Billy the Kid

Hundreds of songs, books, motion pictures, radio and television programs, and plays have been inspired by the story of the outlaw Billy the Kid.[1] Depictions of him in popular culture have fluctuated between a cold-blooded murderer without a heart and a sentimental hero fighting for justice.[2] The Texas historian, J. Frank Dobie, wrote many years ago in A Vaquero of the Brush Country (1929): "...Billy the Kid will always be interesting, will always appeal to the popular imagination".[3] While a plethora of writers and filmmakers have depicted Billy the Kid as the personification of either heroic youth or juvenile punk,[4] a few have attempted to portray a more complex character.[5] In any case, the dramatic aspects of his short life and violent death still appeal to popular taste,[6] and he remains an icon of teenage rebellion and nonconformity.[7] The mythologizing of his story continues with new works in various media.[8][9]