Ned LeDoux, LeDoux’s son who performs rodeo songs in his own band, with Sissel on guitar, says his father’s unvarnished, plain-spoken lyrics about topics like dirty motels ( “Ain’t No Place for a Country Boy”) and chewing tobacco ( “Copenhagen”) resonated with cowboys because of their gritty realness. release “Oklahoma Hospitality” and a brief vocal-and-guitar ballad from 1975 simply titled “Album Introduction.” Assembled by Sissel and available digitally and on vinyl, the compilation includes LeDoux classics like “Hooked on an 8 Second Ride,” “Cadillac Cowboy,” and “This Cowboy’s Hat,” along with LeDoux’s 1992 collaboration with Brooks, “Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy.” There are also two deep cuts, 1978’s U.K. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of Songs of Rodeo Life, LeDoux’s first of 22 independently recorded and released albums, Capitol Nashville/UMe released the LeDoux retrospective Wyoming Cowboy – A Collection in July.

Traces of the rodeo imagery that LeDoux helped popularize can still be heard in the songs of stars like Brooks, who paid tribute to his friend with “Good Ride Cowboy,” Aaron Watson, and Randy Houser, along with newcomers like Kylie Frey.

LeDoux died in 2005 at age 56 after a battle with cancer, leaving behind a legacy that continues to cast a shadow in country music.

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