William Billings – 1746-1800

A tanner by vocation, Billings was a self-taught musician and composer who wrote hymns, anthems, and psalms of great vitality. His tunes have become part of the American folk tradition, and he is generally considered America’s first important composer. Billy the Kid (1859/60–1881) Born Henry McCarty (or possibly William H. Bonney, Jr.) in the slums of New York City, Billy the Kid became an outlaw during the range wars of New Mexico and earned, even during his brief life, a legendary reputation as a gunfighter, credited by many sources with having killed 27 men before Sheriff Pat Garrett killed him in his 21st year.