The Derek Trucks Band
The Derek Trucks Band | |
---|---|
jazz rock | |
Years active | 1994–2010 (hiatus) |
Labels | Columbia, Legacy, House of Blues |
Members | Derek Trucks Todd Smallie Mike Mattison |
Past members | Bill McKay Javier Colon Kofi Burbridge Yonrico Scott Count M'Butu |
Website | www.derekandsusan.net, The Derek Trucks Band.com |
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 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 the 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
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
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
In 2002 the band's producers, Craig Street and John Snyder recommended singer Mike Mattison to the band.[5]
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
The band's final member,
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 band's album,
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]
Personnel
- Current members
- Derek Trucks – Guitar, slide guitar, sarod, dobro (1994–present)
- Todd Smallie – bass backing vocals (1994–present)
- lead vocals(2002–present)
- Former members
- Yonrico Scott – drums, percussion, vocals (1995–2019; his death)[11]
- Bill Mckay – keyboards, vocals (1995–1999)
- Javier Colon – lead vocals (2000–2002)
- Count M'Butu – percussion, including a variety of drums (2004–2021; his death)[13]
Discography
- The Derek Trucks Band (1997)
- Out of the Madness (1998)
- Joyful Noise (2002)
- Soul Serenade (2003)
- Live at Georgia Theatre (2004)
- Songlines (2006)
- Songlines Live (2006, DVD)
- Already Free (2009)
- Roadsongs (2010)
References
- ^ a b c d e Trucks, Derek (2009). "BIOGRAPHY". Official Band Website. Sony Music Entertainment. Archived from the original on 2010-02-09. Retrieved 2009-05-30.
- ^ a b c Tennille, Andy (February 5, 2006). "Finding His Path". San Francisco Chronicle. Retrieved 2008-08-10.
- ^ a b c Trucks, Derek Multimedia Interview, 2002 with Trucks about The Derek Trucks Band, their album, Joyful Noise Archived 2008-05-11 at the Wayback Machine Official Website
- ^ Scott, Yonrico (2006). "The Yonrico Scott Band". Yonrico Scott Band Official Website. Archived from the original on February 8, 2009. Retrieved 2009-09-06.
- ^ a b National Public Radio; WXPN (August 18, 2006). "The Derek Trucks Band in Concert". XPN Live Fridays. NPR.org. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^ a b Jambase Band Bio Jambase dTb biography
- ^ National Public Radio (May 11, 2009). "Derek Trucks Band On Mountain Stage". NPR.org. Retrieved 2009-05-28.
- ^ "Derek Trucks Band — The Band". 2006. Archived from the original on 2008-04-18. Retrieved 2008-06-27.
- ^ Bream, Jon (June 6, 2009). "Mike Mattison keeps on truckin' with Derek Trucks". Star Tribune. Retrieved 27 November 2009.
- ^ a b "In Memoriam: Kofi Burbridge, 1961–2019". Jambands.com. February 16, 2019. Retrieved February 16, 2019.
- ^ a b "Drummer Yonrico Scott 1955 - 2019". JamBase. 2019-09-20. Retrieved 2019-09-20.
- ^ "Former Derek Trucks Band Percussionist Count M'Butu Has Died". Liveforlivemusic.com. 25 July 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
- ^ "The Derek Trucks Band music, videos, stats, and photos". Last.fm. Retrieved 16 February 2019.
External links
- The Official Derek Trucks website
- The Derek Trucks Band at AllMusic. Retrieved 2012-04-25.
- Derek Trucks Band collection at the Internet Archive's live music archive
- Derek & Susan: It's a Family Thing article/interview from Jambase.com