The ''King Biscuit Flower Hour'' was an American syndicated

radio show A radio program, radio programme, or radio show is a segment of content intended for broadcast on radio. It may be a one-time production or part of a periodically recurring series. A single program in a series is called an episode. Radio netwo ...

presented by the D.I.R. Radio Network that featured concert performances by various

rock music Rock music is a broad genre of popular music that originated as "rock and roll" in the United States in the late 1940s and early 1950s, developing into a range of different styles in the mid-1960s and later, particularly in the United States and ...

recording artists.

History

The program was broadcast on Sunday nights from 1973 until 1993. Following the end of original programming, the broadcast continued on Sunday nights until 2005, airing previously broadcast shows. During its prime, the program was carried by more than 300 radio stations throughout the United States. The show's name was derived from the influential blues radio show '' King Biscuit Time'', which was sponsored by the King Biscuit Flour Co., combined with the hippie phrase "

flower power Flower power was a slogan used during the late 1960s and early 1970s as a symbol of passive resistance and nonviolence. It is rooted in the opposition movement to the Vietnam War. The expression was coined by the American Beat poet Allen Gi ...

". The first show was broadcast on February 18, 1973, and featured Blood, Sweat & Tears,

the Mahavishnu Orchestra The Mahavishnu Orchestra were a jazz fusion band formed in New York City in 1971, led by English guitarist John McLaughlin. The group underwent several line-up changes throughout its history across its two periods of activity, from 1971 to 1976 a ...

, and

Bruce Springsteen Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen (born September 23, 1949) is an American singer and songwriter. He has released 21 studio albums, most of which feature his backing band, the E Street Band. Originally from the Jersey Shore, he is an originat ...

. The long-time host of the show until the mid-1990s was Bill Minkin, whose voice has been described as "the perfect blend of hipster enthusiasm and stoner casualness." The concerts were usually recorded with a mobile recording truck, then mixed and edited for broadcast on the show within a few weeks. In the 1970s, the show was sent to participating radio stations on reel-to-reel tape. Some shows were recorded and mixed in both stereo and quadraphonic. In 1980, D.I.R. began using the LP format, producing the show on a three-sided, two-record set. The first show on compact disc was a live retrospective of

the Rolling Stones The Rolling Stones are an English rock band formed in London in 1962. Active for six decades, they are one of the most popular and enduring bands of the rock era. In the early 1960s, the Rolling Stones pioneered the gritty, rhythmically d ...

broadcast on September 27, 1987. By 2000, King Biscuit was using CD-R media to distribute the show. These tapes, records or compact discs were accompanied by a cue sheet which gave the disc jockey a written guideline of the content and length of each segment of the program. In 1982, a three-alarm fire damaged the Manhattan office tower that housed D.I.R. Broadcasting. Reportedly, many of the ''King Biscuit Flower Hour'' recordings were lost in the fire. Although closely associated with

classic rock Classic rock is a US radio format which developed from the album-oriented rock (AOR) format in the early 1980s. In the United States, the classic rock format comprises rock music ranging generally from the mid-1960s through the mid 1990s, prim ...

in its later years, the ''King Biscuit Flower Hour'' dedicated much air time to new and emerging artists, including new wave and

modern rock Modern rock is an umbrella term used to describe rock music that is found on college rock radio stations. Some radio stations use this term to distinguish themselves from classic rock, which is based in 1960s–1980s rock music. Radio format Mod ...

artists in the late 1970s and early 1980s. In 2006, the ''King Biscuit'' tape archives were acquired by Wolfgang's Vault which began streaming concerts online and has made some available for download.

King Biscuit Flower Hour Records

After founder Bob Meyrowitz sold his interest to new ownership, King Biscuit Flower Hour Records was formed in 1992 with the intention of releasing live albums from the archives. Licensing issues prevented the release of the most popular artists featured on the program, although dozens of recordings did see commercial release.

D.I.R. Broadcasting

''D.I.R. Broadcasting'' created the syndicated radio series ''King Biscuit Flower Hour''.

References

External links

* *{{BFI , id= 4ce2b9852d71d , name= DIR Broadcasting * Fred Jacob
Could The King Biscuit Flower Hour Survive Today ?
· Jacobs Media Strategies American music radio programs Rock music radio programs 1973 radio programme debuts 2005 radio programme endings