[3], Learn how and when to remove this template message, "Fighting over a 'Biscuit' | Arkansas Reporter | Arkansas news, politics, opinion, restaurants, music, movies and art", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=King_Biscuit_Blues_Festival&oldid=923782871, Tourist attractions in Phillips County, Arkansas, Articles needing additional references from December 2011, All articles needing additional references, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 30 October 2019, at 19:10. Pinetop Perkins, a King Biscuit regular, said in the Daily World that 1940s Helena “aint’ nothin like it is now. Jim O'Neal, the editor of Living Blues magazine at the time and an authority on blues history, said, "The King Biscuit hour was the thing that really crystallized blues music in this area. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Humanities Council. Additional support provided by the Arkansas General Assembly. To become a sponsor, click here. King Biscuit Blues Festival, October 4-7th in Helena, Arkansas. Held for three days annually in October, tens of thousands of blues enthusiasts converge on historic downtown Helena, Arkansas to hear stirring and uplifting performances of an American art form on the banks of the Mississippi River. Additional support provided by the Arkansas Community Foundation. Little Rock, AR. Grammy nominee Billy Branch and Grammy winner Bobby Rush will headline on Thursday, October 8th; Mavis Staples plays Friday, October 9th and Allman-Betts will headline the main stage on Saturday, October 10th. Major funding provided by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation. In 1998, Huckabee, a Baptist minister, married a couple on the main stage a year after they had met at the previous year’s festival. KING BISCUIT BLUES FESTIVAL LINEUP 2020 (Gospel and Front Porch Stage to be revealed at a later date) WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 7 Sonny Boy Williamson Main Stage King would come home from working in the fields every day just to listen to the King Biscuit hour. Featuring blues legends and up-and-coming acts, this iconic festival, held the weekend before Columbus Day each October, continues to preserve and promote the music of the Delta. These interviews and interviews with residents of Helena are available on the Helena Project page. King Biscuit Blues Festival. For more information, contact 501-918-3025 or calsfoundation@cals.org. The King Biscuit Blues Festival is an annual, multi-day blues festival, held in Helena, Arkansas, United States. “We Are the Blues: Individual and Communal Performances of the King Biscuit Tradition.” PhD diss., Florida State University, 2010. Spreading your gift out through monthly contributions is a great solution for your budget and ours. Read our Privacy Policy. History. “Fighting over a ‘Biscuit.’” Arkansas Times, February 23, 2006. Featuring blues legends and up-and-coming acts, this iconic festival, held the weekend before Columbus Day each October, continues to preserve and promote the music of the Delta. Your monthly donation provides ongoing and predictable support we can count on to fund educational and cultural programming for the patrons, communities, and neighborhoods being served by CALS. The name of the festival comes from King Biscuit Time, which was the longest running radio show. The festival took its name from the King Biscuit Time radio program until 2005, when the festival’s organizer, the Sonny Boy Blues Society, announced that the name would change to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival because the New York firm that owned the rights to the King Biscuit name wanted too much money for its use. Encyclopedia of Arkansas

All Rights Reserved. But by the mid-1980s, Helena had changed from a jumping town to a community in danger of dying. Leave your legacy with a planned gift that can help ensure quality materials, programming, and services for our libraries. Lonnie Shields appeared at the inaugural festival. The King Biscuit Blues Festival did not run into any problems until 2005 when the festival became the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival.

From the grassy slopes of our Mississippi River levee amphitheater, you can see the mighty Mississippi River to one side and the magnificent historic downtown storefronts of Helena on the other. By 2013, there were six stages. Sonny Boy Williamson II and other musicians played live on KFFA every weekday, pausing for King Biscuit flour commercials and announcements of their next night time performances. [2], The festival was started in 1986 under the guidance of the "Main Street Helena" organization, which is part of the "Main Street, USA" program. 100 Rock Street Creating an account gives you access to all these features. Helena, AR 72342 Sonny Boy Williamson and other musicians played live on KFFA every weekday, pausing for King Biscuit Flour commercials and announcements of their next nighttime performances.

Simply go to krogercommunityrewards.com, click “Create an Account” to sign in, and select CALS Foundation as your organization to support. Our neighbors and friends here. Staples is one of the most prominent names and voices in blues and soul music from the last 50 years. He is loved so much by so many. Experienced Main Street directors recommended community festivals to get local people back to town and, at the same time, promote tourism. Cherry Street, which parallels the Mississippi River, is a National Historic District and the historic commercial center of the town. From original King Biscuit Time artists such as Robert Jr. Lockwood and Pinetop Perkins, to younger performers such as Anson Funderburgh, a wide range of blues stars were thrilled to be a part of Helena’s celebration of its musical roots. Its purpose was to revitalize the downtown area of the Mississippi River port city. PO Box, 256 Contact Us The primary mission of this phenomenal yearly event is to focus attention on the heritage and history of the Delta blues, and inspire people to experience the music of the Delta blues region. Over 120 rich, engaging images of the headliners, street performers, the fans, and the place where everyone comes together. For tickets, visit King Biscuit Blues Festival. The Biscuit also features a Bike Ride, 5K Run, Blues Symposium, Harmonica Workshops, Kansas-city sanctioned BBQ & Blues on the Levee, and more. In an interview with The Daily World in October of 1986, harmonica wizard James Cotton expressed the feelings of many Delta blues musicians who chose to “come home” to Helena for the first King Biscuit Blues Festival. Webb, Robert Fry. During another festival, a strong wind knocked over a huge inflated Budweiser can next to the main stage, which organizers repaired as thousands watched.
The festival took its name from the King Biscuit Time radio program until 2005, when the festival’s organizer, the Sonny Boy Blues Society, announced that the name would change to the Arkansas Blues and Heritage Festival because the New York firm that owned the rights to the King Biscuit name wanted too much money for its use. The festival attracts people from all walks of life. Artists, too, remember a time – the 1940’s and 1950’s – when the town was filled with music. Despite Helena-West Helena’s declining population, hotels and motels have few vacancies on festival weekend. Do NOT follow this link or you will be banned from the site. 72201. We got paid $3 a night plus all the whiskey we could drink. Muddy Water and B.B. In 1996, Luther Allison continued playing as he left the main stage and meandered up and down the levee, wirelessly amplifying his guitar licks while photographers snapped pictures and the crowd went wild. Musicians are booked not only on the main stage but also on ones that include gospel choirs and other groups in addition to artists who perform more traditional Delta blues. Beginning in 2011 the festival name was restored to the “King Biscuit Blues Festival.”, For information on festival details, accommodations, and other King Biscuit Blues Festival events, visit http://www.kingbiscuitfestival.com, King Biscuit Blues Festival Give a donation in someone’s name to mark a special occasion, honor a friend or colleague or remember a beloved family member. The 35th King Biscuit Blues Festival, scheduled for Oct. 7-10 in Helena-West Helena, has been postponed until next year due to concern over the covid-19 pandemic. Little Rock, AR. The Pryor Center began interviewing musicians and recording symposia at the King Biscuit Blues Festival in Helena, Arkansas, in 2015. [2], The festival was started in 1986 under the guidance of the "Main Street Helena" organization, which is part of the "Main Street, USA" program. King Biscuit Blues Festival attracts hundreds of thousands of people to the banks of the Mississippi River in Helena, Arkansas. The name stems from King Biscuit Time, the longest running daily radio show in history. PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS OF SERVICE. http://www.kingbiscuitfestival.com/ (accessed May 9, 2016). Special thanks to the Department of Arkansas Heritage. Helena’s musical heritage was largely unknown even to hardcore blues fans.

How great it would be to see everyone donate a little for his birthday. At the cultural center, visitors may view a film loop that includes parts of past festivals while hearing Payne interviewing a guest or playing a song on his program. As the home of “King Biscuit Time,” the longest running radio show ever, Helena became legendary in the Delta.

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