Outlaw Jesse James Was Killed on This Date in 1882 but Lives on in These Songs [VIDEO]

When I hear the word 'outlaw' one of the first names that pops into my head is Jesse James. Jesse is probably one of history's most famous outlaws. Every kid that played cowboy pretended to be Jesse James at one time or another. I grew up in a town where we had a Jesse James celebration every year. I spend several of my childhood years in Northfield, Minnesota which is home of a very famous raid by the James Gang that resulted in a couple of his men being shot down in a robbery attempt. It is recreated in downtown Northfield every year for Jesse James Days, which I have some very fond memories of attending as a child.

On this date in 1882, one of Jesse's gang, Robert Ford, gunned Jesse down. Jesse was considered a hero to some and a blood thirsty outlaw to others. His legend lives on forever in books, movies and songs. Here are a few songs that reference Jesse and I have included a video of Northfield's Jesse James days and a clip from the movie "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" too.