“This Cowboy’s Hat” by Chris LeDoux receives platinum certification

Cowboy and singer-songwriter Chris LeDoux‘S “This cowboy hat“” was certified platinum by the RIAA. The family of the Missouri-born country artist, who died in 2005, gathered for a ceremony in Nashville to celebrate the award. LeDoux’s son Ned, who is now a touring musician himself, accepted a plaque on behalf of his late father. An official music video for the song was also premiered at the event.

“I love the story that this song tells,” said the video’s director, Jeff Carter. “The western setting, the flashbacks, the cowboy’s honor and courage, the commonalities, the determination. The more I learned about Chris LeDoux as a person, the more I realized that the ideas in the song were also the principles he stood for.”

Released in 1982, “This Cowboy’s Hat” marked a turning point in LeDoux’s career as a championship rodeo competitor. In 1989, a mention in Garth Brooks’ hit “Much Too Young (To Feel This Damn Old)” cemented LeDoux’s reputation as a symbol of true country cred and landed him a deal with Capitol Records. In his major label debut, LeDoux released a re-recorded version of the track and told the Dallas Morning News 1997: “It has so much depth. At first people thought it was just about the confrontation between this cowboy and these bikers. But the real message is that we all have these things in common, no matter what culture we come from, how we dress or talk. It’s a beautiful song. It’s become something of an anthem for us and our fans.”

LeDoux is also known for country hits such as “Western Skies,” “Hooked On An Eight Second Ride,” and “Cadillac Cowboy,” and also won the World Bareback Title at the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association in 1976. After releasing 19 albums and making nearly $4 million in sales during his independent career, LeDoux sold over 6 million albums with Capitol Records and received critical acclaim.

Listen to “This Cowboy’s Hat” by Chris LeDoux now.