In Memoriam
Chris LeDoux
October 2, 1948 – March 9, 2005 · aged 56
Country
Long before the mainstream country music industry capitalized on the cowboy aesthetic, Chris LeDoux was living the authentic rodeo life. Born in Mississippi in 1948, LeDoux was a real-life bareback riding champion who began writing songs about the grueling, dusty reality of the rodeo circuit. He independently recorded and sold his cassette tapes out of the back of his truck at rodeos throughout the 1970s and 1980s, building a massive, fiercely loyal underground fanbase. His career skyrocketed in 1989 when Garth Brooks famously name-dropped him in the hit song 'Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)'. This shoutout led to a major record deal and a hit duet with Brooks on 'Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy'. LeDoux remained an icon of western authenticity until he lost his battle with a rare form of liver cancer on March 9, 2005, at the age of 56. He remains the ultimate singing cowboy.
Milestones
Whatcha Gonna Do with a Cowboy, Cadillac Ranch, This Cowboy's Hat
Also remembered in 2005
- Ibrahim Ferrer (1927–2005)
- Johnnie Johnson (1924–2005)
- Link Wray (1929–2005)
- Luther Vandross (1951–2005)