Ned LeDoux & Chris LeDoux – “One Hand In The Riggin’”: When a Father Returns Through Song
When Ned LeDoux released “One Hand In The Riggin’” featuring the voice of his late father, legendary cowboy singer Chris LeDoux, many listeners paused in silence during the opening seconds.
Not because of a technical surprise — but because it felt like a voice from the past had returned, not to perform, but to stand beside his son.
“One Hand In The Riggin’” was never a new song. Chris LeDoux originally wrote and recorded it early in his career, when he was still traveling the rodeo circuit across the American West. The song tells the story of a working cowboy — one hand holding the rope, the other holding onto belief — living a hard, honest life far from the spotlight.
For Chris LeDoux, it was autobiography. For Ned LeDoux, it became a living legacy.
Chris LeDoux passed away in 2005 after battling cancer. At the time, Ned was only beginning to find his own musical path. For many years, he avoided directly revisiting his father’s work. Ned has openly said he didn’t want to be seen as relying on his father’s name. Like a true cowboy, he wanted to stand on his own.
Time, however, changes perspective. As Ned grew older — as a musician, a rancher, and a father — he began to see those old recordings differently. Not as pressure, but as connection.
The version of “One Hand In The Riggin’” released on Ned LeDoux’s 2021 album Sagebrush features Chris LeDoux’s original vocals, preserved with deep respect. Ned didn’t modernize or rework his father’s voice. Instead, he stepped into the spaces left behind, singing as a continuation rather than a conversation.
The official music video reinforces that idea. There are no stages or spotlights. Just open land, horses, ranch life, and archival footage of Chris LeDoux woven together with images of Ned living the very life his father once sang about.
What makes this song powerful isn’t the novelty of a posthumous duet. It’s the restraint. Ned never tries to make the song bigger than it needs to be. It remains raw, grounded, and deeply authentic — the way real cowboy stories are told.
Within the traditional country community, “One Hand In The Riggin’” is often cited as a rare example of how to honor a legacy without turning it into sentimentality. This isn’t about remembering a father. It’s about continuing the life he lived.
Chris LeDoux once sang that a true cowboy doesn’t need both hands free — just one hand on the rope, and one hand on his word.
In this recording, Ned LeDoux quietly proves he understood that lesson all along.