Will Haney, a World War I veteran, was one of Ferriday's leading African-American businessmen, making his living by selling insurance, managing rental property, and operating a laundry and hotel. He became nationally known for Haney's Big House, a cafe and nightclub that operated at its peak from 1940 through 1966. A stop on the Chittlin' Circuit, it attracted young entertainers including Ray Charles, B.B. King, Solomon Burke, Redd Foxx, MomsMabley, Fats Domino, Irma Thomas, and others. Crowds were often so large they spilled into the street. During his youth, Ferriday's Jerry Lee Lewis stood at the back door with trombonist Pee Wee Whittaker to listen to the rhythm and blues, and Lewis told Billboard magazine in 1958 that after listening for a while, he would run home and try to play the same same kind of great blues music.