1875-1940
The Barbecue King of Kansas City was born in Tennessee in 1875. Henry Perry’s early years are not well documented, but he told newspaper interviewers that he learned to barbecue while working as a cook on Mississippi River steamships. Like many r Black southerners who came to northern cities in the early 20th century seeking greater opportunity, Perry traveled through Midwestern cities such as Chicago and Minneapolis before arriving in Kansas City in 1907.
Perry found work in restaurants and saloons and soon saw an opportunity to make money by feeding hungry downtowners. He first set up business in an alley near Eighth and Bank streets, developing a loyal following among the area’s Garment District workers. By 1911, he had moved east to the city’s growing Black neighborhood and business district near 18th and Vine.
Perry’s early operations were makeshift — he dug barbecue pits and smoked meat wherever he could, even using a decommissioned streetcar for a time. He opened his first brick-and-mortar restaurant at 1514 East 19th Street. His business thrived, but in 1925, he decided to relocate to Bonner Springs, Kansas. The change didn’t suit him, and by the following year he was back in Kansas City, opening a new restaurant at 19th and Highland.
A master of self-promotion, Perry cultivated friendships and customers among the city’s social elite and won the favor of the local press — often with free barbecue. These efforts helped build his reputation. He also earned widespread public affection by hosting annual free barbecues for elderly and needy citizens, which were featured in the newspapers.
Perry’s barbecue method, which became the Kansas City style, was passed down to brothers Charlie and Arthur Bryant, who continued the tradition at their own restaurant. The Gates family also continued his legacy by hiring one of Perry’s former cooks, Arthur Pinkard.
After Henry Perry died in 1940, his family moved his remains to Osceola, Arkansas, by the river where he first learned to barbecue. Over the years, his name faded from popular memory, even as his influence endured. In 2014, Perry was inducted into the American Royal Barbecue Hall of Fame, and in 2020, in recognition of his generosity and tradition of free public barbecues, Kansas City Mayor Quinton Lucas declared July 3 Henry Perry Day.