Story and Interview by Gracie Williams
Videos by American Songwriter
With “country culture” turning from taboo to trendy in the modern mainstream, it’s easy to assume that all of these new additions have created a diluted version of the culture. But for artists like Kansas-based Ned LeDoux, who was born and raised in it, it brings back tradition, and genuine family pastimes into the beloved lifestyle. With the release of his third studio album Buckskin, LeDoux continues to explore this culture the only way he knows how—by simply painting a pretty portrait of country life as he experiences it.
Growing up on a ranch in Wyoming, LeDoux learned to write what he knew—“cowboy stuff” as he puts it, family, friends, and wide-open spaces. In addition to this outward nostalgia, LeDoux often explores for Buckskin, it all began with a bit of introspection, and a single poem with the album’s namesake.
“I’ve been a big fan of Cowboy Poetry for most of my life,” LeDoux tells American Songwriter. “I played at the National Cowboy Poetry Gathering out in Elko, Nevada a couple of times, and got to meet some of the legendary poets that go out there every year. So, I just thought I’d try my hand at it.”
Now, as LeDoux resides in the great Kansas plains with a family of his own, he makes a conscious effort to keep themes of family and tradition alive in every project—especially when it comes to the legacy of his late father, beloved country singer Chris LeDoux.
Collaborating with acclaimed producer Mac McAnally, a member of Jimmy Buffett’s Coral Reefer Band and an established artist in his own right, who produced for both LeDoux’s over the years, LeDoux worked at keeping things fresh while also giving a nod of the cowboy hat to his father’s extensive body of work. This ode occurs on every album by LeDoux, choosing a song from his late father to cover, but for Buckskin, it became less of a choice and more of a stroke of fate.
When McAnally was working on producing LeDoux’s final original studio album Horsepower in 2003, the eldest LeDoux ended up shelving a song titled “Upside of the Ground,” which remained untouched and unknown until McAnally presented it to the younger LeDoux nearly 18 years later.
“When I was working on new material for another album, I got the email for ‘Upside of the Ground,’” says LeDoux. “I got about a third of the way through the song and thought, ‘Man, I’m going to include this on the album. This will be fun.’
“Once I got the album done, and I was letting the whole band listen to the album—because we’ve been working up some of these songs to play live—our sound man said, ‘That’s Chris,” LeDoux continues. “One of the guys in the band said, ‘No, that’s Ned.’ He’s like, ‘Well, no, that’s not what I mean. I mean that sounds like a song that Chris would do.’ And he’s totally right. I’m pretty proud to have this one.”
To celebrate the release of Buckskin, LeDoux recently graced the historic Grand Ole Opry stage, performing new and old songs alike, and even sharing a special moment by inviting McAnally on stage to sing “Upside of the Ground.” Although this wasn’t his first rodeo after making his Opry debut in 2017, LeDoux still acknowledges the surreality of the whole experience.
“That’s probably one of the biggest honors any artists could have,” says LeDoux. “Just knowing the history of the place, and that they have that circle right there at center stage that was cut out from the original Opry… The people that stood there—Johnny Cash, Hank Sr. Patsy Cline, the list goes on and on. It was pretty neat.”
On top of his passionate fan base and impressive stage feats, LeDoux has gained accolades like “Male Vocalist of the Year” at the Rocky Mountain Country Awards throughout his two decades of performing. But despite it all, LeDoux always reminisces back to those days on the ranch in Wyoming where it all started. And he always will.
“I remember when me and my siblings were kids, we’d all go to town and my mom would say, ‘Don’t forget where you came from,’” shares LeDoux. “This is just the work ethic they instilled in us. Just to do your best, to live by the golden rule. Simple as that. I’m very proud to carry on the family tradition.”
Courtesy All the Buzz
