William Jones, known as Billy Jones, was born on 14 June 1935 in Camden, New Jersey. He dropped out of high school to join the Marines. Following four years of service he attended university on the GI Bill, completing a Bachelor of Arts in English. After some time travelling abroad he moved to Australia in 1967 and met his partner, Diane Kelly, in 1968. They settled at Mary Smokes Creek, near Woodford, Queensland, in 1970. Jones published illustrated books of poetry. After Diane died in a car accident in June 1975, Jones wrote and sketched in a journal everyday up until his death, eventually amassing 167 illustrated volumes. He died on 3 July 2012 in Queensland, leaving behind possibly one of the largest bodies of unpublished works for a poet of his time.