Post by ZD on Mar 9, 2005 19:22:52 GMT -5
I seriously doubt anyone here will have ever heard of Chris LeDoux, who passed away today as a result of complications of liver cancer. Chris was a rodeo man, and perhaps the most underrated western music artist on the planet.
I say 'western' rather than country/western because Chris's music went beyond the typical country & western boundries. Chris was a world rodeo champ who also found a great love in poetry and music, and he was an extraordinary wordsmith. He wrote the songs of life... anything and everything. Chris made his name on the American Rodeo circuit, riding, falling and getting dirty with the real cowboys. He recorded his songs on cassette tapes and sold them at rodeos around the country to pay his entry fees. You can tell the real cowboys from the dress-up cowboys with one single question: "Have you ever heard of Chris LeDoux?" You can take it to the bank that if they say "No", they don't walk the walk.
While his earlier work was more traditiional, his later music was really a mix between rock & roll and country western. Even for folks I've introduced to his work who aren't country music fans, many have found something in his songs that touched them deep inside. He was just that kind of writer. He was as real as it gets, and even after signing with Capital Records after having his name mentioned in one of Garth Brook's songs back in the early 1990s, Chris remained a regular guy... always friendly with his fans and never afraid to sit with you at the bar and swap rodeo stories.
Chris has been one of a small handful of people that I have long regarded as a hero. Not because he did anything earthshaking... Simply because he was a man's man, and had a heart as big as all outdoors. He never forgot who paid to listen to his music and see his shows. He was a devoted husband and wonderful father.
Chris was 56 years young.. Good bye Chris... it's been a hell of a ride!
ZD
I say 'western' rather than country/western because Chris's music went beyond the typical country & western boundries. Chris was a world rodeo champ who also found a great love in poetry and music, and he was an extraordinary wordsmith. He wrote the songs of life... anything and everything. Chris made his name on the American Rodeo circuit, riding, falling and getting dirty with the real cowboys. He recorded his songs on cassette tapes and sold them at rodeos around the country to pay his entry fees. You can tell the real cowboys from the dress-up cowboys with one single question: "Have you ever heard of Chris LeDoux?" You can take it to the bank that if they say "No", they don't walk the walk.
While his earlier work was more traditiional, his later music was really a mix between rock & roll and country western. Even for folks I've introduced to his work who aren't country music fans, many have found something in his songs that touched them deep inside. He was just that kind of writer. He was as real as it gets, and even after signing with Capital Records after having his name mentioned in one of Garth Brook's songs back in the early 1990s, Chris remained a regular guy... always friendly with his fans and never afraid to sit with you at the bar and swap rodeo stories.
Chris has been one of a small handful of people that I have long regarded as a hero. Not because he did anything earthshaking... Simply because he was a man's man, and had a heart as big as all outdoors. He never forgot who paid to listen to his music and see his shows. He was a devoted husband and wonderful father.
Chris was 56 years young.. Good bye Chris... it's been a hell of a ride!
ZD