Western Underground
Encyclopedia
Western Underground is the title of the major label debut album released by American
country music
artist Chris LeDoux
for Liberty Records
. Overall, it is his 23rd album. "This Cowboy's Hat" and "Workin' Man's Dollar" and "Riding for a Fall" were released as singles but didn't make the top 40. The album peaked at #36 on the Billboard
Top Country Albums chart.
, and Little Richard
. "Shot Full of Love" was originally recorded by Juice Newton
from her 1981 album, Juice. Billy Ray Cyrus
would record his own version in 1998. "Cadillac Cowboy" would later be covered by Jerry Jeff Walker
, Heather Myles
, and Glenn Erickson. Several of the songs on this album are re-recorded versions of songs from LeDoux's earlier albums. "Cadillac Cowboy" was originally featured on 1988's Chris Ledoux and the Saddle Boogie Band while "This Cowboy's Hat" was first recorded in 1982 for his album Used to Want to Be a Cowboy.
With:
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
country music
Country music
Country music is a popular American musical style that began in the rural Southern United States in the 1920s. It takes its roots from Western cowboy and folk music...
artist Chris LeDoux
Chris LeDoux
Chris Ledoux was an American country music singer-songwriter, bronze sculptor and rodeo champion.During his career LeDoux recorded 36 albums which have sold more than six million units in the United States as of January 2007...
for Liberty Records
Liberty Records
Liberty Records was a United States-based record label. It was started by chairman Simon Waronker in 1955 with Al Bennett as president and Theodore Keep as chief engineer. It was reactivated in 2001 in the United Kingdom and had two previous revivals.-1950s:...
. Overall, it is his 23rd album. "This Cowboy's Hat" and "Workin' Man's Dollar" and "Riding for a Fall" were released as singles but didn't make the top 40. The album peaked at #36 on the Billboard
Billboard (magazine)
Billboard is a weekly American magazine devoted to the music industry, and is one of the oldest trade magazines in the world. It maintains several internationally recognized music charts that track the most popular songs and albums in various categories on a weekly basis...
Top Country Albums chart.
Content
"Settin' the Woods on Fire" was previously recorded by many artists including Hank Williams, Johnny CashJohnny Cash
John R. "Johnny" Cash was an American singer-songwriter, actor, and author, who has been called one of the most influential musicians of the 20th century...
, and Little Richard
Little Richard
Richard Wayne Penniman , known by the stage name Little Richard, is an American singer, songwriter, musician, recording artist, and actor, considered key in the transition from rhythm and blues to rock and roll in the 1950s. He was also the first artist to put the funk in the rock and roll beat and...
. "Shot Full of Love" was originally recorded by Juice Newton
Juice Newton
Judith Kay "Juice" Newton is an American Pop music and Country singer, songwriter and guitarist...
from her 1981 album, Juice. Billy Ray Cyrus
Billy Ray Cyrus
William "Billy" Ray Cyrus is an American country music singer, songwriter, actor and philanthropist, who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon...
would record his own version in 1998. "Cadillac Cowboy" would later be covered by Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker
Jerry Jeff Walker is an American country music singer and songwriter. He is probably most famous for writing the song "Mr. Bojangles.-Biography:...
, Heather Myles
Heather Myles
Heather Myles is a country singer. Her honky tonk singing is in the Bakersfield sound-style and has been likened by many to that of Dwight Yoakam. She has had her songs featured in a major feature film....
, and Glenn Erickson. Several of the songs on this album are re-recorded versions of songs from LeDoux's earlier albums. "Cadillac Cowboy" was originally featured on 1988's Chris Ledoux and the Saddle Boogie Band while "This Cowboy's Hat" was first recorded in 1982 for his album Used to Want to Be a Cowboy.
Track listing
- "County Fair" (Chris LeDoux) - 2:58
- "Riding for a Fall" (LeDoux) - 3:29
- "Thank the Cowboy for the Ride" (Ed BruceEd BruceWilliam Edwin "Ed" Bruce, Jr. is an American country music songwriter and singer. He is known for penning the 1975 song "Mammas Don't Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys" .-Early life & songwriting career:...
, Paul Richey) - 3:26 - "Cadillac Cowboy" (Chuck Pyle) - 3:16
- "This Cowboy's Hat" (Jake Brooks) - 4:14
- "Shot Full of Love" (Bob McDillBob McDillRobert Lee "Bob" McDill is an American country music songwriter. Active from the 1960s until 2000, he has written several songs for country music artists, including more than thirty Number One hits...
) - 3:08 - "The Last Drive-In" (John Grubb, Kim Tribble) - 3:56
- "Yellow Brick Road Turns Blue" (Bernie Nelson, Gary Vincent) - 2:34
- "Settin' the Woods on Fire" (Ed G. Nelson, Fred RoseFred Rose (musician)Fred Rose was an American Hall of Fame songwriter and music publishing executive.-Biography:Born in Evansville, Indiana, Fred Rose started playing piano and singing as a small boy. In his teens, he moved to Chicago, Illinois where he worked in bars busking for tips, and finally vaudeville...
) - 2:22 - "Workin' Man's Dollar" (LeDoux) - 2:47
Personnel
As listed in liner notes- Chris LeDoux - vocals, acoustic guitar
- Mark Sissel - electric guitar
- Gary Bodily - bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Bobby Jensen - keyboardsKeyboard instrumentA keyboard instrument is a musical instrument which is played using a musical keyboard. The most common of these is the piano. Other widely used keyboard instruments include organs of various types as well as other mechanical, electromechanical and electronic instruments...
- K.W. Turnbow - drums
With:
- Bobby Wood - pianoPianoThe piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
- Bruce Bouton - steel guitarSteel guitarSteel guitar is a type of guitar or the method of playing the instrument. Developed in Hawaii in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a steel guitar is usually positioned horizontally; strings are plucked with one hand, while the other hand changes the pitch of one or more strings with the use...
- Mark Casstevens - acoustic guitarAcoustic guitarAn acoustic guitar is a guitar that uses only an acoustic sound board. The air in this cavity resonates with the vibrational modes of the string and at low frequencies, which depend on the size of the box, the chamber acts like a Helmholtz resonator, increasing or decreasing the volume of the sound...
- Mike Chapman - bass guitar
- Dan Dugmore - steel guitar
- Rob Hajacos - fiddleFiddleThe term fiddle may refer to any bowed string musical instrument, most often the violin. It is also a colloquial term for the instrument used by players in all genres, including classical music...
- Chris Leuzinger - electric guitar
- Wayland Patton - background vocals
- Brent Rowan - acoustic guitar, electric guitarElectric guitarAn electric guitar is a guitar that uses the principle of direct electromagnetic induction to convert vibrations of its metal strings into electric audio signals. The signal generated by an electric guitar is too weak to drive a loudspeaker, so it is amplified before sending it to a loudspeaker...
- Milton Sledge - drums
- Curtis Young - background vocals
- Jonathan Yudkin - fiddle
Chart performance
| Chart (1991) | Peak position |
|---|---|
| U.S. Billboard Top Country Albums | 36 |
| U.S. Billboard Top Heatseekers | 22 |