23 Facts About Chris LeDoux

Christopher Lee LeDoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor, and hall of fame rodeo champion.

Chris LeDoux was awarded two gold and one platinum album certifications from the Recording Industry Association of America, was nominated for a Grammy Award, and was honored with the Academy of Country Music Cliffie Stone Pioneer Award.

Chris LeDoux is the only person to participate and perform at the Houston Livestock Show and Rodeo.

Chris LeDoux was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, on October 2,1948.

Chris LeDoux was of French descent on his father's side.

Chris LeDoux's father was in the US Air Force and was stationed at Keesler Air Force Base at the time of his birth.

Chris LeDoux learned to ride horses while visiting his grandparents on their Wyoming farm.

At age 13, Chris LeDoux participated in his first rodeo, and before long was winning junior rodeo competitions.

Chris LeDoux continued to compete in rodeo events and played football through his high-school years.

In 1970, Chris LeDoux became a professional rodeo cowboy on the national circuit.

In 1976, Chris LeDoux won the world bareback riding championship at the National Finals Rodeo in Oklahoma City.

Chris LeDoux continued to write and record his songs, and began playing concerts.

Chris LeDoux's concerts were very popular, and often featured a mechanical bull and fireworks.

Chris LeDoux released six additional records, including One Road Man, which made the country top 40 in 1998.

Toward the end of his career, Chris LeDoux began recording material written by other artists, which he attributed to the challenge of composing new lyrics.

An alternative donor was located, and Chris LeDoux received a transplant on October 7,2000.

In November 2004, Chris LeDoux was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma, for which he underwent radiation treatment until his death.

Shortly after his death, Chris LeDoux was named as one of six former rodeo cowboys to be inducted into the ProRodeo Hall of Fame in Colorado Springs, Colorado, in 2005.

Chris LeDoux was the first person to be inducted in two categories, for his bareback riding and in the "notables" category "for his contributions to the sport through his music".

The art show features sculpture and sketches that Chris LeDoux completed for friends; none of his works were ever officially exhibited before his death.

However, Chris LeDoux did have two pieces of sculpture that won awards while he was alive; it was more than just a hobby.

In 2021, a bronze statue of Chris LeDoux was placed at Cheyenne Frontier Days in Frontier Park in his honor.

Fellow musical artist Garth Brooks and Chris's son Ned LeDoux attended the unveiling.