Who is Billy Klapper? Yellowstone season 5 airs title card tribute

Who is Billy Klapper? If you are wondering that following tonight’s new Yellowstone episode and that tribute card, absolutely we are here to help.

First and foremost, let’s just note that Billy Ray Klapper is someone you actually saw during episode 9 titled “Desire is All You Need,” as he was the spur-maker briefly mentioned in a conversation with Rip. He also was a real-life spur-maker and a real master at the craft. Taylor Sheridan loves to put these people on all of his shows to add to the authenticity, not that there is ever any real need to do that. This show has never had any problem at all when it comes to feeling authentic, and we believe that this is just yet another reminder of that.

We should also know that the series intentionally chose Pampa, Texas tonight as a setting because Klapper was well-known to that community. Rip rode through there and as a result, his visit to Billy was a way to fulfill a favor Lloyd asked of him. Consider this another reminder of his craftsmanship that someone would covet his work even from the other part of the country — clearly, that’s not something you see a lot of the time.

Ultimately, Klapper passed away months ago at the age of 87, so the tribute at the end was yet another way to pay homage to the man and everything he did, both for the show and for cowboys overall. These tributes do live on in future airings, and Yellowstone has long been great at bringing attention to a lot of the people who contribute to the world that inspired it.

Insofar as television tributes go, we tend to think that the Paramount Network series delivered one of the best. It is so rare that you can show a man, honor his work, and then also dedicate an entire story to him at the end, all within a span of just 70 minutes. There is a lot to be immensely proud of here for all parties.

Our thoughts go out to Klapper’s family and everyone who loved him during this difficult time.