Fixin' to LeDoux It Again

Mike Motz, Sidney Sun-Telegraph

It will be a reunion, of sorts, on July 28 when country music star Ned LeDoux performs at the Cheyenne County Fair. That date marks the 30th anniversary of the concert his father, Chris LeDoux, put on at the Cheyenne County Fair back in 1993.

"We didn't realize that until the Fair Board let us know this morning, and it's just incredible. Two of my current band members played with my father at that concert back in 1993, so it's kind of wild for us to go going back on the very same day 30 years on," said LeDoux from his home in Kansas.

Ned LeDoux is the son of country music legend Chris LeDoux, the rodeo cowboy turned country music star well-known in this area of the country for his classic and authentic western-themed songs.

Ned has had a musical upbringing, but was never pressured by his father to make a career out of music. "My father never pressured me to get into music, but I did get a drum set when I was six years old and started banging away," he said. The younger LeDoux played drums for bands as he grew up, but was more focused on rock and roll and popular music.

"When I was about 14 or 15 years old, we had a band and we played a lot of classic rock, some country music and a lot of ZZ Top," he remembered. But he grew up on a working ranch, and did a lot of the work necessary to keep a ranch going, and has the experience to tap into the life that most of his fans out west know as their "daily routine".

"I write what I know about, and growing up in Wyoming on a ranch makes my songs ring true. People like the authenticity, and my songs come from the heart," he said.

He started writing songs in his teen years, and with his background, the songs lent themselves to the country western style that he's known for today. "That's around the time I came out from behind the drum kit and started being out front playing guitar and singing," he said. After his father passed away in 2005 from a rare form of liver cancer called Cholangiocarcinoma, he had a group of musicians and friends to support him during that difficult time.

Some years later, he got his first big chance at a very large audience when Toby Keith needed an opener after the scheduled act could not perform. "My dad and Toby Keith had the same manager, so he gave me a call and I said yes. It was wild, being in front of thousands of people with just a guitar and a microphone stand. I didn't have a drum kit to hide behind. I just went out and gave it my all and it was a great experience."

LeDoux is known for the albums "Sagebrush" and "Buckskin", and has a new album coming out in March. By the time the Fair rolls around, fans will know many of his new songs by heart and will be eager to hear them performed lived at the fairgrounds.

"I love playing at County Fairs," LeDoux said. "It's a family atmosphere and there's usually horses and livestock around for the right atmosphere. The best part are the kids get to enjoy the music and you can see them dancing around, kicking up dirt and dust with their boots on. I always enjoy playing Fairs."

Cheyenne County is eager to welcome Ned LeDoux to Sidney on the 30th anniversary of his father playing the Cheyenne County Fair.