Chris LeDoux facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Chris LeDoux
LeDoux in May 1999
Background information
Birth name	Christopher LeDoux
Born	(1948-10-02)October 2, 1948 Biloxi, Mississippi, U.S.
Origin	Cheyenne, Wyoming, U.S.
Died	March 9, 2005(2005-03-09) (aged 56) Casper, Wyoming, U.S.
Genres	Country country rock Western music
Occupation(s)	Musician singer-songwriter rodeo competitor
Instruments	Vocals guitar harmonica
Years active	1971–2005
Labels	Liberty Capitol American Cowboy Songs

Chris LeDoux (born October 2, 1948 – died March 9, 2005) was an American country music singer, songwriter, and a champion rodeo cowboy. He was also a talented sculptor. During his life, Chris released 36 albums and sold over six million copies. He earned gold and platinum awards for his music and was nominated for a Grammy Award. Chris LeDoux is also the only person to both compete and perform at the famous Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Chris LeDoux's Life Story

Early Years and Rodeo Dreams

Chris LeDoux was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on October 2, 1948. His dad was in the Air Force, so Chris's family moved around a lot. He learned to ride horses when he visited his grandparents' farm in Wyoming.

When he was just 13, Chris entered his first rodeo. Soon, he was winning junior rodeo contests. He kept competing in rodeos and playing football through high school. After winning the Wyoming State Rodeo Championship twice, he earned a scholarship to Casper College. Later, he won a national bareback riding championship while at Eastern New Mexico University.

Chris married Peggy Rhoads on January 4, 1972. They had five children: Clay, Ned, Will, Beau, and Cindy.

Becoming a Rodeo Champion and Musician

In 1970, Chris LeDoux became a professional rodeo cowboy. To help pay for his travels, he started writing songs about his life on the rodeo circuit. In just two years, he had enough songs for an album. He even started his own recording company, American Cowboy Songs, with his father. Chris recorded his first songs in a friend's basement and sold his tapes from the back of his pickup truck at rodeo events.

In 1976, Chris won the world bareback riding championship at the National Finals Rodeo. This win showed everyone that his cowboy songs were real, making his music even more popular. He continued to compete for four more years before retiring from rodeo in 1980.

A Full-Time Music Career

After retiring from rodeo, Chris and his family settled on a ranch in Kaycee, Wyoming. He kept writing and recording songs and started playing concerts. His shows were very exciting, sometimes even featuring a mechanical bull that he would ride! By 1982, he had sold over 250,000 albums without much advertising. By the end of the 1980s, he had released 22 albums on his own.

Even though many record labels wanted to sign him, Chris wanted to stay independent. But then, country superstar Garth Brooks mentioned Chris in one of his songs. This brought a lot of attention to Chris. In 1991, he signed with Liberty Records and released his first national album, Western Underground. His next album, Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy, became a gold record and reached the top 10. The song "Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy", which was a duet with Garth Brooks, became Chris's only top-10 country song in 1992.

The song "Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy" was even nominated for a Grammy Award in 1992! Chris continued to record for Liberty Records for the next ten years, releasing six more albums. He also started recording songs written by other artists, finding it challenging to always write new lyrics himself. In 2000, with his album Cowboy, he went back to his roots, re-recording many of his early songs.

Chris LeDoux earned two gold records and one platinum record. His song "Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy" went gold in 1993. His album The Best of Chris LeDoux went gold in 1997. And his album 20 Greatest Hits went platinum in 2005.

Illness and Passing

In August 2000, Chris LeDoux was diagnosed with a serious liver disease. He needed a liver transplant. His friend, Garth Brooks, even offered to donate part of his own liver, but it wasn't a match. Luckily, another donor was found, and Chris had his transplant on October 7, 2000. After getting better, he released two more albums.

In November 2004, Chris was diagnosed with cancer. He received treatment, but sadly, he passed away from cancer on March 9, 2005, at the age of 56. His funeral was held two days later.

Honoring Chris LeDoux

Rodeo Hall of Fame

Soon after Chris passed away, he was chosen to be part of the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He was the first person to be honored in two ways: for his amazing bareback riding skills and for his contributions to rodeo through his music.

Music Awards and Tributes

In 2004, the Academy of Country Music gave Chris LeDoux the Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award. This award honors artists who have made a big impact on country music. In 2005, Garth Brooks accepted the award for Chris's family.

Later in 2005, Garth Brooks recorded a song called "Good Ride Cowboy" as a tribute to Chris. Garth said he wanted the song to be upbeat and happy, just like Chris was. He called Chris "a man's man" and "a good friend." Garth performed the song at the CMA Awards, where Chris's family also received a special award.

Lasting Memories

Friends of Chris LeDoux started an annual rodeo, art show, and concert in Casper, Wyoming, to remember him. The art show displays sculptures and drawings that Chris made for his friends. He had even won awards for some of his sculptures during his lifetime.

In 2007, Capitol Records re-released many of Chris's early albums. Also, a sculptor named D. Michael Thomas created a large statue of Chris LeDoux riding a bucking horse. This statue, called "Good Ride Cowboy," is in the Chris LeDoux Memorial Park in Kaycee, Wyoming.

On July 24, 2007, Chris's son, Beau LeDoux, who is also a rodeo competitor, spread his father's ashes over the arena at the Cheyenne Frontier Days rodeo. Beau said it felt right to do this because the rodeo was very special to his dad.

The city of Casper, Wyoming, where Chris went to college, celebrates him every November with the Chris LeDoux Memorial Rodeo. This event includes an art show with Chris's works, a rodeo, and a country music concert.

In 2011, country music artist Brantley Gilbert paid tribute to Chris in his song "Country Must Be Countrywide," with the line, "From his Wranglers to his boots – he reminded me of Chris LeDoux. With that Copenhagen smile, Country must be countrywide."

In 2021, another bronze statue of Chris LeDoux was placed at Cheyenne Frontier Days. This large statue, called Just LeDoux It, shows Chris on a bucking bronc with a guitar. Garth Brooks and Chris's son Ned LeDoux were there for the unveiling.

Rodeo Honors

Rodeo Career Milestones

Discography

Awards and Nominations

Awards

Academy of Country Music

• 2004 Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award

Nominations

Grammy Awards

• 1992 Best Country Collaboration with Vocals – "Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy" with Garth Brooks

Academy of Country Music

• 1992 Top Vocal Duo of the Year - with Garth Brooks