Chris LeDoux’s Children Kept Their Father’s Rodeo Spirit Alive

Chris LeDoux’s children, Clay, Ned, Will, Beau, and Cindy, grew up in a rodeo life with a list of chores to do in their family ranch near Kaycee, Wyoming. 

Their father is known as a real rodeo cowboy in a country music world saturated with artificial ones. He was the 1976 Bareback World Champion who pursued an unusual music career. He had one of the best live shows in the business and was a great singer-songwriter.

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But to his children, he was simply known as Dad. Let’s get to know more about Chris LeDoux‘s kids below who make sure his rodeo spirit lives on. 

Ned LeDoux

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A post shared by Ned LeDoux (@nedledoux) on Sep 6, 2019 at 7:50am PDT

Ned is LeDoux’s second son. He used to play drums in his father’s band, Western Underground. The band’s original drummer, KW Turnbow, was out for several months due to a car accident. 

“Then I started thinking about who Dad was going to get to replace him,” Ned recalled. “I looked at Mom, and she had this little smile on her face. Dad said, ‘Would you want to come out and give it a try?'” Ned played with Western Underground from 1998 until LeDoux’s untimely passing. 

Ned actually started learning drums at a very young age. “I got a set of drums when I was maybe 5 or 6 years old, and I just knew that’s what I wanted to do,” Ned said. “Music was my dream, my life, my passion. I remember seeing my dad play at barn busts back in the early ’80s, and it just looked like it was a lot of fun. The crowds seemed to enjoy it, and so that was the path I decided to stick to.”

Today, Ned LeDoux is keeping his father’s legacy by following his musical footsteps. He writes and sings songs that relate to his Cowboy roots. In 2017, he won the Rocky Mountain Country Music Award for Male Vocalist of the Year. 

In 2019, the entire LeDoux family mourned. It was reported that Ned’s two-year-old daughter, Haven, died in a “tragic choking accident” at their home. 

Beau LeDoux

Beau LeDoux, on the other hand, has carried on his late father’s rodeo tradition. He became a pro bareback rider. Though he never got a chance to see his father rodeo at the peak of his career, he’s seen old videotapes. He knew following in the footsteps of a legend isn’t easy, but he didn’t allow this to stop him. 

“There’s no pressure on me about it,” LeDoux said. “Dad would support us in anything we wanted to do.”

Beau got into buying and selling bucking horses too. Now, he spends most of his time running the family ranch. 

Clay, Will and Cindy LeDoux

Chris LeDoux’s other children, Clay, Will, and Cindy, have shied away from the spotlight. Clay is the first of the five children Chris LeDoux had with wife Peggy Rhoads. Cindy is said to be the other sibling in rodeo. She was a barrel racer. 

Will, on the other hand, is very active with the Annual Chris LeDoux Days, a two-day celebration of all the things we love about Wyoming. The event honors country music artist Chris LeDoux through matched bronc and bareback riding and some amazing country music concerts.

It’s been a little over 15 years since their father’s passing after a lengthy battle with liver cancer, and Chris LeDoux’s children make sure his memory and music will live on forever.

“The number of hearts and souls he’s touched over the years is amazing. I think about him every day. There will never be another guy like him,” says Ned. “Dad used to say that, more than anything, he wanted to be known as a good husband and family man. And that he was.”