radio show: King Biscuit Flour Hour

[Dayna]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/King_Biscuit_Flower_Hour

Did anyone here, ever hear of this show, called King Biscuit Flower Hour? They used to play whole entire albums on the radio. But then someone told me they stopped because people were recording them.

[NormanD]

Never heard that show over here, but the name means a lot. There was a much earlier, similarly named radio show, playing blues:-

Sonny Boy Williamson II

[judith]

There was a much earlier, similarly named radio show, playing blues

Is this the one?
http://www.kingbiscuittime.com/

I'm listening to January 23, 2008 right now. Program #15,392 broadcast (originally) live from Helena, Arkansas. The show is 30:45 min long, we're on into the second song, and 'm certainly enjoying the show.

http://tinyurl.com/2xyhsr

[Dayna]

Last night, I listened to some radio show that was on, called Through The 60s & they played highlights of each year of the 60s. One thing they played was a live duet with the Beatles & Tina Turner, over the Telstar satellite, which was good.


Another thing they played was a live version of She's Not There, by The Zombies. Am I right or wrong about this? The singer for that group, Colin Blunstone. He sang in such a high voice, it almost sounded uncomfortable. Maybe it's just not what I'm used to hearing.
I've kind of always liked their songs.

[Adam Blake]

Fabulous shot of Sonny Boy, Norman, with I believe Peck Curtis on drums. Taken in early '65 just before Sonny Boy passed. You can see he's wearing the harlequin suit that he had made for him in London. I always thought it was one of the most poignant ironies of blues history that Sonny Boy, who did so much to turn on Europe to the real blues, went home (because he knew he was dying and he wanted to die at home) only to have all his stories about life on the road in Europe dismissed as bullshit by his own peoples who probably thought he'd just been holed up in jail or somesuch. Can you imagine the conversations? ("Oh yeah? Goddamm it, where'd I git this suit from then, motherfukka?") :)

[Alan Balfour]

Fabulous shot of Sonny Boy, Norman, with I believe Peck Curtis on drums. Taken in early '65 just before Sonny Boy passed. You can see he's wearing the harlequin suit that he had made for him in London.

Yep taken by Chris Srachwitz. The name of the drummer is written on his bass drum J. P Curtis (James Peck Curtis).

[NormanD]

Here's another (smaller) shot, with guitarist:


Sorry about hijacking your thread, Dayna. The mad blues boys have taken over! Now there'll be discussion about the guitarist. Adam? Alan?

The Zombies are going through a big re-appraisal / revival, right now. Their 1967 LP, "Odyssey & Oracle" is being performed live in its entirety for three nights at a big London venue, next month. I know someone who's coming over from Canada to see the show each night. I like Colin Blunstone's singing a lot - high, but not too wispy, and with some body. He had a good solo album in the early 1970s, lovely string arrangements, followed on the path of The Left Banke (you wrote about them once, they did the first version of "Walk Away Renee). Colin B's version of "Misty Roses" comes close to being as good as the original by Tim Hardin, and that's high praise from me, a complete Tim Hardin nut.

[Ted]

holed up in jail or somesuch.

Kind of the opposite of jamaican kids in London in the sixties who were told that relatives and friends in prison had "gone to america".

tw

[Dayna]

That's OK. Blues is interesting. That thing I mentioned wasn't known to anyone else here.
I'd like to hear more about this Sonny Boy Williamson.

[Adam Blake]

Look him up in that book you just bought! (I think that's where I got the story I quoted above from).

[Adam Blake]

Bear in mind he may be listed under his real name: Aleck "Rice" Miller.

[Dayna]

I just started it a couple days ago, & have been getting through it slowly.

[Alan Balfour]

Here's another (smaller) shot, with guitarist:
Sorry about hijacking your thread, Dayna. The mad blues boys have taken over! Now there'll be discussion about the guitarist. Adam? Alan?

I'm not a mad blues boy...insane maybe, but not mad. Houston Stackhouse is the guitarist. Back in 1975 Chris S. released a six track EP of SBW's last KFFA King Biscuit Time broadcast. The announcer makes great play of SBW having just returned from Europe, introducing Sonny Boy as "the man with the spiked toe shoes".