Rivablue’s 40-year journey into the jazz radio industry

Gwen Redding, known in the jazz world as Rivablue, has been in the industry for over 40 years. Those four decades have helped her become the person she is today. Her goal has always been to “make sure people are heard,” she says.

Music has been an important part of Redding’s life since she was a child. She remembers the first song that captivated her: “I Want to Hold Your Hand” by the Beatles in 1963. Since then, her passion for music has only grown stronger. She says it will always hold a special place in her heart.

With music holding such a big place in her heart, you’d think that would be where she would automatically end up. But no, Redding began her college career as a nursing student at the University of The District of Columbia. It wasn’t until a math class was canceled that she met a young man who introduced her to the world of radio. After a brief introduction, he threw her into the fire of her college’s radio station, WUDC.

Redding later moved to WDCU-FM, which later became Jazz 90. There, she not only worked on location and behind the scenes, but also began to delve deeper into her personal jazz radio career.

As she gained more experience as a singer, she was advised to adopt a stage name. Although she hadn’t thought about it before, “Rivablue” came to mind. The name has a special meaning for her. While visiting her mother, she looked up while crossing a bridge and was overwhelmed by the beauty of the sky and water. “It was so beautiful,” she recalls. “Riva” symbolizes a river, while “blue” represents the sky. She sees it as a statement. “These are the things that separate us, but also bring us together.” In addition, Redding interprets it as a promise: “I will be with you wherever you go, beyond the horizon.”

She first adopted the name Rivablue in 1994 and in 2001 she left DC with the goal of going to New Orleans, but fate led her to Atlanta instead.

It wasn’t until 2006 that she returned to radio work. She received a call for an interview at WCLK, the radio station of Clark Atlanta University. Redding was hesitant at first, as she had been away from the radio scene for some time, but then decided to give it a try. During an interview with The Atlanta Voice, Redding recalled advice Joe Williams gave her years ago: “Stop thinking about it and just do it.” To become more familiar with Atlanta’s jazz artists, she attended jam sessions. She adds, “Radio is here to stay… people need radio.” Today, her show is in the top 20 local shows, and for radio, “that’s pretty damn good,” Redding says.

Rivablue advises younger people: “As long as you live in the moment, live in the moment. Don’t wait for another day.” Although radio wasn’t her original dream, she lives by a saying that was once said to her: “You didn’t choose the radio, the radio chose you.”

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