King Biscuit Time is not just the longest running blues radio show in the US, it is also the longest-running daily American radio broadcast in history!
Not only that but certain selections of King Biscuit Time from 1965 were chosen for preservation in the National Recording Registry by the Library of Congress as being “culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant”
So, let me tell you what I’ve learned about the King Biscuit Time Radio Show!
King Biscuit Time Radio Show
We recently visited the Delta Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas and got to see the studio from which this daily radio show is still being aired.
Anybody can pop in and watch live weekdays from 12:15 – 12:45 and I highly recommend a visit.
So how did the show get its name?
The name itself came from its sponsor which was the King Biscuit Flour Company.
Here’s how that began.
The first local radio station in Helena was opened by owner Sam Anderson in November 1941.
Soon after Sam was approached by two blues musicians Robert Lockwood Jr. and Sonny Boy Williamson to air a local blues radio show.
Anderson liked the idea, but he was a businessman and knew that the show would need a sponsor.
They approached the owner of Interstate Grocery Company who also liked the idea because he saw the possibility of getting his product into the African American kitchens of the Delta.
Her agreed to sponsor the show if the musicians would endorse his product which was, of course, King Biscuit Flour.
That’s how the King Biscuit Time got its name and the radio program went on the air on November 21, 1941.
And it worked — flour sales boomed right along with the radio show.
In fact, it worked so well that Interstate Grocery also began to sell “Sonny Boy” Cornmeal which featured the image of Sonny Boy Williamson.
King Biscuit Time Musicians
The first broadcast featured blues artists Sonny Boy Williamson and Robert Lockwood, Jr.
Sonny Boy Williamson II was a harmonica master and Robert Lockwood was a guitarist who is said to have learned from the legendary Robert Johnson.
They played live in the studio and were soon joined by drummer James “Peck” Curtis and pianist Dudlow Taylor joined and completed the band.
The group was called the King Biscuit Entertainers.
King Biscuit Time Guests
Many famous or soon to be famous guests appeared on the show. Some of these include B.B. King, Robert Nighthawk, James Cotton, Ike Turner, Levon Helm, and Muddy Waters.
A Famous Host
There have been several hosts of King Biscuit Time but the most well known was the award winning “Sunshine” Sonny Payne.
He hosted the show for decades, from 1951 until his death in 2018. He opened each broadcast by saying, “pass the biscuits, ’cause it’s King Biscuit Time!”
We actually met the new host of King Biscuit Time, Thomas Jacques, while we were at the Cultural center. He has kept the original Sonny Payne opening to the show.
He told us that his goal is to keep the authentic roots of the show.
Importance of King Biscuit Time
The importance of this show to the region and to the blues cannot be overstated.
In fact, this was the first regular radio show to feature the blues and the first regular radio show to feature live blues performances. Which means that this was the first time that the people of the region were hearing blues on the radio.
At its heart, King Biscuit Time was simple: live blues music beamed out across the Delta at around noon. But that simplicity held power.
For countless folks who lived and worked in the Delta, hearing the blues at lunchtime was a daily ritual.
Young musicians leaned in close to their radios, listening and learning, inspired to pick up guitars and harmonicas of their own. The show spread the blues to a wide audience and inspired young musicians across the region.
In fact, B.B. King once said that hearing King Biscuit Time on the radio as a boy made him want to become a musician.
The show helped spread this Delta sound across the world.
King Biscuit Time Radio Show Today
Amazingly, this blues radio show has run for over almost 20,000 broadcasts.
You can still tune in on KFFA 1360 AM if you’re nearby, or you can see the show online at the Delta Cultural Center Facebook page.
If you are really close you can stop by the Cultural Center in Helena, Arkansas and watch the show air live!
There’s something magical about knowing that the same show that introduced the world to some of Delta blues greats is still happening live every weekday at 12:15.
It’s like a direct line to history and a reminder of how deeply this music is woven into the soul of Arkansas and the Mississippi Delta.
Thanks for stopping by!
