When did legendary Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid crawl his way into the fabric of mainstream culture? Was it in 1882 when Pat Garrett, the man who ended his life, published The Authentic Life of Billy the Kid? (Although technically, he had a ghostwriter, Marshall Ashmun Upson.) Or was it in 1948 when Brush Bill Roberts strolled in claiming to be the infamous outlaw himself? Perhaps it was 1988, when Emilio Estevez donned a bowler hat and roamed the screen as Billy in the film Young Guns? Regardless, Billy the Kid continues to haunt our collective imagination like a restless specter.
I've long been enthralled by Billy the Kid; in fact, I had a wall plaque of his famous wanted poster proudly displayed in my childhood bedroom. Maybe it’s because my name is Billy, or maybe because as a kid, he felt like a kindred spirit; an outcast bound by fate. I even remember the nostalgia of late '80s Billy the Kid apparel; I had a shiny belt buckle and a few shirts that made me feel like a renegade at recess. Of course, my parents took me to see Young Guns in theaters when I was probably a bit too young; but hey, that was a different time.
Over the years, I’ve read a range of books about this enigmatic outlaw. Recently, I read Sing to Me Billy the Kid, written by Frances Bonney Jenner and published earlier this year by Speaking Volumes. It popped onto my radar thanks to a publicist who reached out, and naturally, I couldn’t resist the chance to jump into its pages.
