Billy McGinty

William M. "Billy" McGinty (January 1, 1871 – May 21, 1961) was an Oklahoma bronco buster. [Thrapp, "Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography", p. 905: "McGinty took part in one cattle drive in 1889, from the south Plains to Montana, but most of his career was spent breaking horses, sometime more than 400 a season."]

As a cowboy in Kansas and the Indian Territory, he became acquainted with fellow cowboy Bill Doolin and others who would later turn outlaw. [Shirley, "West of Hell's Frings", pp. 142-143: " 'I [McGinty] got a glimpse of Daugherty's guest later, at a distance, and recognized Bill Doolin. I had worked with him on the Bar X Bar in the Triangle country. I didn't know about his trouble then, so said nothing'."]

A Rough Rider with Theodore Roosevelt and hero at San Juan Hill, [Walker, "Rough Rider", pp. 137-189: "A favorite among the cowboys was 'Little Billy' McGinty, a wiry Oklahoma wrangler and bronc buster. Among the many stories that circulated about McGinty, a favorite concerned his absolute and unwavering inability to stay in step on the parade ground. After repeated chewings-out, the hangdog Little Billy finally implored, 'Let me git my pony. I'm purty sure I kin keep in step on horseback!' "] [Roosevelt, "The Rough Riders", pp. 162-163: "Little McGinty, the bronco buster, volunteered to make the attempt, and I gave him permission. He simply took a case of hardtack in his arms and darted toward the trenches. The distance was but short, and though there was a outburst of fire, he was actually missed. One bullet, however, passed through the case of hardtack just before he disappeared with it into the trench."] he also toured with Buffalo Bill's Congress of Rough Riders. [Russell, "The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill", p. 419: "In 1899 the Rough Riders of the World included sixteen of Roosevelt's Rough Riders, among the Tom Isbell and William McGinty."] He was the first bronc buster in a movie, filmed during an act for the 1889 Paris World's Fair. [Stewart, "McGinty Boosted for Cowboy Hall": "You could say too that Billy did the first bronco busting shown on a movie film, with a special act arraged for the 1890 Paris world's exposition. In addition to winning a challange 'world's championship' a bronc busting at Southhampton, N.Y.; in a match with Bert Bryan of Arizona."]

In the 1920's he became the leader of the McGinty's Oklahoma Cowboy Band which would later become Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys, the first nationally famous cowboy band. [McRill, "Music in Oklahoma by the Billy McGinty Cowboy Band", pp. 66-67: "Youngblood was a town-promoter of no mean ability and talked with the group and came up with the idea of calling the band 'The Billy McGinty Cowboy Band.' This was a very natural conclusion since Billy McGinty was known nation-wide as one of the very early cowboy of Oklahoma, Texas and Arizona."]

He served terms as president of the Cherokee Strip Cowpunchers Association and in 1954 he was elected life-time president of the Rough Riders Association.

References

Bibliography

*Chlouber, Carla. "Otto Gray and his Oklahoma Cowboys: The Country's First Commercial Western Band". "Chronicles of Oklahoma", (Winter, 1997-98) 75:4 356-383.

*Kite, Steve. [http://www.library.okstate.edu/scua/exhibit/oaa/9may01.htm "Billy McGinty & His Cowboy Band Take to the Air" (transcription)] . "Oklahoma Audio Almanac". Oklahoma State University, May 9, 2001.

*McRill, Leslie A. [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v038/v038p066.pdf "Music in Oklahoma by the Billy McGinty Cowboy Band"] . "Chronicles of Oklahoma", (Spring, 1960) 38:1 66-74.

*McRill, Leslie A. [http://digital.library.okstate.edu/Chronicles/v034/v034p432.pdf "The Story of an Oklahoma Cowboy, William McGinty and His Wife"] . "Chronicles of Oklahoma", (Winter 1956)34:4 432-442.

*Otto Gray's Oklahoma Cowboys. "Early Cowboy Band". British Archive of Country Music, CD D 139, 2006.

*Roosevelt, Theodore. "The Rough Riders". Charles Scribner's Sons, 1899.

*Russell, Donald B. "The Lives and Legends of Buffalo Bill". University of Oklahoma Press, 1979. ISBN 0-8-61-1537-8

*Shirley, Glenn. "West of Hell's Fringe: Crime, Criminals, and the Federal Peace Officer in Oklahoma Territory, 1889-1907". University of Oklahoma Press, 1990. ISBN 0-8061-12264-1

*Stewart, Roy P. " 'McGinty Boosted for Cowboy Hall': Country Boy". "Daily Oklahoman". June, 5, 1956, p. 3.

*Thrapp, Dan L. "Encyclopedia of Frontier Biography". University of Nebraska Press, 1991. ISBN 0-8032-9419-0

*Walker, Dale L. "Rough Rider: Buckey O'Neill of Arizona". University of Nebraska Press, 1997. ISBN 0-8032-9796-3