Songs of Rodeo Life in 1971, which he sold to help his rodeo career out of the back of his truck.  His first album released with a recording company was Western Underground in 1991.  His last album released was Horsepower in 2003 with Capitol Nashville.  LeDoux’s first single released to radio was “Lean, Mean and Hungry” in 1979 and went to 99 on the Country Music Charts.  His only Top 10 single on the radio was “Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy” in 1992.  Chris’ last single to be released on radio was “Airborne Cowboy” in 2005 and did not make it to the country charts. 

Though I have not heard much of Chris LeDoux’s music, I think that he was a good country musician based on the opinions of my brothers’ who also love country music.  They know more about the older country singers, but I am learning and after researching Chris LeDoux, I plan to listen to his music and give him a chance to change my country music tastes.