In 1985, a group of like-minded Blues lovers got together to try and organize a Blues festival to honor the musical heritage of Helena, Arkansas. They felt that Helena’s musical history was all but unknown and needed to be given greater exposure. They managed to stumble through the first couple of years without too many mistakes. What was surprising was the huge response from Blues fans from around the world, ‘They actually liked what we were doing and year after year ‘started showing up in ever increasing numbers.’ The Festival is called the King Biscuit Blues Festival and today it stands as one of the largest free Blues Festivals in the world. Jerry Pillow has been involved with the festival since the beginning. He was a founding member of the Sonny Boy Blues Society, the organization that produces the festival. Pillow has served as the Music Director for the King Biscuit Festival for seven years. Jerry says that ‘although my wife thinks I’m crazy to volunteer so much time, it’s really a, labor of love.’
