Doc is a cowboy in every sense of the definition and imagination.
Almost immeasurable are Doc Hinck’s cowboy attributes.
He’s a champion rodeo rider, cowboy singer, cowboy movie star, fast-draw winner, top marksman, certainly has had his hand in Flint Hills cattle work, and the list goes on…
“All I’ve ever wanted to be was a cowboy. Ty Murray, Lane Frost, Chris LeDoux and even John Wayne were my heroes,” exclaimed Hinck of Burlingame.
It would be impossible to know which is closest to his heart: riding bucking bulls or singing cowboy songs.
“My goal is to be a world champion all-around cowboy,” Hinck claimed.
Yet, hearing him belt out a cowboy song with rabid-enthusiasm before and after the rodeo make both seem equally important to his cowboy-lifestyle.
“I started out in mutton busting, when I was real young, and I was addicted to rodeo,” Hinck recalled.
Always having enjoyed riding horses, Hinck graduated to steer riding, then climbed on his first bull, and continued forward competing in high school, amateur and circuit rodeos, and now the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association.
“My grandma inspired me with her musical interests and abilities,” Hinck credited. “She listened to the old-time singers, Gene Autry, Marty Robbins, Johnny Cash, and they’re the ones I soon liked the most, too.
“Of course, Chris LeDoux was a champion rodeo rider and a top country singer at the same time. He’s my biggest inspiration,” Hinck admitted.
Although he has ridden bareback broncs, Hinck prefers bull riding, with his first major championship coming at the George Paul Memorial Rodeo in Del Rio, Texas.
“That was a great day, and a bad day at the same time. When I got off, that bull took me down and his head collided with mine,” Hinck remembered.
“It didn’t slow me for long. I’m still going,” Hinck contended.
Competing at an average of a rodeo a week, Hinck, who practices on bulls owned by J.D. Hill at Eskridge, has traveled throughout the country as far as Pendleton, Oregon, and across the Canadian border to the Calgary Stampede.
Actually, Hinck verified, “I’d like to lose some weight and start riding broncs again. Winning an all-around championship would be nice.”
From singing in the shower, and as he rode his horse Bandit across the Flint Hills, Hinck graduated from Lebo High School in 2005, about the same time he started singing professionally while accompanying himself on his guitar.
“I don’t know notes. I just play by ear, like many entertainers,” commented Hinck, who also plays the harmonica.
Soon, musically-inclined-acquaintances joined, and Doc Hinck and The Rodeo Drifters band was formed.
“We did a Johnny Cash “Ring Of Fire” tribute over a wide part of the state and even on a cruise to the Bahamas,” Hinck related.
The band is in high demand today for concerts, dances and celebrations.
“J.D. Stewart, a champion bareback rider, plays the acoustics guitar and is the band manager,” Hinck said.
Amanda Cordell is a backup singer and a major part of the shows. “She’s my inspiration to rodeo and sing,” Hinck admitted.
“I also write and recite poetry, and I’ve written some songs that are starting to have
appeal,” Hinck added.
“What I really like is to compete at a rodeo and also entertain with the band like I did here at Burlingame,” he insisted. “Our Chris LeDoux Tribute sure is appropriate for these events.”
At his hometown Santa Fe Trail Rodeo over the weekend, Hinck competed in the bull riding, even though he was unable to make the whistle. “There were no qualified bull rides out of 22 outs, so that was a bit of consolation,” Hinck admitted.
With his band, Hinck entertained before both rodeo performances and at dances later each evening.
While still in school, Hinck was contacted by Bill Kurtis to act in films produced for the History Channel. “I’ve usually portrayed a gunfighter or bank robber, and get shot a lot, but it’s been a great experience,” he commented.
Of course, his abilities with a revolver were an attribute to his acting career.“I was second in the nation in the two-gun quick-draw contest,” Hinck related.“I’ve done some mounted shooting and would like to again compete in those events.”
Hinck also operates the Kansas Turkey Creek Outfitters with his dad, Jimmy Hinck. “We guide hunts for deer, turkey, waterfowl, even antelope, whatever season it is,” he
described.
“I have been encouraging youngsters to become involved in the sport of rodeo, and I’m working with the Burlingame Saddle Club to start my own Youth Steer and Bull
Riding School,” Hinck promised.“
Looking toward expanding his rodeo and singing careers, Hinck remains optimistic for both.
“Anything to do with the cowboy lifestyle, that’s where I’ll be,” Hinck guaranteed.
“Cowboy up and God bless,” he relayed.
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