Derek Trucks Interview (February 4, 1991)

Derek Trucks (born June 8, 1979) 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.
Early life
A young Trucks (right) with musician Livingston Taylor
Trucks age 9-10 with the Gregg Allman band
Trucks was born in Jacksonville, Florida. According to Trucks, the name of Eric Clapton's band, Derek and the Dominos, had "something to do with the name [Derek] if not the spelling".[1]
Trucks bought his first guitar at a yard sale for $5 at age nine and became a child prodigy, playing his first paid performance at age 11.[2][3] Trucks began playing the guitar using a slide because it allowed him to play the guitar despite his small hands as a young guitarist.[4] By his 13th birthday, Trucks had played alongside Buddy Guy[5] and toured with Thunderhawk.[3][6]
Career
Trucks formed The Derek Trucks Band in 1994, and[2][7] by his 20th birthday, he had played with such artists as Bob Dylan, Joe Walsh, and Stephen Stills.[8] In 1999, he toured as a member of Phil Lesh & Friends.[9] After performing with The Allman Brothers Band for several years as a guest musician, Trucks became a formal member of the band in 1999[2] and appeared on the albums Peakin' at the Beacon, Live at the Beacon Theatre, Hittin' the Note and One Way Out. In 2006 Trucks began a studio collaboration with JJ Cale and Eric Clapton called The Road to Escondido and performed with three bands in 17 countries that year.[2] Trucks was invited to perform at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, and after the festival, he toured as part of Clapton's band.[2][10]
"Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad" (2007)
0:31
Sample of "Why Does Love Got to Be So Sad", performed by Eric Clapton's band featuring Derek Trucks, live at the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival
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Merging talents
Musical style
Trucks credits guitarist Duane Allman and bluesman Elmore James as the two slide guitarists who influenced his early style, but he has since been inspired by John Lee Hooker, Ali Akbar Khan,[17] Howlin' Wolf, Albert King, Miles Davis, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Charlie Parker, Django Reinhardt, Charlie Christian, Wayne Shorter, Toy Caldwell, Johnny Winter, Freddie King and B.B. King.[17][18][19]
His music is rooted in blues and rock, embracing jam band, Southern rock, and jazz.[20][21] Trucks plays an eclectic blend of blues, soul, jazz, rock, qawwali music (a genre of music from Pakistan and western India), Latin music, and other kinds of world music[22] Trucks became a fan of Khan, a Hindustani classical musician known for his virtuosity in playing the sarod and popularising Indian classical music in the West, often in conjunction with sitar virtuoso Ravi Shankar. Trucks studied at the Ali Akbar College of Music in San Rafael, California.[23][24] Speaking of Khan, Trucks says "there are two recordings, which are part of my 'desert-island' disc… One is called Signature Series Volume II. Whenever I need to wipe the slate clean, I listen to it."[25]
Trucks playing a resonator guitar
Trucks plays guitar in an open E tuning,[26] using his signature glass slide by Dunlop, modeled off of an old Coricidin bottle but without the seam.[27]
In 2006, two vintage (1965 and 1968) Fender Super Reverb amplifiers, a Hammond B-3 organ, two Leslie speaker cabinets, and a Hohner E-7 clavinet were stolen from Trucks and later recovered by the Atlanta Police Department.[7]
Reception
Trucks has appeared twice in Rolling Stone's list of "The 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[22][28][29] He was listed as 81st in 2003 and 16th in 2011. A 2006 article in The Wall Street Journal described him as "the most awe-inspiring electric slide guitar player performing today".[24] In 2007, Trucks appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone for an article called the "New Guitar Gods".[18][dead link] Trucks is a creative guitarist according to his uncle, the late Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks: "He never does the same thing twice".[30]

[@sheldoncooper8199]

Well 32 Years later he is the greatest Slide guitar Player in the World.

[@chrismnj]

greatest all around player... I feel sorry for people who aren't seeing him live while he is on this planet. Any chance I get, I am there.

[@DonRoutly]

Awesome I saw him live with the Ace Morland Band at Sloppy Joes in Key West around this same time...been riding his wave ever since

[@grotegoedheid1063]

This is GOLD.
Pity of the less than perfect sound quality.
More please!

[@LedZep1989]

Still remaining gifted, woman

[@HippolitoJuancheese]

I’m glad that Derek didn’t just stay in the same genre like a lot of child prodigies. he could have just been content to be keep playing Duane and Billy Gibbons inspired blues rock. lucky for us he broadened his influences as he aged and we now have a pretty diverse catalogue of excellent music. Thank goodness he was surrounded by good influences who allowed him to follow his heart with the Indian Classical and Jazz sounds and grow beyond the standard blues rock bar band fare. I’m also thankful he was around people who taught him humility, unlike other prodigies who were coddled into being egomaniacs that don’t serve the music… cough BONAMASSA cough cough

[@wasabiginger6993]

He's also an old soul ... but if had not had the support of his dad & uncle, he may not have made it to where he is now.

[@LedZep1989]

Be Rispectful Derek - future Slit