Ned LeDoux: Carrying on a Legacy & Coming into His Own

Years ago, when music stores were still a staple of any mall, I worked at one of ours here in Casper. The Ledoux family would often come in to shop – and they were all so nice. In fact, if you didn’t know that Chris Ledoux was, well, the Chris Ledoux, you’d figure they were just any other awesome family of customers. Sitting down to write this article, I could tell you that Ned Ledoux was a nice guy. What I couldn’t tell you was, what does Ned Ledoux’s music sound like?

He started playing drums in his dad’s band Western Underground in 1998. He “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.”

When his dad passed away in 2005, Ned continued touring with the band, and eventually began playing guitar and singing some of his dad’s songs. Turns out he not only kept the spirit of his dad’s music alive, he found that he really loved singing during the shows, noting “It’s a different kind of rush, getting up with a guitar and standing behind a microphone...shoot I’m getting butterflies thinking about it right now.”

While he loves his dad’s music, he’s brought his own to the table as well. Together with Nashville producer Mac McAnally, he’s recorded a couple of studio albums, writing songs along the way as well as recording a few of his dad’s as a tribute. His goal? “There’s an age group who doesn’t know who Chris LeDoux is and I just want to keep his name out there. I want to reintroduce him to people who’ve maybe heard of him but didn’t know what he did. Just carry on his legacy and carry on his music and at the same time show them what I can do.”

While writing, I’ve been listening not only to his music, but going back and forth between his songs and his dad’s songs. It’s amazing how much they sound alike. If you love country music – if you love good music, these men are the real deal. And they’re backed by bands who clearly know how to deliver good music. Here are just a few of the comments I ran across while checking out his music on YouTube…

“Like a ghost came on the radio... sounds just like his ol man”

“Sounds like listening to your old man...a true spirit ...don't trade that sound for anything man... ‘there's one hell of a cowboy in heaven’...and you’re making him smile”

“Perfect”

So Ned Ledoux’s goal of carrying his father’s legacy while coming into his own? Given the comments on youtube, I think it’s safe to say it’s mission accomplished.