‘Son of late country legend keeps it Cowboy‘
In country music, a last name like LeDoux casts a big, storied, and bittersweet shadow, but it’s one Ned LeDoux doesn’t mind standing in one bit. Having been a drummer in his dad Chris’ band Western Underground since 1998, Ned knew from an early age that he had “no plan b” but to play music. “Once I got the taste of the road, and being in front of a crowd and just the sound of it, it was…freedom,” he says.
When his dad passed away in 2005 from cancer, Ned continued to tour with his father’s band to keep the musical spirit of Chris LeDoux alive. This drove him to pick up the guitar and try his hand at some of his dad’s songs. It started with “Rodeo Man,” and before long Ned had a whole catalogue of his father’s early hits ready to play. When the other band members heard Ned’s voice, he found himself front and center singing at the shows. Stepping out from behind the drums stirred something inside of Ned that he hadn’t felt before. “It’s a different kind of rush,” he says, “getting up with a guitar and standing behind a microphone…shoot I’m getting butterflies thinking about it right now.”
On tour, you’re guaranteed to hear “This Cowboy’s Hat” — the song most requested by his fans and a request Ned is honored to oblige. His personal favorite song to sing though is one called “You Can’t Tell Me We Ain’t Got It All.” It’s the first original song Ned co-wrote with his dad and seems to pick up right where Chris left off. And thankfully there’s more to come as there’s a new voice to carry on the LeDoux sound.
In anticipation of his upcoming Bozeman performances, The Rolling Zone was able to get Ned on the phone to talk life on the road, keeping it country, and maintaining one lofty legacy.
RZ: Hey Ned. How are you doing?
NL: Oh not too bad, how are you?
RZ: Great, thanks. So you’re obviously carrying on quite the legacy, but who is ‘Ned LeDoux’ and what are his motivations as a songwriter and performer?
NL: As far as performing live, I’ve been playing music professionally since I was about fourteen, playing drums. Now that I’m singing and the guy out front, I just want to put on the best show I can and keep things Western, keep things cowboy. That’s the way I was brought up. [And] songwriting, I can only write about stuff I know. I’m a terrible pretender. I can’t write or sing about something I have no relation to. So I just try to play the best show and write the best songs that I can.
RZ: Touring in support of Forever a Cowboy, you’re making two Bozeman appearances — a performance at the intimate Live from the Divide, followed by an arguably more grandiose show at the Big Sky Country State Fair. What can Bozemanites expect from each of these performances?
NL: I started off doing solo shows, that’s how the whole singing thing came about. So they’re going to kind of get an idea of both shows I’ve been doing over the last three or four years. I really enjoy doing a solo performance, just me and my guitar, and I do a lot of songs that you won’t hear us do with the full band. I’ll play a lot of Dad’s old stuff, back when he was still rodeoing and writing those songs. It’s a little more intimate, kind of a campfire setting that first night. Then the second night, it’ll be a little more rowdy, a little louder. It’s the best of both worlds, having more of an intimate show then raising some hell the next night. It should be fun.
RZ: A song on the EP, “Brother Highway,” celebrates your time spent on the road, but you also lend your time to a working ranch and have a family at home. What’s it like to split your time between these very different worlds?
NL: Traveling has been pretty much a part of my life since I was a baby, and I can’t really sit in one place for too long and let grass grow under my feet. It’s just part of who I am. As far as the family ranch, that’s something that’ll be a part of our family hopefully for another hundred years. My little brother Beau, he’s the one that’s really taken charge of it and really done a good job running the place. Everybody still lives up here around Kaycee, WY, [but] me and my wife and son live in Northeast Kansas. We’ve been there for almost seven years. We’re pretty much spending the summer out here in Kaycee because there’s a lot of shows, including Bozeman, it just makes sense to say here on the ranch for the summer and get out and play, so we’re not jumping so many planes. The most important thing is making sure my family’s taken care of, that’s always the number one priority.
RZ: Given your history, and you touched on this a bit, you’re already a bit of an industry veteran. Having opened for artists like Toby Keith and Randy Houser, among others, how has country music received you since going out on your own?
NL: It’s been pretty amazing. Every time we go into a place we’ve never been before, you just never know what to expect. You hope that somebody shows up. And most of the time if it’s not sold out, it’s pretty darn close. The people have been very welcoming and I appreciate everything the fans have done for me and the band. We can’t wait to see what’s around the next corner, but we’re really enjoying the path we’re on right now.
RZ: It’s been said your music is picking up where your father’s left off. How are you forging your own path while saluting the icon that is Chris LeDoux?
NL: It was through his songs that I kind of got started doing what I’m doing now. I played drums for him for about seven years, and the idea of singing never was even a thought. It was shortly after he passed away, I just wanted to learn a couple of his songs on a guitar. I was just really just planning on learning maybe a dozen of them, and just sitting on my front porch and sing to the birds. Then I started playing my solo gigs, and things started taking off a little bit at a time. As far as picking up where he left off, I don’t know if I’m really doing that. I’m just doing what I can and trying to put out my own music. But if there comes a time where I have five albums out and I can fill a ninety-minute show with just my own stuff, I don’t know if people would want to come and see that too much. So I’ll always include some of Dad’s music in our show.
RZ: Following the release of Forever a Cowboy, you’re putting the finishing touches on your upcoming full-length album. What can you tell us about this collection?
NL: The EP came out right around the NFR last December, and it’s been a great ride so far with that, but there was another handful of songs I had written that were just about ready. We could’ve probably went ahead and put out the full album right away, but I was still a little hesitant on these other songs. I didn’t just want to fill holes with stuff I wasn’t real sure about. I was in the studio about a month ago to finish up the full album. I was describing this to somebody the other day, everything that’s released right now that was on the EP are kind of like my first-born kids. Then I’ve got these six brand new songs I wrote, and it’s kind of like bringing in stepchildren. I’m not sure about you yet, but now that we’ve recorded them, I think they stand up real good to what I’ve already done. So now it’s a big happy family of some songs I’m very proud of.
RZ: When do you think that album might see the light of day?
NL: We’re looking at early November. Like I said, we just got out of the studio, so there’s a lot of mixing and mastering going on. My producer, Mac McAnally, has been a godsend for me, his guidance in the studio. He was the one that taught me how to write a song, really. He’s been a huge help in this whole deal.
RZ: You made your Grand Ole Opry debut in January. How was it to step out onto the stage so many luminaries have graced?
NL: When we walked through the front door — because we couldn’t find the back door — I knew it was going to go by real quick. As soon as we walked in, I made it a point to walk kinda slow and just really take it all in. Then we got backstage and there’s Ricky Skaggs and John Conlee, The Whites, plus the Opry Band’s session players. Just knowing the history of the place, Hank Williams, Patsy Cline, all those legends. And then to step up on the stage and sing songs I wrote myself was pretty amazing. The cool thing was, it was at the Ryman. They call it ‘The Mother Church of Country Music,’ and I think they’re moving [the broadcast] out to Opryland, so I was very fortunate to play there.
RZ: Other than the late great Mr. LeDoux, who are some of your inspirations? Are there any artists we might be surprised by?
NL: When I was growing up playing drums, all of my favorite musicians were drummers. I grew up listening to Tommy Lee, Alex Van Halen, and the reason I got turned on to rock ‘n’ roll was because the drums sounded better. So I was listening to groups like Mötley Crüe, Van Halen, Cinderella, all that mid-‘80s into the early ‘90s stuff. Ever since I started writing songs, it’s kind of changed a little bit. I’ve always been a big fan of Tom Waits. Corb Lund, me and him got to be pretty good friends over the last year or so. I’m paying more attention to the lyrics of songs now, instead of just the drums. And I still listen to a lot of Dad’s stuff as well, go back and listen to the old stuff and just try to see how to piece together a song.
RZ: Where do you go from here? What does the future hold for Ned LeDoux?
NL: I want to just try to keep things Western. You hear a lot of folks talk about the state of country music right now, and it’s not really me saying this, it’s what other people have thought about it. It’s not really country anymore. And I don’t really pay attention to that kind of stuff, I can only do my own thing. I’ll always stick to my roots — growing up on a ranch, being a cowboy singing cowboy songs with a little bit of a rock edge to it. Looking down the road, I’m just going to continue writing stuff I can relate to, and hopefully other people in this part of the country can relate to as well. I’m going to try and build up the live show a bit more, we’ve played quite a few shows this year already. It’s really starting to come along now and sounding really good, so by the time we get to Bozeman we ought to be pretty tight.
RZ: Well you’re coming to Bozeman at the right time of year.
NL: Yeah, we’ve always loved coming up there. Being from Wyoming, Montana’s kind of like [one of] our brothers. It’s just a beautiful part of the country.
RZ: Thank you for your time, Ned, and safe travels. We’re looking forward to both of your shows.
NL: Thanks!
Ned LeDoux will first stop by Live from the Divide on Wednesday, July 19th at 9pm. Tickets are $35 plus fees and available now at www.livefromthediv
