In 1964 Sanders sold the franchising operation for $2 million but remained a spokesman for it. The franchise has been sold three times and there are now more than 9,000 KFC stores in 86 countries

Harland Sanders was a renowned bareknuckle brawler in his younger days and, as an old man, once took an upturned chair to a knife wielding chef.

That fight broke out after the white-suited Sanders threw a plate of under-done eggs at the surly cook, whom he ‘‘ cussed out’’ for giving he and his wife poor service at a roadside diner.

These are the kind of stories you’ll read in ‘‘Finger Lickin Good’’, Sanders’ autobiography, which was published in 1974. It’s a wonderful read, relating Sanders’ impoverished background, his years as a railway unionist on the Rock Island Line and shootouts with armed gangs of hillbillies.

That area of contention was over the production of moonshine liquor in the hills around his home town of Corban Kentucky.

Though generally law abiding, once or twice Sanders warned the men who made moonshine when there were federal agents on the way to raid them. But he wasn’t about to let his gas station get caught in the cross fire when the bootleggers had turf wars. On such occasions he came running out of his gas station in his underwear, blazing away with his hog rifle. Once he shot a man dead, but apparently in selfdefence.

‘Finger Lickin Good’, which is long out of print, has been ignored by the huge corporations which control the image and franchise empire kicked off by the Colonel, who died in 1980.

It’s really a kind of a ‘Confessions of St Augustine’, which Sanders apparently wrote to chart his lifetime quest for salvation, which culminated in him becoming a born-again Christian at the age of 79. It lists his exuberance for helping people through Rotary, Masonry, as an unlicensed backwoods lawyer, and giving away thousands of dollars to charity. Through most of his life he did not attend church in his own Presbyterian denomination, but tithed to it anyway. His military title was an honorary one, in recognition of his charity works.

Back in the 40s and 50s — as well as running small town gas stations, motels and diners — Sanders delivered the babies for ‘‘mountain women’’, in remote backwoods areas.

Though a teetotaller, he started AA meetings in Corban to assist local alcoholics; supported local orphanages and organised work schemes for unemployed men. He said none of this eased his conscience. Although ‘ Finger Lickin Good’ is a tract, it’s also an entertaining insight into the one of last century’s greatest entrepreneurs. After all, Harland Sanders was king of the franchisors.

He went broke several times, lost a son to illness and his first marriage ended in divorce. Then when aged 65 and ready to draw his first pension cheque, he was ruined yet again . . .

A new interstate highway bypassed Corban, ruining his tourist focused restaurant. The auction he held to dispose of his assets managed to cover his debts.

Sanders genuinely looked for the opportunity in every setback. He and his wife had no assets but did possess a lifetime of cooking knowledge.

What’s more, Sanders had stumbled on an efficient way of using pressure cookers to prepare fried chicken.

He hit the road franchising his fried chicken — with its 11 secret herbs and spices — initially among old friends in the restaurant trade. Asking only five cents per bird cooked, he eventually visited 1000 restaurants within a 2000 kilometre radius of home.

In his travels, he was rejected on many occasions and laughed at over his attire of white shirt, cowboy tie and white suit. The carefully crafted ‘‘look’’ demonstrated Sanders’ ability to draw attention to himself. He wore nothing else for the last 20 years of his life.

He’d smash his cane down on the counters when he found a restaurant abusing his fried chicken standards.

He milked any and all publicity he could get, becoming a popular guest on TV cooking programmes and talk shows throughout the COLOURFUL LIFE: Harland Sanders went from modest gas station owner to franchise millionaire. He became a born again Christian aged 79, 10 years before his death in 1980. 1960s. In the early 60s there were over 600 franchised locations in the U.S. and Canada selling his chicken. In 1964 Sanders sold the franchising operation for $2 million but remained a spokesman for it. The franchise has been sold three times and there are now more than 9,000 KFC stores in 86 countries. Even during his lifetime, Sanders ranked as the world’s secondmost recognised celebrity, behind thenheavyweight champion Muhammad Ali, a fellow Kentuckian. Sanders died in 1980 but his exploits have passed into franchising legend.