Breeland: The history of the Bessie Smith Strut

Organizers of the first Riverbend festival knew they were taking a chance creating a separate jazz and blues event away from Ross's Landing.

But the crowds came and made the event a big success. The News-Free Press reported on Aug. 26, 1982: "The Riverbend Festival shifted to the heart of Chattanooga on Thursday night . Young and old, black and white, the hip and those earnestly wanting to be hip responded to the festival's call for unity and community spirit and converged on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for the Bessie Smith Strut, creating a sea of humanity dotted with brightly colored balloons."

As festival president, I was quoted: "The whole idea of strutting, is you move life. You don't need to be moving lazy."

The Strut started on the corner of the newly named M. L. King Boulevard and Georgia Avenue. Three flatbed trucks provided stages for the musical artists. "Jazz Interlude," led by Dr. London Branch (trumpet) of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga music department, with jazz vocals by Gina Hill from Atlanta kicked things off at 6:30 p.m. Rounding out the ensemble was Eddie Edwards on upright bass, Danny Samples on keyboard and Dean Wolinski on drums.

"Strut" is an interesting word. Its inspiration came from two sources - the leaders in the marching bands (the drum major and the majorettes) and the street bands in New Orleans who strutted to jazz music under their fancy and elaborate umbrellas.

Music lovers poured into the first Strut from all over - downtown Chattanooga, the mountains and around the Southeast. They strutted from one stage to another and sat on street corners and lawn chairs while savoring turkey legs, barbecue and other sundry items.

The crowd increased as it strutted to the next flatbed truck, which featured The Impressions, a well-known vocal quartet. Randall Gray, a News-Free Press staff writer, described the group as "resplendent in their burnt orange costumes as they began to take the stage."

One resident from M.L. King Boulevard remarked, "Oh, I just think this is grand! We need to have more of this!"

"Dancing Sam," an African-American man attracted considerable interest as he strutted from the second stage to the third flatbed stage, where The Dukes of Dixieland from New Orleans performed. Decked out in tuxedos and ruffled shirts, the popular group brought Bourbon Street to M.L. King Boulevard with "Basin Street Blues" and "It Don't Mean a Thing, If It Ain't Got That Swing." Inspired by the total experience of this event, strutters gathered hands for a snake dance, which led to a concluding Dixieland number at 9:30.

One young man gave his impression of this first Bessie Smith Jazz Strut. "I don't ever want this to stop. There hasn't been one problem here. I didn't think there would be, because music has a way of bringing people together, doesn't it?"

The 1983 Bessie Smith Jazz Strut built on the success of the first year and featured Chicago-based Ramsey Lewis Trio. Few keyboardsmen today are as qualified to cover the entire spectrum of modern music - classical, jazz, contemporary pop and ethnic styles as Lewis.

Other well-known performers over the years have included Luther Allison, Charlie Musselwhite, Buddy Guy, Junior Wells, Shemekia Copeland, Trombone Shorty, and most famously B.B. King, the sharecropper's son who became "King of the Blues." King died last month at the age of 89 in Las Vegas and was considered one of the most influential blues guitarists of all time. He appeared at the Strut in 1989 and let the good times roll with his guitar Lucille and band for more than an hour and a half. He concluded with "When Love Comes to Town" as his encore, which could be the message of all Struts.

This year's Strut featured Dr. Clark White, aka Deacon Bluz, with his bandmates on the Bessie Smith stage. A squall interrupted outside music and gave birth to an impromptu concert inside the Bessie Smith Hall, named in honor of Chattanooga's "Empress of the Blues."

The Strut continues undaunted and organizers are already planning for 2016.

Dr. Walker L. Breeland, retired music professor at University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, was Riverbend Festival president in 1982. For more, visit Chatta.historical.org or call LaVonne Jolley 423-886-2090.