3 Country Singers From the 1970s Who Were Cowboys in Real Life

Country singers, whether they were big in the 1970s or before or after, had a tendency to have the “look” of cowboys. However, not all of them lived the cowboy lifestyle or embodied the ranch or rodeo life. That wasn’t the case for the following three musicians, who each really walked the walk when it came to being a real-life cowboy.

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Chris LeDoux

Chris LeDoux is better known for his charting records from the 1990s and 2000s. However, he released quite a few albums from 1971 to 1979. And nobody fits the “cowboy” label quite like he did.

Outside of his successful music career, LeDoux was a hall of fame rodeo champion. It’s wild to think he had the time to do both, considering LeDoux released a whopping 36 albums before his passing in 2005. He learned to ride horses young, competed in junior rodeo competitions as a kid, and went on to become a legend in the rodeo world, ultimately retiring to focus on music in 1980.

Michael Martin Murphey

Not only was Michael Martin Murphey a country musician and a cowboy in many senses of the word, but he was also a real champion of wilderness conservation and cowboy culture in the great American West.

Murphy was an icon and pioneer of the progressive country movement, serving as a voice for Western cowboys and ranchers. Inspired by his family of Texas ranchers and cowboy music, he pursued country music songwriting. Murphy enjoyed a successful career for decades. Outside of music, Murphy was a champion of Western culture and wildlife, too. He supported the Native American rights movement, founded a festival that celebrated Western culture, and supported numerous conservation movements with the goal of finding a middle ground between ranchers and activists who often had opposing views. That’s a real cowboy in my book.

Marty Robbins

Marty Robbins started making music way back in the 1950s, and he enjoyed quite a bit of success on the country and mainstream US charts in the 1960s and 1970s. Robbins makes it to our list of country singers from the 1970s who were real-life cowboys because he embodied the cowboy spirit in terms of keeping traditional country music alive, more so than many of his popular contemporaries.

Born in Arizona, Robbins worked hard as a truck driver in his younger years and served in the Navy. Once his service ended, he pursued music and performed at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville. He wore embroidered cowboy suits during the era of outlaw country that was pulling focus from traditional country music. And his wife, Marizona Baldwin, said she always wanted to marry a “singing cowboy.” She definitely got her wish.

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