king_biscuit

Location: Helena Arkansas, KFFA Radio King Biscuit Time

On our second trip back to Mississippi, Floyd was booked on the King Biscuit Time Radio Show which is hosted by the legendary Sonny Payne. Every weekday, Sonny Payne broadcasts from KFFA in Helena, Arkansas which is located just across the Mississippi River. KFFA started broadcasting throughout the Mississippi Delta region in 1941. Although owned by white businessmen the station gave a radio spot to a group of blues musicians provided they could garner a sponsor for the show. When the King Biscuit Flower Company agreed to a sponsorship the King Biscuit Time show was born. The first hosts of King Biscuit Time were Sonny Boy Williams II and Robert Jr. Lockwood. They would hit the airwaves at 12:15 to coincide with the lunch break of the workers in the fields. At the time KFFA was the only station that would play blues music and King Biscuit Time was seen as a major breakthrough for black music in general. The popularity of the program made Helena a major blues center and became a favorite spot for blues musicians on their way to Chicago.

Sonny Payne took over the reigns in 1951 and has hosted the show ever since. After 14,000 shows, King Biscuit Time is the longest running broadcast in American history… Over the years the biggest names in blues have been associated with the program and important blues artists continue to perform live on the show.