On this day (October 2) in 1948, Chris LeDoux was born in Biloxi, Mississippi. He was a champion bronc rider and country singer and songwriter. Early in his career, he recorded albums in a friend’s basement and sold them to his fellow rodeo competitors to help pay his expenses. In 1989, Garth Brooks mentioned LeDoux’s name in his debut single, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).” This put national attention on LeDoux and his music and led to his first major label deal.
The rodeo was LeDoux’s first passion. His father took him to the Cheyenne Frontier Days Rodeo when he was 10. He walked away from the event knowing what he wanted to do with his life. Three years later, he competed for the first time.
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According to American Cowboy, LeDoux became the PRCA World Champion Bareback Rider in 1976. He continued competing for another eight years before retiring and focusing on his music career.
Chris LeDoux’s Recording Career
Chris LeDoux started writing songs about the rodeo lifestyle in the late 1960s, while he was still on the college circuit. His songs were always popular with other rodeo competitors. So, in 1970, he decided to start recording his songs and selling tapes out of his truck to make a little extra money.
He and his father started an independent label called American Cowboy Songs. His entire family pitched in and, before long, his tapes were selling like hot cakes at rodeos across the country. By the time he became a world champion, he had cut six albums. He never looked for a major label deal. Instead, he chose to remain independent. That changed in the early 1990s, when a major label came looking for him.
In 1989, Garth Brooks released his debut single, “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old).” It contained the lines “The competition’s getting younger / Tougher broncs, you know I can’t recall / A worn out tape of Chris LeDoux, lonely women, and bad booze / They seem to be the only friends I’ve left at all.” The song went to No. 8 on the country chart and drew national attention to the cowboy singer/songwriter.
Jimmy Bowen at Liberty Records sought out LeDoux, was impressed by what he heard, and offered the retired cowboy a record deal. His 20th full-length album and major label debut, Western Underground, was released in 1991. A year later, he had a top 10 hit with “Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy,” a duet with Garth Brooks.
LeDoux’s discography is full of songs that remain popular despite not being chart hits. Songs like “This Cowboy’s Hat,” “Copenhagen,” “Cadillac Ranch,” and “Bareback Jack” have become classics.
The Garth Brooks Connection
Chris LeDoux’s story cannot be summed up as “the cowboy singer/songwriter who owed his success to Garth Brooks.” They helped one another along the way. Before Brooks had one of the most electrifying shows in country music, he was watching LeDoux dominate the stage.
LeDoux’s live shows were rowdy affairs with flashing lights, pyrotechnics, and a mechanical bull that he rode between songs. His lyrics were pulled from his life as a cowboy, but his stage energy was nothing short of rock and roll. Brooks took note. “I stole my whole act from Chris,” he said. Their connection was more than professional. They were friends.
In 2000, LeDoux was diagnosed with primary sclerosing cholangitis, a disease that affects the liver and gallbladder. Brooks offered to donate a section of his liver. However, he was not a compatible donor. “To me, Garth, he’s kind of my guardian angel,” he told the Associated Press in 2001. “It’s like every time I need some help, he’s there.”
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When LeDoux died from cancer in early 2005, Brooks wrote “Good Ride, Cowboy,” as a tribute to his fallen friend. He included it in Anthology, Part IV: Going Home. “Going Home is about feeling like you’re on the journey you want to be on,” Brooks explained. “What’s that journey? You just want to be a better man, and when you talk about the best men out there, you gotta talk about Chris LeDoux.”
Featured Image by Beth Gwinn/Redferns/Getty Images
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