More than any other community in Arkansas, the Mississippi river port of Helena reflects the legacy of the Deep South. Only an hour’s travel from Memphis on Hwy 49, Helena was, for a spell, a thriving shipping dock for transporting the state’s cotton crops. However, after the railroads arrived, Helena’s fortunes soon dwindled. With a shrinking population of 6,432 people, the town now focuses its energy on singing the blues.
In the 1940s, the company King Biscuit Flour sponsored legendary recording artist “Sunshine” Sonny Payne’s “King Biscuit Time” slot on KFTA Radio. Along with playing a mean harmonica, Payne would advertise Sonny Boy’s Biscuit Meal.
Still an institution on the airwaves, the show is broadcast live from the foyer of the Delta Cultural Center on Missouri Street. The center also has a solid collection of the region’s blues heritage along with snippets from the Civil Rights Movement.
The Phillips County Museum focuses on the region’s Civil War history and features an assortment of documents and letters written by Samuel Clemens (also known as Mark Twain) and eminent Confederate general, Robert E. Lee.
The King Biscuit Blues Festival attracts an elite group of musicians and draws crowds from across the Mississippi Bridge.
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