Chris LeDoux country music discography (DJ Joe Sixpack's Guide To Hick Music)

Chris LeDoux (1948-2005) was one of the most commercially successful "cowboy" country singers and, unlike many Western singers before him, he actually was a cowboy: LeDoux worked the professional rodeo circuit throughout the 1970s, and in 1976 won a world championship for bareback riding. He also pioneered DIY indie-country, starting his own label in 1971 and selling tens of thousands of copies of his albums, and became a regional star. Eventually -- after two decades and nearly two dozen albums -- LeDoux signed with Capitol Records in the 1990s and recorded several albums during the decade. He also relicensed his old records, making them available to new generation of fans. Here's a quick look at his work...

Discography - Best-Ofs

Chris LeDoux "Sounds Of The Western Country" (American Cowboy Songs, 1980)
A best-of set, gathering some favorites from his '70s albums...

Chris LeDoux "20 Originals: The Early Years" (Capitol Nashville, 2002)

Chris LeDoux "American Cowboy" (Capitol Nashville, 1994)
A 3-CD box set...

Chris LeDoux "20 Greatest Hits" (Capitol Nashville, 1999)

Chris LeDoux "The Ultimate Collection" (Capitol Nashville, 2006)

Chris LeDoux "The Capitol Collection" (Capitol Nashville, 2002)

Discography - Albums

Chris LeDoux "Sings Of Rodeo Life" (Lucky Man Music, 1971) (LP)

Chris LeDoux "Rodeo Songs Old And New" (Lucky Man Music, 1973)

Chris LeDoux "Songs Of Rodeo And Country" (Lucky Man Music, 1974)

Chris LeDoux "Rodeo And Living Free" (Lucky Man Music, 1975)

Chris LeDoux "Life As A Rodeo Man" (Lucky Man Music, 1975)

Chris LeDoux "Songbook Of The American West" (American Cowboy Songs, 1976)

Chris LeDoux "Rodeo Life" (Lucky Man Music, 1976)

Chris LeDoux "Sing Me A Song Mr. Rodeo Man" (Lucky Man Music, 1977)

Chris LeDoux "Cowboys Ain't Easy To Love" (Lucky Man Music, 1978)

Chris LeDoux "Paint Me Back Home In Wyoming" (American Cowboy Songs, 1978)

Chris LeDoux "Western Tunesmith" (American Cowboy Songs, 1979)

Chris LeDoux "Old Cowboy Heroes" (American Cowboy Songs, 1981)

Chris LeDoux "He Rides The Wild Horses" (American Cowboy Songs, 1981)

Chris LeDoux "Used To Want To Be A Cowboy" (American Cowboy Songs, 1982)

Chris LeDoux "Old Cowboy Classics" (Capitol Records, 1983)
As advertised, a nice, compact set of cowboy-themed oldies, including chestnuts such as "Tennessee Stud," "Strawberry Roan," and "Old Paint," as well as songs of newer vintage, like "Night Rider's Lament", which tastefully draws a comparison between the dreams of weather-bitten cattlemen and city-bound office workers. An interesting major-label effort to recapture the flavor of a bygone era.