A heroic size bronze monument of Chris LeDoux spurring to a world championship in bareback riding will be dedicated in Kaycee, Wyoming June 19th. Many Wyoming people had a hand in the four-year effort. Here is a video update on the project as it nears completion:
news bronze
Chris LeDoux won the world championship in 1976 and his music career was highlighted by his band’s wildly popular concert performances particularly at venues connected with rodeos across the western U.S. LeDoux died of a rare form of cancer in 2005. He was 56 years old. He has been enshrined in both the Cheyenne Frontier Days and professional rodeo halls of fame. The schedule of events for the Kaycee park and bronze dedication can be found at: www.kayceewyoming.com.
Those who are making plans to overnight in the Kaycee area should contact the Kaycee Chamber of Commerce at the website listed above. There may be some camping spots available but most space it taken. The few motel rooms have been booked so it would be best to check in Buffalo or Casper.
We’ve been chronicling the building stages of the very impressive monument – along with the park’s progress – and will be showing that 15-minute video a number of times in downtown Kaycee, adjacent to the park, leading up to the bronze unveiling.
Showing posts with label Chris LeDoux. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Chris LeDoux. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
A Good Ride
Tom Parker went to high school rodeos in Wyoming with Chris LeDoux. Parker hailed from Lander and Chris competed out of Cheyenne. Tom was later called to military service and chose college afterward. Now he is the highly-regarded rodeo coach at Casper College. Among his charges in the last decade has been Chris’ son, Beau. “Chris would come out whenever he wasn’t on the road. He was very helpful,” said Parker. Family was everything to Chris LeDoux.
But in those early days all that mattered was riding bareback horses. He had a vast reservoir of “try.” He listened to the older riders and adapted his occasionally out-of-control style accordingly. Chris’ power was in his persistence…and guts. And you could see it all in his face. “I did everything I could to match that trademark grimace,” artist Mike Thomas told me this week. The Buffalo, Wyoming sculptor’s “Good Ride Cowboy” is being created in a bigger-than-life bronze statue that is now in the hands of the capable Hall family and their valued employees at Caleco (kah-LEE-ko) Foundry in Cody.
Our capable cameraman and editor, Mike McCrimmon, joined me at Caleco last Thursday evening to catch up on the LeDoux bronze progress. Let us share our findings with you here:
We’ll be visiting with Mike Thomas in his Buffalo studio in the near future and will return with an update in short order.
On this day we remember with sadness the loss of Chris LeDoux five years ago. There is anticipation too. Seeing that statue unveiled in Kaycee on land Chris and Peggy own will be very, very special. One of their boys used a pair of Chris’ boots to create prints in the still wet cement of the walk that leads to the statue. The prints fade and finally disappear at the statue base. He is still with us. Just listen to the wind.
But in those early days all that mattered was riding bareback horses. He had a vast reservoir of “try.” He listened to the older riders and adapted his occasionally out-of-control style accordingly. Chris’ power was in his persistence…and guts. And you could see it all in his face. “I did everything I could to match that trademark grimace,” artist Mike Thomas told me this week. The Buffalo, Wyoming sculptor’s “Good Ride Cowboy” is being created in a bigger-than-life bronze statue that is now in the hands of the capable Hall family and their valued employees at Caleco (kah-LEE-ko) Foundry in Cody.
Our capable cameraman and editor, Mike McCrimmon, joined me at Caleco last Thursday evening to catch up on the LeDoux bronze progress. Let us share our findings with you here:
We’ll be visiting with Mike Thomas in his Buffalo studio in the near future and will return with an update in short order.
On this day we remember with sadness the loss of Chris LeDoux five years ago. There is anticipation too. Seeing that statue unveiled in Kaycee on land Chris and Peggy own will be very, very special. One of their boys used a pair of Chris’ boots to create prints in the still wet cement of the walk that leads to the statue. The prints fade and finally disappear at the statue base. He is still with us. Just listen to the wind.
Monday, March 8, 2010
The Legacy of LeDoux
By Chuck Coon
Tomorrow will mark the fifth anniversary of Chris LeDoux’ passing. He represented the face, and spirit, of Wyoming to many thousands of people across our land and on many foreign soils. “His music helped me make it through my tour in Desert Storm in 91-92,” writes Craig Young in a Facebook entry. The social media outlet was originated as a tribute to Ledoux by Scott Sterrett of Wild Bunch Productions in Casper six months ago.
There are now more than 20,800 fans on the Chris Ledoux Tribute Rodeo Facebook site sharing personal memories of LeDoux. A man and his wife measure their driving trips by how many Chris LeDoux CDs they will listen to along the route. A married couple writes that their first date was a Chris LeDoux concert. One young man was buying a box set of LeDoux music in Nashville when the clerk told him of Chris’ death that day. “I broke down and cried in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop,” he writes.
Sterrett tells us that Garth Brooks has signed on to the Facebook site devoted to Chris LeDoux’s memory. I can tell you Garth did not hide his tears standing in the LeDoux kitchen near Kaycee, Wyoming where family and friends were gathered for a private memorial five years ago.
We spoke with Chris a few times. He was always willing to help a good cause whether promoting the move of the College National Finals Rodeo to Casper or offering his home country as a setting for public service announcements marking the Wyoming Centennial in 1990. He may have come to Wyoming from Texas, but Chris LeDoux was Wyoming through and through.
A cold day in 1965 offered a shivery Cheyenne welcome to the LeDoux clan. “I think it was ten below the first day we got here,” recalled Chris. “It was a little hard to get used to. But spring came and it was wonderful.” And there was a very large rodeo arena just a half-mile down the road from the family residence.
Chris LeDoux had already won a buckle at a rodeo in Texas and now he was within spittin’ distance of the chutes where all of the greatest champions in the world had competed. By 1968 LeDoux entered Cheyenne Frontier Days and the next year he placed in the bareback riding on a horse called “Chicken Fry.” He came back to the ready area and heard “Good Ride Chris” from several of his rodeo heroes. “I didn’t think they even knew my name. It was kind of like I was born right there in Cheyenne,” remembered LeDoux.
Five years later Chris came into the Cheyenne Sunday Finals ahead by ten points and felt that champion’s buckle within reach. It was not to be. Joe Alexander (The Great) spurred a bareback riding record score of 93 that day – a mark that would stay atop the pro rodeo record books for decades. LeDoux was nudged out by one point.
It was a blow for Chris LeDoux but he moved on and would rise to the world championship in bareback riding in 1976. He had fallen in love with a Wyoming girl and he was writing lyrics to match his guitar picking ever since his Mom, Bonnie, had bought him a Harmony guitar at Jay’s Music Store in Cheyenne.
People would come from long distances to buy tapes of Chris LeDoux’s music on sale under the grandstands at the Cheyenne rodeo. After those “worn-out tapes” made a line in a Garth Brooks song, Chris LeDoux with his band Western Underground would become hugely successful. Their appearances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days night shows in the 1990s were raucous, rowdy, and loud affairs. No one sat down for long except when Chris settled a little to sing a few of his favorites. Ed Bruce wrote a song that was a staple of LeDoux’ live shows for rodeo crowds in the West. We are pleased and grateful to offer you it – in its entirety – here:
While we miss him and wish he was still up there giving everything for the brand, we have Chris’ music and soon we’ll have a wonderful town park in Kaycee built on two lots the LeDoux family had purchased in the heart of the tiny downtown.
Sculptor D. Michael Thomas of Buffalo, WY is going to be on hand for a bronze dedication, June 19. Western Underground will perform after the bronze is unveiled. There aren’t many motel rooms in Kaycee so if you are planning to attend look at staying in Casper or Buffalo. You can sure check Kaycee but those rooms will be taken very soon.
The event will be laid back and informal. We’ll visit with one another and reminisce. Emcee Bob Price of KTWO Radio in Casper is scheduled to keep us informed leading up to the showing of Thomas’ bronze “Good Ride Cowboy.” It’s Chris in the midst of his world championship ride with a guitar as a base. The size is life-and-a-half. Our video man Mike McCrimmon and I got a look at progress last week at the Caleco Foundry in Cody. We’ll give you an update here tomorrow.
When I die you can bury me beneath these western skies.
Thanks Pard.
Tomorrow will mark the fifth anniversary of Chris LeDoux’ passing. He represented the face, and spirit, of Wyoming to many thousands of people across our land and on many foreign soils. “His music helped me make it through my tour in Desert Storm in 91-92,” writes Craig Young in a Facebook entry. The social media outlet was originated as a tribute to Ledoux by Scott Sterrett of Wild Bunch Productions in Casper six months ago.
There are now more than 20,800 fans on the Chris Ledoux Tribute Rodeo Facebook site sharing personal memories of LeDoux. A man and his wife measure their driving trips by how many Chris LeDoux CDs they will listen to along the route. A married couple writes that their first date was a Chris LeDoux concert. One young man was buying a box set of LeDoux music in Nashville when the clerk told him of Chris’ death that day. “I broke down and cried in the Ernest Tubb Record Shop,” he writes.
Sterrett tells us that Garth Brooks has signed on to the Facebook site devoted to Chris LeDoux’s memory. I can tell you Garth did not hide his tears standing in the LeDoux kitchen near Kaycee, Wyoming where family and friends were gathered for a private memorial five years ago.
We spoke with Chris a few times. He was always willing to help a good cause whether promoting the move of the College National Finals Rodeo to Casper or offering his home country as a setting for public service announcements marking the Wyoming Centennial in 1990. He may have come to Wyoming from Texas, but Chris LeDoux was Wyoming through and through.
A cold day in 1965 offered a shivery Cheyenne welcome to the LeDoux clan. “I think it was ten below the first day we got here,” recalled Chris. “It was a little hard to get used to. But spring came and it was wonderful.” And there was a very large rodeo arena just a half-mile down the road from the family residence.
Chris LeDoux had already won a buckle at a rodeo in Texas and now he was within spittin’ distance of the chutes where all of the greatest champions in the world had competed. By 1968 LeDoux entered Cheyenne Frontier Days and the next year he placed in the bareback riding on a horse called “Chicken Fry.” He came back to the ready area and heard “Good Ride Chris” from several of his rodeo heroes. “I didn’t think they even knew my name. It was kind of like I was born right there in Cheyenne,” remembered LeDoux.
Five years later Chris came into the Cheyenne Sunday Finals ahead by ten points and felt that champion’s buckle within reach. It was not to be. Joe Alexander (The Great) spurred a bareback riding record score of 93 that day – a mark that would stay atop the pro rodeo record books for decades. LeDoux was nudged out by one point.
It was a blow for Chris LeDoux but he moved on and would rise to the world championship in bareback riding in 1976. He had fallen in love with a Wyoming girl and he was writing lyrics to match his guitar picking ever since his Mom, Bonnie, had bought him a Harmony guitar at Jay’s Music Store in Cheyenne.
People would come from long distances to buy tapes of Chris LeDoux’s music on sale under the grandstands at the Cheyenne rodeo. After those “worn-out tapes” made a line in a Garth Brooks song, Chris LeDoux with his band Western Underground would become hugely successful. Their appearances at the Cheyenne Frontier Days night shows in the 1990s were raucous, rowdy, and loud affairs. No one sat down for long except when Chris settled a little to sing a few of his favorites. Ed Bruce wrote a song that was a staple of LeDoux’ live shows for rodeo crowds in the West. We are pleased and grateful to offer you it – in its entirety – here:
While we miss him and wish he was still up there giving everything for the brand, we have Chris’ music and soon we’ll have a wonderful town park in Kaycee built on two lots the LeDoux family had purchased in the heart of the tiny downtown.
Sculptor D. Michael Thomas of Buffalo, WY is going to be on hand for a bronze dedication, June 19. Western Underground will perform after the bronze is unveiled. There aren’t many motel rooms in Kaycee so if you are planning to attend look at staying in Casper or Buffalo. You can sure check Kaycee but those rooms will be taken very soon.
The event will be laid back and informal. We’ll visit with one another and reminisce. Emcee Bob Price of KTWO Radio in Casper is scheduled to keep us informed leading up to the showing of Thomas’ bronze “Good Ride Cowboy.” It’s Chris in the midst of his world championship ride with a guitar as a base. The size is life-and-a-half. Our video man Mike McCrimmon and I got a look at progress last week at the Caleco Foundry in Cody. We’ll give you an update here tomorrow. When I die you can bury me beneath these western skies.
Yippie Yi!
Thanks Pard.
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Short Pay
Friday’s trips to the pay window for Wyoming contestants in this 50th national finals were few and of the four-figure variety. Kelly Timberman split fifth & sixth in bareback riding to take $3,500 back to his hotel room. Lance Creek’s Jason Miller remained solid in the average with a run of 4.1 seconds winning $2,700. Miller is second in his aggregate total and a good finish tonight assures the family will be able to buy a lot of hay for the winter. Barring bad luck for Luke Branquinho, it is another gold buckle year for Jason’s traveling partner and closest friend.
Bobby Can Win
Gillette, Wyoming bull rider Bobby Welsh stayed on for a low score last night but as we’ve said a few times now, any score is a good one in the current state of national finals bull riding competition. Bulls throw the men off short of eight seconds more times than not. Welsh once again chose not to take a re-ride option and heads into tonight poised for a legitimate shot at a world championship. Chance Smart is up by less than $30K and is well behind Welsh in the average. J.W. Harris also has a chance to beat Chance. Therefore as exhibited in the best, and most exciting, finals it will come down to the last three rides.
Ty Stops By
Twenty years ago I stood on the old, rickety press deck at Cheyenne Frontier Days with a 19-year-old from Stephenville, Texas who had rodeo in his blood and dreamed of one day wearing a world champion’s gold buckle. Ten years later he’d won nine buckles; two in bull riding and a lucky seven All-Around titles. He is justly referred to today as “The King of the Cowboys.” I saw Ty Murray again last night as the Thomas & Mack Center crowd greeted several past All-Around Champions. There stood Dean Oliver, Larry Mahan, Joe Beaver and so many more of the biggest names in rodeo history. And when Ty came out from behind the smoke, the fans erupted. Ty was gracious enough to share some time with us afterward and said he still gauges the sport he loves by how it is perceived by the rest of us. “Rodeo’s making some good strides. I always look at this sport from a fans’ standpoint. We’re still seeing the great cowboys. We’re still seeing the tough competitors. Getting to watch a guy like Trevor Brazile; that’s inspiring. To see a guy that’s not only good but is that dedicated and works that hard at it,” Murray told us. My good friend, camera guru Mike, put together more of our interview with Ty and you can click below to both hear and see it. I have to admit my comfort level with Ty remains fine but his wife, Jewel, standing there next to us did give my normally calm nature some jitters. She is, I think, one of the most gifted singer/songwriters and poets of her – or any – era.
A Salute to LeDoux
The dedications have been many at the 50th annual national finals rodeo. Last night’s big-screen acknowledgment of Chris LeDoux would certainly rank up there for Wyoming folks and really everyone who loves rodeo and how Chris represented the sport and the American West to the world. You can click on the video clip below to absorb some of that special moment.
Friday’s trips to the pay window for Wyoming contestants in this 50th national finals were few and of the four-figure variety. Kelly Timberman split fifth & sixth in bareback riding to take $3,500 back to his hotel room. Lance Creek’s Jason Miller remained solid in the average with a run of 4.1 seconds winning $2,700. Miller is second in his aggregate total and a good finish tonight assures the family will be able to buy a lot of hay for the winter. Barring bad luck for Luke Branquinho, it is another gold buckle year for Jason’s traveling partner and closest friend.
Bobby Can Win
Gillette, Wyoming bull rider Bobby Welsh stayed on for a low score last night but as we’ve said a few times now, any score is a good one in the current state of national finals bull riding competition. Bulls throw the men off short of eight seconds more times than not. Welsh once again chose not to take a re-ride option and heads into tonight poised for a legitimate shot at a world championship. Chance Smart is up by less than $30K and is well behind Welsh in the average. J.W. Harris also has a chance to beat Chance. Therefore as exhibited in the best, and most exciting, finals it will come down to the last three rides.
Ty Stops By
Twenty years ago I stood on the old, rickety press deck at Cheyenne Frontier Days with a 19-year-old from Stephenville, Texas who had rodeo in his blood and dreamed of one day wearing a world champion’s gold buckle. Ten years later he’d won nine buckles; two in bull riding and a lucky seven All-Around titles. He is justly referred to today as “The King of the Cowboys.” I saw Ty Murray again last night as the Thomas & Mack Center crowd greeted several past All-Around Champions. There stood Dean Oliver, Larry Mahan, Joe Beaver and so many more of the biggest names in rodeo history. And when Ty came out from behind the smoke, the fans erupted. Ty was gracious enough to share some time with us afterward and said he still gauges the sport he loves by how it is perceived by the rest of us. “Rodeo’s making some good strides. I always look at this sport from a fans’ standpoint. We’re still seeing the great cowboys. We’re still seeing the tough competitors. Getting to watch a guy like Trevor Brazile; that’s inspiring. To see a guy that’s not only good but is that dedicated and works that hard at it,” Murray told us. My good friend, camera guru Mike, put together more of our interview with Ty and you can click below to both hear and see it. I have to admit my comfort level with Ty remains fine but his wife, Jewel, standing there next to us did give my normally calm nature some jitters. She is, I think, one of the most gifted singer/songwriters and poets of her – or any – era.
A Salute to LeDoux
The dedications have been many at the 50th annual national finals rodeo. Last night’s big-screen acknowledgment of Chris LeDoux would certainly rank up there for Wyoming folks and really everyone who loves rodeo and how Chris represented the sport and the American West to the world. You can click on the video clip below to absorb some of that special moment.
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