Mark Lee Gardner -- Historian, Writer, Musician of the Frontier West

Specializing in the History of the West in Narrative and Song

MARK LEE GARDNER
Historian, Writer, Musician of the Western Experience

A professional historian, author, musician and consultant, Mark has worked with the National Park Service, PBS Television, National Geographic Magazine, the New Mexico Humanities Council, and numerous state and local historic sites and museums. As an authority on the American West, he has appeared on the History Channel, PBS American Experience, ABC World News with Diane Sawyer, Encore Westerns Channel, Book TV, NPR, and BBC Radio. He writes for both popular and scholarly audiences, having published with several university presses and newspapers and periodicals such as the Los Angeles Times, Wild West, New Mexico Magazine, Journal of the West, and Living History Magazine. Mark's most recent book, the critically acclaimed To Hell on a Fast Horse: The Untold Story of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett, is available from Harper Paperbacks. Mark is currently at work on the story of the James-Younger gang's disastrous Northfield Raid (forthcoming from William Morrow).

For special online features related to Mark's latest book, including exclusive essays and a cool photo album of Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett Country, go to:

www.ToHellonaFastHorse.com

Watch Mark's video trailer for the book on YouTube here.

And watch Mark's Book TV program, "Billy the Kid in Story and Song," here.

Watch PBS American Experience on January 10th, 2012, for Mark's appearance in the new John Maggio documentary: Billy the Kid. Check local listings for broadcast times.

Watch a PBS bonus video of Mark performing the 1927 Blind Andy Jenkins ballad "Billy the Kid." Click here.

In addition to his research and writing, Mark is an award-winning performer of the music of the 19th and early 20th-century American West. He has entertained audiences with his historic music at numerous venues, from the Gateway Arch in St. Louis, Missouri, to the Palace of the Governors in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Mark currently performs with his friend and fellow music historian Rex Rideout of Conifer, Colorado (www.TimeTravelMusic.com). Mark and Rex were recognized by True West Magazine as the "Best Musical Tour of the West of 2009." Their popular CD, Frontier Favorites: Old-Time Music of the Wild West, and their award-winning book and CD, Jack Thorp's Songs of the Cowboys, are available for purchase here.

We're Official!

Mark and Rex are honored that their popular concert/program on Jack Thorp and his 1908 book of cowboy songs (the very first collection of cowboy ballads ever published) has been recognized as an "Official New Mexico Centennial Project." Mark and Rex are now accepting requests to perform this educational and entertaining program for 2011 and 2012. Learn more on the official centennial website.

2011-2012 Highlights and Upcoming Events

March 30: Mark appeared on Think with Kris Boyd on KERA, Dallas, Texas. To hear the interview, click the player:

June 25: The only surviving original photographic image of Billy the Kid, a tintype, sold at auction in Denver, Colorado, for an amazing $2 million ($2.3 million with the 15% buyer's premium). Mark was at the auction. Read his account here. He was also interviewed on the radio news show The Takeaway. Click on the player to listen to the interview:

And watch a video of the historic auction here.

July 10: NPR's Weekend Edition mentioned To Hell on a Fast Horse as a "hot vacation read." Listen to the broadcast here.

July 25: Mark appeared on NPR's On Point with Tom Ashbrook with novelist Mary Doria Russell and historian William Deverell talking about the Old versus the New West. Click the player to listen to the hour-long broadcast in its entirety:

July 27: Mark appeared on the Voice of America discussing the 130th anniversary of Billy the Kid's death. Listen to the interview and read the story here.

July 29: Mark's musical pard, Rex Rideout, had a part in this summer's movie blockbuster, Cowboys & Aliens, starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig. Read Mark's review of the film in Box Office Magazine.

August: Mark's feature article, "Pat Garrett: The Life and Death of a Great Sheriff," is the cover story of Wild West magazine's August 2011 issue. The article features several unusual and rare illustrations of Garrett and some amazing Garrett artifacts. Read the full article here.

October: Mark's book, To Hell on a Fast Horse, is released in a Czech edition. A Spanish edition will be released in March.

December 7: Mark participated in a sneak preview of the new American Experience film on Billy the Kid at the New Mexico History Museum, Santa Fe, 6:30-8:00 PM. Mark did a live performance of a couple of his favorite Billy songs and took part in a panel discussion following the showing of the preview. For the panel, Mark joined Santa Fe author and historian Hampton Sides; the film's director, John Maggio; and the producer of American Experience, Mark Samels. A portion of the panel discussion is available for online viewing here.

January 10, 2012: Mark joined PBS American Experience director John Maggio for an interview on Radio West, broadcast from KUER-FM in Salt Lake City. Mark and John discussed Billy the Kid and John's new documentary on the fabled outlaw. Listen to the complete broadcast here:

January 10, 2012: Premier of American Experience "Billy the Kid" on PBS. Mark is a featured on-air commentator.

January 13, 2012: Mark will perform historic New Mexico music and participate in a panel discussion for a New Mexico centennial event at the St. Francis Auditorium, Santa Fe. Fellow panelists include Hampton Sides, Paul Hutton, and John Andrews. Admission $15.00. More details to here.

January 20-22, 2012: Mark and Rex perform at the Colorado Cowboy Poetry Gathering in Golden.

July 20, 2012: Mark and Rex perform at the Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe, New Mexico. Details to come.

"Don't take your guns to town, Bill." -- Pat Garrett