Elsewhere

Chris LeDoux,

56, a former world champion bareback rider who parlayed songs about the rodeo life into a successful country music career, died Wednesday in Cheyenne, Wyo., of complications from liver cancer.

He described his music as a combination of "Western soul, sagebrush blues, cowboy folk and rodeo rock 'n' roll." By 1989, he had released 22 albums, which he sold at concerts and rodeos, and had a loyal, if limited, fan base.

But Mr. LeDoux soon became a country star, teaming with Garth Brooks for the Grammy-nominated, top 10 hit "Whatcha Gonna Do With a Cowboy" in 1992. Mr. Brooks has long pointed to Mr. LeDoux as one of his biggest influences.