Donald's Encyclopedia of Popular Music

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z

LeDOUX, Chris

(b 2 October 1948, Biloxi MS; d 9 February 2005, Caspar WY of cancer) Country singer, songwriter, guitarist and genuine cowboy: a world champion rodeo star. He moved to Austin TX in 1960 after his father retired from the Air Force; heavily involved in youth rodeo, he won Inter-Collegiate National Champion Bareback Rider and World Bareback Rider Champion '76. Dabbling with singing and songwriting, he performed at rodeos and clubs, self-produced and marketed cassettes on the rodeo circuit; there were 22 albums '72-87 on his own American Cowboy label. He retired from the rodeo circuit '84 to concentrate on singing and ranching; with his Saddle Boogie Band he built up a following and was mentioned in Garth Brooks's hit 'Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)': Brooks claimed him as an influence and kickstarted LeDoux' greater success. He signed to Capitol '91, Brooks joined him on the country top ten hit 'Whatcha Gonna Do With A Cowboy' '92, the album of that title going gold. Capitol re-reissued his old cassettes on CD, and he co-starred with Suzy Bogguss in TNN special Ropin' And Rockin' '93, an 18-year overnight success. He describes his music as a combination of western soul, sagebrush blues, cowboy folk and rodeo rock'n'roll. Albums included Songs Of Rodeo Life, Life Of A Rodeo Man, Rodeo's Singing Bronc Rider, Wild And Wooly, Thirty Dollar Cowboy (all from American Cowboy, reissued on Liberty-Capitol), plus Western Underground '91, Under This Old Hat '93, Haywire '94 and Stampede '96. He underwent a liver transplant in 2000, then developed a rare condition called primary sclerosing chalangitis, and died of cancer of the bile duct.