As a child prodigy, guitarist Derek Trucks sat in with Buddy Guy. When he turned 20, he joined his Uncle Butch’s group, the Allman Brothers Band. Due to his distinctive slide technique and long blonde hair, comparisons to Duane Allman were inevitable. To seal the deal, he joined up with Eric Clapton (who had played with Allman in the early 70s) and earned his stripes on the big arena circuit.
But Derek Trucks isn’t content just playing with great vintage rock artists. He established a band of his own — the Derek Trucks Band — in 1994, founded on the principle of improvisation and envelope pushing. More recently, he has toned things down a bit by collaborating with his wife, singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi. Together, they formed a new band, the Tedeschi-Trucks Band, and on June 7, 2011, they released the first album, Revelator.
Simply put, Revelator is a true labor of love between two outstanding musicians, who just happen to be happily married. It’s also an open canvas for a myriad of styles, proving once and for all that the guitarist hasn’t lost his edge. In the following interview, we focused primarily on the Tedeschi-Trucks Band and their debut record. But we also touched on Trucks’ other ventures, including the Allman Brothers Band, his time on the road with Eric Clapton and the future of the Derek Trucks Band.
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Revelator is the first album by you and your wife Susan. How did you two go about writing the songs together?
We started touring together last year and spent a lot of time in the studio writing and rehearsing with the core of our new band. Then towards the end of the year, we started inviting other songwriters down to the studio to write and hang with us, guys like John Leventhal, David Ryan Harris, Oliver Wood and Gary Louris. By November, we had maybe 40 songs to choose from, so we had to start figuring out which ones to focus on. There were quite a few that were hard to let go but it’s good when you have more songs than you need. I’m used to cutting a record as soon as you have 12 songs ready to go, so this was a new situation.
Your roles are clearly defined — she’s the singer and you’re the guitar player. But there’s also a profound sense of admiration and love between you. How does that affect the music?
I think more than anything it pushes each of us. Susan is such a great singer that I feel like I have to elevate my playing when we’re together. Her phrasing often sparks new ideas for me. We also have a pair of brothers in the band, Oteil and Kofi Burbridge, so there’s a real feeling of family there. Getting to work in your own studio makes a huge difference, too. We could get in there at any hour and do some work when the time was right. Our engineer Bobby Tis lives right down the street so we were free to work on the record on our own time. So it’s a really comfortable situation.
The album is an infusion of sounds and styles — blues, country, bluegrass, rock, even Middle Eastern flavorings. Can you talk about how you arrived at some of the arrangements?
A lot had to do with the band, which is 11 people with different musical backgrounds and experiences. We have a lot of overlapping tastes, but still everyone brings something different to the table. In my case, I’ve always had an interest in Eastern music so to be able to have Alam Khan play sarod on “These Walls” was really a treat. His father was one of my biggest influences.
What did you learn from Jim Scott during the making of Revelator?
Jim is such a pro, we learned a ton from him through the whole process. He’s got so many hours logged in the studio with a huge list of players and producers. The first thing Jim did for us was insist that we have a vocal booth built for Susan. After we met with him for the first time, we basically knew he was our guy, so I called my brother David and our engineer Bobby Tis and they went right to work on it. We already had some solid recording techniques together from the last record we cut in the studio, but Jim had some great ideas to bring to the table. We rented and bought some new recording gear to add into the mix and tried new things this time around. Anytime you have the opportunity to work with a guy that has that much experience you have to take advantage, and take notes!
As for your guitar playing, how does it feel to be part of the elite no-pick club with Jeff Beck, Mark Knopfler and Lindsay Buckingham?
It’s a good group to be a part of. For me, it always felt natural to play without a pick. And then I heard guys like Wes Montgomery and Hubert Sumlin, and realized there’s a unique tone when you play with your fingers. It’s more direct to the instrument.
How’s the tour going?
So far it’s been feeling great. The band seems to be gelling more every show, which really allows us to stretch out and try new things. We’re heading to Europe in a few weeks so everyone is excited for that. Each night the band plays together we get more comfortable with each other. Now that the album is out we’re looking forward to hitting the road hard.
Is The Derek Trucks Band on hold or an extended vacation?
For now, my focus is on this band. After 16 great years with DTB, I wanted to change up and try something new. It’s always good to challenge yourself and look at music with a fresh perspective. I’m not ruling anything out down the line, but for now I’m putting all my energy behind this new band.
What’s on the horizon for the Allman Brothers Band?
Gregg (Allman), Warren (Haynes) and I all have new records out, so this summer we’re spending time on each of our own projects. I don’t know when the next run will be exactly, but I’m always looking forward to getting together with all those guys.
What was it like to tour with Eric Clapton?
It was a great experience. I learned a lot just being around Eric and that whole scene, not to mention playing with him every night. It was fun playing some of the material from Layla that Eric hadn’t played live in a while. Then last summer, we ended up doing a set at his Crossroads Festival, which was huge for our band. We had maybe done a dozen shows at that point, and all of a sudden we found ourselves in front of a sold-out soccer stadium, playing with Johnny Winter and David Hidalgo. Eric has a knack for bringing great players together, so it’s been fun to become a part of that circle.
I’ve read interviews with you where you’ve cited John Coltrane as a major influence. There are hints of it on Revelator, but would you ever consider making a full-blown jazz album?
I’ve definitely thought about it and if I put together the right players for a special project, it could be fun. I was even talking to Elvin Jones (Coltrane’s drummer) about trying to do an album before he passed. That would have been great. Coltrane has been a big influence since I first started listening to jazz, as much for his unwavering dedication to his craft and willingness to experience as anything else. My daughter’s middle name is Naima, after the Coltrane song, and my son is named Charlie, after Charlie Parker and Charlie Christian. For now, I’m fully focused on this band but I look forward to different projects down the line.
