“Friendly Larry McKinley,” a charismatic record business impresario and radio personality, broadcasted from The McKinley Studios in the 1970s when it was WNNR-AM. Originally from Chicago, Larry made his way to New Orleans during college and fell in love with the city. McKinley turned his career as a disc jockey into so much more.

Famous for his sonorous voice and unfailing musical intuition, Larry went on to co-found Minit Records, catapulting the careers of some of New Orleans’ most influential musical artists, including Aaron Neville, Allen Toussaint, Benny Spellman, Ernie K-Doe, Irma Thomas, and many others.

An energetic music promoter, Larry brought top acts like Jackie Wilson, James Brown, The Jackson 5 and more to the city. He was a member of the founding board of the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. When Larry wasn’t broadcasting over the airwaves, he was making waves. In the 1960s, he got Louis Armstrong to fund Freedom Riders working in New Orleans, and in 1978 he helped get the city’s first black mayor elected.

A true “creative” years before the term was ever coined, Larry McKinley is “The Original Influencer of New Orleans.”