The Derek Trucks Band was an American blues rock group founded by young slide guitar prodigy Derek Trucks, who began playing guitar and touring with some of the blues and rock music's elite when he was just nine years old. After experimenting as an adolescent with musicians he met between tours and recording sessions, Trucks founded The Derek Trucks Band in 1994.[1] With family ties to The Allman Brothers Band, Trucks continued to experiment and play with others, carefully assembling his own band over a period of several years. Led by Trucks and loosely based in his family home in Jacksonville, Florida, the band generally consisted of six members.
The band drew upon the wide variety of influences and musical preferences of its band members. Together, they have gained increasing public notice and critical acclaim for developing a unique sound of their own. Melding together blues, southern rock, jazz, rhythm and blues, gospel, soul, and funk with Hindustani classical music, afro-beat and world fusion, the band has released six studio albums, two live albums, and a live DVD. The bandmates have combined their talents to perform pieces from some of the most highly regarded musicians before them, while at the same time collaborating on writing the songs they have recorded. The band's eclectic sound is a way for Trucks to explore his own creativity alongside his role as a guest, and eventually a permanent member, in The Allman Brothers Band.[2]
History
The Derek Trucks Band was founded by Trucks in 1994, with the introduction of Todd Smallie, an Atlanta jazz and blues-based musician playing bass guitar.[1] As the first to join him, Trucks has said he feels that he's "kind of grown up with him."[3]
The next year, in 1995, Smallie was followed by drummerYonrico Scott,[4] who initially filled the role of percussionist, as well as drummer, completing the band's first cohesive rhythm section.[1] Scott began learning to play the drums when still a very young child. Originating in Michigan, with a Motown influence, he graduated from the University of Kentucky with a B.A. Degree in percussion performance.[1] His songwriting collaborations with other band members appeared from their first eponymous debut album in 1997, followed by Out of the Madness in 1999, and have continued to date. Scott has been playing with Trucks for over 17 years as of 2009. According to Trucks: "We've developed a kind of 'musical ESP'.. it's nice to have somebody that you don't have to look at...he's just right there with you."[3]
Yonrico Scott, on drums
Trucks continued to gather a steady group of talented musicians together, although two early members did not last. The band's initial keyboardist/vocalist, Bill McKay, left his mark in songwriting credits on the band's earliest albums.
Upon finding an opening for a keyboardist, the bandmates felt fortunate to find Kofi Burbridge, (brother of bass guitarist Oteil Burbridge, with whom Trucks plays in the Allman Brothers Band) to fill the role. Kofi Burbridge is a classically trainedmulti-instrumentalist, and he contributed to his versatility with keyboards, organ, flute, and backing vocals,[5] in addition to his songwriting. Burbridge joined the band in 1999.[1] In an interview upon the release of their 2002 album, Joyful Noise, Trucks commented "Kofi Burbridge has been with us maybe 2-3 years, and he's one of the few musical geniuses that I've had the chance to work with..." continuing, "I'm really anxious to see in the next few years to see where he takes this, because he's definitely a huge part of what's going on right now."[3]
Mattison performed several shows with the band, and Trucks decided Mattison's soulful voice and calm stage presence completed the band's identity.[6] Trucks said of Mattison, "He's got a huge range, so that helps us out a lot when we stretch into some of the different material we cover. It's like having three different vocalists onstage at times. It's a tough piece of the puzzle to find, you know -- a good singer who fits with what you're doing -- so we were very fortunate to hook up with Mike."[2]
Mattison has collaborated with Trucks writing songs, on each album since joining the band, including the title track to the band's 2008 album, Already Free.[7] Mattison had a previous band as well—a vocalduo, called Scrapomatic, with guitarist/vocalist Paul Olsen, with whom he still performs at occasional gigs, including some opening sets for The Derek Trucks Band.[6]
The band's final member, Count M'Butu was the only band member that did not appear on every tour. M'Butu, the group's eldest member, played a variety of drums and percussion.[8] Trucks and Scott both have known him for decades, before he joined the Derek Trucks Band, as M'Butu was a regular musical fixture in Atlanta; one of the bastions of the Allman Brothers fan bases. Thus, as of early 2009, M'Butu was the eldest member of the band, which has members whose ages are in their 20s, 30s 40s 50s and 60s. M'Butu has a great deal of African influence in his work, but lived in Sandersville, Georgia most of his life, "so he's got that Southern thing, too", Trucks concluded. His differing influences are compatible with the band's world music sound.[2]
Since the last members joined in 2002, the bandmates have adjusted to near-constant travelling on the road, and have become comfortable with one another. Each member's experiences, tastes, and differing approaches to each piece are a bonus, says Mattison. Since the band embraces improvisation and musical exploration, he has said, "You're just part of the ensemble -- you do your bit and step back and let everybody else do theirs. It's fun to not have to carry the weight of the entertainer."[9]
The Derek Trucks Band would occasionally play together with the band of Trucks' wife, Susan Tedeschi, in a collective known as "Soul Stew Revival". This allowed the couple to spend more time with each other when they would otherwise both be out on the road separately. Trucks and Tedeschi formed a new group called the Tedeschi Trucks Band, with Mike Mattison and the Kofi Burbridge both joining from the Derek Trucks Band. As a result, the Derek Trucks Band has been on hiatus since 2010. Kofi Burbridge and Yonrico Scott both died in 2019.[10][11] Count M'Butu died in 2021.[12]
Col. Bruce Hampton and the Aquarium Rescue Unit was a jazz fusion group founded by Col. Bruce Hampton. The band gained popularity in the Atlanta club scene in the early 1990s and went on to tour with the first H.O.R.D.E. Tour. During their formative years, the band was composed of Bruce Hampton, Oteil Burbridge, Jimmy Herring, Jeff Sipe, Matt Mundy, and Count M'Butu. Jeff Mosier and Charlie Williams were members of the band during the early years, but left to pursue other endeavors. Although the band was never commercially successful, their combination of bluegrass, rock, Latin, blues, jazz, funk, and impeccable chops became a template for future bands.
Wait for Me is the third studio album by American blues artist Susan Tedeschi, released in 2002.
Oteil Burbridge is an American multi-instrumentalist, specializing on the bass guitar, trained in playing jazz and classical music from an early age. He has achieved fame primarily on bass guitar during the resurgence of the Allman Brothers Band from 1997 through 2014, and as a founding member of the band Dead & Company. Burbridge was also a founding member of The Aquarium Rescue Unit and Tedeschi Trucks Band, with whom his brother Kofi Burbridge was the keyboardist and flautist. He has worked with other musicians including Bruce Hampton, Trey Anastasio, Page McConnell, Bill Kreutzmann and Derek Trucks.
Derek Trucks is an American guitarist, songwriter, and founder of The Derek Trucks Band. He became an official member of The Allman Brothers Band in 1999. In 2010, he formed the Tedeschi Trucks Band with his wife, blues singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. His musical style encompasses several genres and he has twice appeared on Rolling Stone's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He is the nephew of the late Butch Trucks, drummer for the Allman Brothers.
Soul Serenade is the fourth studio album by American jam band The Derek Trucks Band, released in 2003. Soul Serenade may also be considered the band's third album, as it was recorded in its entirety before Joyful Noise, but was held up in legalities, and therefore released later.
Live at Georgia Theatre is the fifth album and first live album by American artist Derek Trucks and The Derek Trucks Band released in 2004. The recording marks the first appearance of the band’s newest member, vocalist Mike Mattison.
Songlines is the fifth studio album by American slide guitarist Derek Trucks and his group the Derek Trucks Band. This is the group's first studio album to feature an expanded sextet.
Songlines Live is the seventh album and second commercially released live recording and first DVD by American jam band The Derek Trucks Band, released in 2006. It was recorded at the Park West in Chicago, Illinois.
Joyful Noise is the third studio album by The Derek Trucks Band, released on September 2, 2002. It features an eclectic mix of music, ranging from gospel, blues, jazz fusion, Latin music, to East Indian music. Many of the songs feature special guests, including Trucks' wife Susan Tedeschi, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the nephew of Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and a respected singer in his own right, and soul artist Solomon Burke. The album was produced by noted producers Russ Kunkel and Craig Street and was recorded at the Bearsville and Sunset Sound Studios. This is also the first album to feature the songwriting and musical talents of the band's newest member, Kofi Burbridge; keyboardist, flautist, and backing vocalist for the band, as well as brother to Oteil Burbridge, bassist in The Allman Brothers Band, with whom Derek Trucks is also a member.
Out of the Madness is the second studio album by American Jazz/Blues/R&B group The Derek Trucks Band, released on October 20, 1998. The album, a mix of blues classics and original compositions by the band, was recorded between June 14, 1997 – April 11, 1998 at Dockside Studios in Maurice, Louisiana. Derek was eighteen years old at the time of the release of the album. In 2008, the album was made available digitally, and is now available on iTunes, and other online retailers like Real, Rhapsody, Yahoo! Music, eMusic, Napster and Puretracks.
Already Free is the sixth and final studio album by The Derek Trucks Band. It was released in the United States on January 13, 2009 by Legacy Recordings. A European release followed on February 20, 2009. The album has received very positive reviews, and debuted at #19 on the Billboard Top 200 reached #1 on the blues chart, #1 on the Internet chart, and #4 on the Rock chart. This marks the band's highest debut on the Billboard Top 200 chart to date. The album won the 2010 Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Blues Album, marking the band's first Grammy award.
Yonrico Scott was an American drummer and percussionist. He was a longtime member of the Grammy winning The Derek Trucks Band, became a bandleader of his own ensemble, the Yonrico Scott Band, and later worked with the Royal Southern Brotherhood, with Cyril Neville. Having developed his craft not only from years of session work, roadwork, and study, the Cape Cod Times proclaimed him "a standout in the band... whose strong beats powered songs such as 'I'll Find My Way' off the group's Songlines CD".
Mike Mattison is an American musician and vocalist of the Grammy Award-winning blues rock/soul group, the Tedeschi Trucks Band, as well as lead vocalist and co-founder of the blues rock trio Scrapomatic. Mattison's vocal sound has been described as "strong," with an "expressive blues voice". As lead vocalist of Scrapomatic, he picked up a nomination for Minnesota Music Awards best male vocalist, and both he and co-founder Paul Olsen were also nominated for best R&B Group. Mattison was previously the lead vocalist of the Grammy Award-winning Derek Trucks Band and has been a main songwriter of all three bands. He is also an active essayist who publishes on music and poetry. Since 2013 Mattison and Ernest Suarez have edited “Hot Rocks: Songs and Verse,” an ongoing feature in Five Points: A Journal of Literature and Art. He serves on the Council of the Association of Literary Critics, Scholars, and Writers.
Roadsongs is the second live album by The Derek Trucks Band, released in 2010. The album features many songs off the band's most recent album, Already Free. The album was recorded over two nights in April 2009 at Chicago's Park West. For the album, The Derek Trucks Band was joined by a horn section consisting of Paul Garrett (Trumpet), Mace Hibbard (Saxophone), and Kevin Hyde (Trombone).
The Tedeschi Trucks Band is an American blues and blues rock group based in Jacksonville, Florida. Formed in 2010, the band is led by married couple Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Their debut album, Revelator (2011), won the 2012 Grammy Award for Best Blues Album. The band has released five studio and three live albums.
Revelator is the debut album by the 11-piece blues rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band released in 2011 by Sony Masterworks. Recorded in Derek and Susan's Swamp Raga Studios in Jacksonville, co-produced by Derek with producer/engineer Jim Scott. The album won the Grammy Award for Best Blues Album at the 54th Grammy Awards.
Kofi Burbridge was an American keyboardist and flautist of the blues and blues rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band.
Everybody's Talkin' is the second album and the first live album by the 11-piece Tedeschi Trucks Band and was released in 2012 by Sony Masterworks. It's been released as a 2-CD and 3-CD set as well as a three disc vinyl set. The title comes from the song carrying the same name, formerly a hit for Harry Nilsson. The band's cover is a hybrid of the Nilsson and Bill Withers versions.
Live from the Fox Oakland is the second live album from American rock ensemble Tedeschi Trucks Band. Released on March 17, 2017, through Fantasy Records in both audio and video, the work was recorded on the second night of a two-day September 2016 show in California.
Signs is the fourth studio album by American blues rock group Tedeschi Trucks Band. The album was released on February 15, 2019, by Fantasy Records, on the same day that Kofi Burbridge, the band's keyboardist, died.
References
1 2 3 4 5 Trucks, Derek (2009). "BIOGRAPHY". Official Band Website. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
1 2 3 Tennille, Andy (February 5, 2006). "Finding His Path". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
↑ Scott, Yonrico (2006). "The Yonrico Scott Band". Yonrico Scott Band Official Website. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
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