He was most well known as the "Voice of Jazzfest", co-founder of Minit Records,[1] and the host of several shows on the New Orleans radio stations WNNR-AM and WMRY-FM (now known as WYLD (AM)).
He decided to settle there permanently after he covered a speech by Martin Luther King, after which he was quoted having said "I can't go back I feel like I'm being a part of history here".
[citation needed] In 1959 McKinley's success in hosting the radio station WMRY-FM led to a close friendship with a local businessman named Joe Banashak.
[3] McKinley, who was also promoting local artists, eventually signed Allen Toussaint as the producer for the label.
[5] McKinley also went on to join the governing board of the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Foundation, Inc, the proprietor of what is colloquially known as Jazzfest, a New Orleans–based annual music festival.