From its first “Howdee!” in 1968 to its last squawk in 1971, the tale of Minnie Pearl’s Fried Chicken is an odd bird.
The chain was the brainchild of John Jay Hooker, a gregarious Nashville attorney and politician. In 1967, Hooker and his brother and law partner, Henry, watched the skyrocketing profits of Kentucky Fried Chicken [...]
Author Archives: Bill
Minnie Pearl’s Fried Chicken
March 7, 2010 – 7:34 pm
The Other Apple Store
March 4, 2010 – 8:18 am
And in the end, they even tried to take the carpet.
The ravenous mob who tore through the Apple Boutique on July 30, 1968 had snatched up everything else, from psychedelic frocks and inflatable chairs to store fixtures and hangers. The prices were certainly right. The Beatles had decided to abruptly end their eight-month experiment [...]
Urban Woodsman Overdrive
February 25, 2010 – 12:45 pm
A few days ago, while waiting in a long line at Fido, I was surrounded by beards. And not just beards. But serious late 19th century beards. Rutherford B. Hayes beards. Smith Brothers Cough Drop guy beards. This has been the winter of beards. It’s an odd trend to make a fashion comeback. The trend [...]
Pay Cuts
February 23, 2010 – 6:00 pm
I was just reading a New York Times article about Johnny Damon. A great ball player, and one I admire a lot. In case you missed the World Series, Damon was a big reason the Yankees won. He batted .364 and in one of the most memorable plays of the post-season, stole two consecutive bases [...]
Novelty Songs
February 21, 2010 – 12:31 pm
It all started with a bunch of bananas. Or rather a shortage of bananas. In 1923, a fungus called Panama Disease had ravaged the harvest of the world’s favorite fruit. Cut to a greengrocer’s in Long Island, where songwriting duo Frank Silver and Irving Cohn stopped for a snack on their way to work. The [...]