The barge has been an iconic part of Riverbend from the start. Over the years, it has undergone serious wind damage, leading to a new cover, and it has been outfitted with more modern and better audio, lighting and video equipment. Pictured in this undated file photo are some of the many staff and volunteers who have helped stage Riverbend over the years.When Walker Breland thinks back to the very first Riverbend Festival in August 1982, he remembers first going to people like Scotty Probasco, president at American National Bank, and Carey Hanlin, CEO at Provident Insurance, “and asking for a loan that would never be paid back.”
“Carey just sat back and laughed, but then he turned around and wrote a check for $25,000,” says Breland, professor emeritus from the Music Department at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga.
Breland also recalls riding up and down the Tennessee River in a boat with singer/songwriter Roberta Flack following her performance on the fifth night of the then six-night festival. Flack, who earned three No. 1 hits and four Grammys between 1972 and 1974, was the biggest name at the inaugural Riverbend.
“We sailed up and down that river until 3:30 in the morning,” he says. “I was at church the next morning at 8:30.”
It was a moment that gave him the inspiration to make Riverbend work in the long haul.