Real Cowboys of Country Music
Real Cowboys of Country Music: Boots, Bulls and BIG Hits
Forget the rhinestones and studio smoke, these country stars didn’t just sing about the cowboy life, they lived it. We’re talking saddles, spurs and busted bones before the gold records ever showed up.
Chris LeDoux was the real deal. Before Garth Brooks ever sang his name, LeDoux was a world champion bareback bronc rider, winning the title in 1976. No poser here. He sold tapes out of his truck between rodeos before Nashville ever took notice.
Cody Johnson, the modern-day cowboy crooner, spent years as a professional bull rider in Texas before going full-time into music. His boots are scuffed from the real thing, not from boot-scootin’ on stage.
Then there’s Reckless Kelly’s frontman Willy Braun, who grew up on a ranch in Idaho and still ropes cattle between gigs. Oh, don’t forget Ned LeDoux, Chris’s son, keeping both the music and the rodeo tradition alive.
George Strait, “The King of Country,” is a rancher and team roper. He’s even competed in PRCA events, because of course he has. When he sings about “Amarillo by Morning,” he knows exactly what that life costs.
Even Roy Rogers, way back, wasn’t just a silver screen cowboy, he competed in rodeos long before he was Hollywood’s golden boy.
These guys didn’t slap on a hat for the photo shoot, they were cowboys before they were stars. So, the next time you hear a baritone twang about busted fences or rodeo pain, ask yourself: Did he ride the ride or just write the song?
Some did both.
Those are the ones worth cranking loud.
