Derek Trucks is a musician whose field of expertise lies centrally in the art of slide guitar. His surname will be familiar to fans of The Allman Brothers Band in that he is the nephew of the great Butch Trucks, drummer for the Allmans. Apparently, his first name – Derek – was derived from the band Derek and the Dominos, the short-lived combo that featured Eric Clapton on lead guitar, and Duane ‘Skydog’ Allman on slide guitar – the latter of which was a huge influence on Trucks’ playing style.
At the tender age of nine years old, Trucks bought a guitar for US$5 at a yard sale, and quickly became something of a child prodigy on the instrument, playing slide guitar because it enabled him to form chords even though he had small hands. By the age of 20, he had played with artists such as Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh and Stephen Stills, and performed for several years as a special guest with the Allman Brothers Band.
Trucks formed the Derek Trucks Band in 1994 with Todd Smallie, an Atlanta jazz and blues-based musician playing bass guitar. The band released their first self-titled album in 1997, and their third album, Joyful Noise, was released in September 2002 featuring Derek Trucks (guitar), Yonrico Scott (drums, vocals, percussion), Kofi Burbridge (flute, vocals, keyboards) and Todd Smallie (bass, vocals), with additional personnel in the shape of Susan Tedeschi (vocals on ‘Baby You’re Right’ – she is also married to Derek Trucks), percussionist Javier Colon, a conga playing Count M’Butu and several guest vocalists.
Burbridge was the latest addition to the Derek Trucks Band, his induction bringing a gift for composition as well as his considerable musical chops. Burbridge is also brother to Otel Burbridge, who was then bass player in the Allman Brothers Band. The album was produced by the great American session drummer Russ Kunkel (Kunkel has played on recordings by artists such as Bill Withers, Jackson Browne, Joni Mitchell, Bob Dylan, James Taylor and scores of others) and Craig Street (whose production credits grace albums by Meshell Ndegeocello, John Legend, Chris Whitley, kd lang, and Norah Jones – he coproduced Jones’ Grammy Award winning, big-selling ‘Come Away With Me’ album in 2002) with recording sessions taking place at Bearsville Studios and the Sunset Sound studios.
It’s an incredibly diverse set, boasting a palette that spans genres from Modal Eastern (‘Maki Madni’, featuring guest vocalist Rahat Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), through to Latinate Funk (‘Kam-Ma-Lay’, featuring guest vocalist Ruben Blades), ‘Lookout 31’, a frenetic Jazz/ Fusion composition featuring some glorious moments of ferocious atonality and added skronk, as well as the customary Southern Rock, gutsy blues and some fine R&B in the shape of ‘Home In Your Heart’ and ‘Like Anybody Else’, both of which feature the great Solomon Burke on lead vocals.
Joyful Noise is a tremendous, truly accomplished album from a band leader and his crew at the very top of their game. It received great praise for its musical diversity and high quality playing. Journalist Lucy Tauss, writing in Jazz Times, called Trucks "prodigiously gifted," and described the album as "a gloriously eclectic excursion that ranges far beyond the Allmans' Southern jam-rock sound.” Author Adrien Begrand remarked: "Far from a self-indulgent, noodling showman who opts for bland style, Trucks goes for the more understated substance... The album is slick, but not overproduced in the least, the jamming never gets too self-indulgent, and Trucks' diverse choices in guest vocalists, and his band's undeniable talent, make Joyful Noise sparkle with life.”
The band released their first live album, Backyard Tracks, as a promo only title on the Sony/ Legacy label in 2006. It was recorded on 30th December 2005 at the Variety Playhouse venue in Atlanta, Georgia. The line-up was Derek Trucks: guitar; Todd Smallie: bass; Count M’butu: congas, percussion; Yonrico Scott: drums, percussion; Kofi Burbridge: keyboards, flute, vocals; Mike Mattison: vocals, and Duane Trucks, additional drums on ‘Key To The Highway’. The track listing consists of just four tracks – ‘Up Above My Head’ (4.43), ‘All I Do’ (6.12), ‘Key To The Highway’ (5.40), and ‘I Wish I Knew (How It Would Feel To Be Free)’ (5.18).
These albums are a fine primer to the music of Derek Trucks, pushing so many buttons in terms of top quality musicianship and fine production values, alongside breathtaking stylistic diversity, and a motherlode of stellar ensemble playing.
With thanks to Alan Robinson.