Angel -----> Sugaree

What makes you happy?

Can you answer that question quickly?

I hope so.

One thing in life that always makes me happy is good music. There are hundreds of artists, bands and their songs that make me smile and enjoy the sound. Some more than others.

There are two wonderful musicians who show the joy of music making every night they play together. Boston's own Susan Tedeschi and her gifted-guitarist husband Derek Trucks perform like none other. That fact is evident in this selection, grabbed from their official site on YouTube.

Susan does the solo in flawless fashion, but as a fan with some insight into their talent, history  and chemistry, I enjoy the pure joy Susan exhibits as Derek steps-in to back her up. Susan, then, leads the band - in near perfection. 

We often write of sports and the "thrill" of victory in this space. I try to portray the mental toughness of competitors and what it takes to rise to the top of a profession. 

What, exactly, sets some apart from others and what is it that makes the difference?

Can you imagine the thrill, the power, the joy and the confidence that Susan Tedeschi feels as Derek and the band back her as she switches from Angel of Montgomery into the great Grateful Dead tune, Sugaree, written by Robert Hunter and composed by the late, great Jerry Garcia?

Watch for yourselves:

My best to the Tedeschi-Trucks Band.  I hope to see you very soon.

If you can't get to see the Tedeschi-Trucks Band, Isn't it a Pity?

A strong rendition of the George Harrison epic:

Best to Susan Tedeschi, Derek Trucks, and the whole crew.

Cool, Cool Reign ...

When in doubt? Music is the answer.

Winwood and Clapton

Every now and then, I'm not sure what to post on The Blog at Terry Lyons (dot) com ... and I know my loyal readers often check in and expect a few lines of mayhem, politics, sports or music.  Sometimes, you disagree with my viewpoint.  Sometimes, you are reminded of good times gone by. Sometimes, I amuse you while other times, I annoy you.

But, when have I ever steered you wrong with some music?

So, when I'm not sure what to post... what topic to delve into ... what sport to promote ... what daily occurrence in my life to share ... I turn to music.

I do it often.

As I write, Blind Faith is bellowing from the Bose with Eric Clapton, Ginger Baker, Steve Winwood  and Ric Grech entertaining my lonesome ears as I dig deep into some serious "catch-up" writing projects. Humor me for a minute as I make note to some of the music aficionados tuning in here, most who know I just revel in the music of Eric Clapton, so I remind us all that Blind Faith consisted of Clapton (John Mayall and the Bluesbreakers, Cream and Traffic) Winwood (from the Spencer Davis Group, Traffic) and Ginger Baker (Blues Incorporated, Cream, Traffic) - among others, all - recruited Ric Grech (1946-1990), a session bass guitarist who had jammed with Clapton and Winwood when they played in some of the groups just listed. Grech was playing with Family, a progressive rock/blues group seldom heard of in these parts. He bounced around playing on a few tours but was deemed somewhat unreliable in terms of touring and in music, to the point where he died of kidney and liver failure, largely the result of his alcoholism. He was 43.

On that happy note, I return you to the regularly scheduled program to note the two key music pieces I am highlighting today.

The first, my all-time favorite instrumental - is JESSICA. Penned by Dickey Betts of the Allman Brothers Band, the song was released in 1973 and was one of the first the ABB performed without bass player Berry Oakley who died in a motorcycle accident on November 11, 1972. Jessica was written for Betts' daughter and its amazing claim to fame is that the song won the Grammy 23 years after it was released, as a live performance took home best rock instrumental in 1996. Although the song is often cut down for AOR (album oriented rock) stations, the original comes home in about 7:30. Be sure to note the 2:33 mark when Chuck Leavell switches over from his Fender to the keyboards and cranks the Grand Piano up then passes the torch to Betts at about 3:45-50 for one hell of a guitar solo ... Here is a recording:

Now, to the headliner...

Although Jessica is one of two or three of my all-time favorite Allman Brothers Band songs (In Memory of Elizabeth Reed still #1), I have to place it on the Silver Medal stand when it comes to the greatest all-time instrumental.

The best?

Quadrophenia. The Who.

Please see: Quadrophenia for all the background...  But, I'll spot you my FAVORITE instrumental of all-time... The Rock which leads in - perfectly - to Pete's theme - a.k.a. "Love Reign O'er Me."

And, now, to leave you something to think about... Like I love to do - I make you wait -- deep into my posts - for the best stuff.  Here is an interesting interview conducted with Derek Trucks - which gives you some incredible insight into his music, the way he learned the guitar, learned what to look for and how to perform and bring the audience "for a ride." -  And, oh, how I love the journey when I get to see Derek perform. (Listen to the first 5 minutes to absorb the important stuff, but please note, at the 5:50 mark of this interview, it gets "ridiculous").

Bonus from way above, in case you missed it... Click HERE:

Fantasy meet Reality ... Reality meet Fantasy

"The athletes love the rockers and the rockers love the athletes, but the photographers always get the pretty girls."

    -- Terry Lyons

A Blog Post by TERRY LYONS

The Big League Dream

Sometimes the real life experience is beyond your wildest dream and telling the story just doesn't do it justice. On those ocassions, reality takes such an amazing turn that -- the next day -- you actually ask yourself, 'Did you just live through the experience of a lifetime or was it just a wonderful dream?'

I love to dream. Luckily, I rarely have a bad dream. In fact, as of this writing, I can't even recall a bad dream even if I reach deep into my memory. That's a fortunate son, if there ever was one. Sometimes, I can say with all humility, my life is a dream come true.

When I was little, I dreamt of traveling the world. While the other kids described their "dream home" being a Cape or Ranch on Long Island or a Colonial on the North Shore, I dreamt of having an apartment in New York City, not too far from Madison Square Garden. I dreamt, like all kids do, of being a pro ball player but just when reality set in on that dream, I was introduced, via the "Silver Screen",  to Walter Matheau in his role as "Oscar Madison" in the great film, The Odd Couple.

I couldn't believe Oscar made a living as a sports writer, covering the Mets. And, even though I regularly read the newspapers as a kid (Newsday and The Long Island Press), somehow, I hadn't put two and two together to realize the newspaper showed up everyday because of the hundreds of people who worked hard, travelled, reported, typed, dictated, took photos, developed photos, edited and set copy, drove trucks and rode bikes to deliver the papers. So, while the other kids held onto their dreams to be Julius "Dr. J" Erving, Walt Frazier, Willie Mays, Tom Seaver, Willis Reed or Bill Bradley, I wanted to be Oscar Madison. 

Growing up on Long Island in the 60s and 70s, as my bedroom floor turned pretty messy, sometimes, my Mom and Dad weren't too thrilled with the whole "Oscar" thing. Could you blame them?

But life takes it twists and turns. I can remember attending Communion Breakfasts (Mets catcher Jerry Grote was the featured guest) and business functions at the JFK Hilton (Ollie Taylor of the Nets the featured speaker) and I remember my Dad encouraging me to have the confidence to walk up, introduce myself politely to the star athlete and ask for an autograph. Little did I know there were hard working public relations people behind the scenes at those functions, afterward placing the photos in the Pennysavers and the local community newspapers in an attempt to sell just a few more $6 full price or $3.25 youth tickets to a game at the old Island Garden in Hempstead or at Shea Stadium, or the jewel of the Isle, the Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum, built for the Nets and expansion New York Islanders and where we enjoyed the first game ever, an epic battle against the Nets and the Pittsburgh Condors on February 11, 1972.

So, even though I had more of a "Felix Unger" personality, I was hooked. I wanted to be a sports writer. When I enrolled at Holy Trinity High School, one of the first orders of business as a freshman was to sheepishly get up the nerve to ask Mrs. Peggy Lockwood if I could join the student newspaper, The Trinity Triangle.  Well, as they say, the rest is history. As many know, I took the slight twist and turn in my road while at St. John's University, under the tutelage of Mr. Bernie Beglane, one-time LI Press beat writer, lifelong newspaperman and then the recently named Dean of the Athletic Administration program at St. J.  It was Dean Beglane, Bernie to all of us, who knew Matt Winick of the NBA who introduced me to the world of pro basketball as the league office's "first" intern in 1980-81. 

My first day was December 20, 1980. So, say it again! The rest is really history!

With that backdrop, and a passport that had been stamped only in Germany and on a Caribbean Island or two as the son of a Pan Am executive, I ventured off on a full-scale "Worldwide Tour" with a basketball tucked under my arm, a typewriter/then/laptop stowed in my briefcase, and armed with a pretty damn good budget allowance and a blank canvas on which to scribble the letters "NBA" on anything that made common sense, we gradually built awareness, appreciation and fan interest in the World's Greatest Athletes.

When I decided to leave 26 years later, I was asked for a quote to sum it up, and without any hesitation, I quickly typed out:

“Working with the NBA to grow interest in the sport of basketball worldwide has been a 26-year dream come true,” I wrote. “I’ve embraced the endless opportunities at the league and have enjoyed every challenge. For that honor and privilege, I would like to thank David Stern and everyone at the NBA and our teams, including our tremendous players, who truly are the world’s greatest athletes.” 

Now, I'm writing this blog post to open a little window and glimpse into my past but, really, to illustrate another point.

DT & TL at the HoB

In 1979, a child was born in Jacksonville, Florida. At age nine, he bought his first guitar and by age 11, he was performing miracles with that instrument.  He grew up in a world filled with music, as he was the nephew of Claude Hudson "Butch" Trucks, the drummer and co-founder of the Allman Brothers band.  Needless to say, Derek was exposed to some pretty serious music throughout his childhood, but the Allman Brothers band was going through some pretty serious turmoil from 1971 (death of Duane Allman until 1999-2000 when they forced Dickey Betts to withdraw from the band and figured out the differences to allow Warren Haynes to co-exist with a fulfilling part-time Gov't Mule assignment. The result - in 2001 - was a new Allman Brothers Band which included Haynes, Othiel Burbridge (bass) and Derek Trucks on the slide guitar.

Now, in no shape or form am I comparing anything I did to what Derek Trucks has done.  God no. Not even close, so please don't get me wrong.

So, where am I going with this blog post?  Why do I weave a few items into the upper half of my blogs or columns to make you sift through them to get to the point?

That's what makes me different, I guess.  I like to weave in some history or some perspective before I get to my point.

And that is?

There was a kid, born in Jacksonville, who grew up without a guitar in his hands.  He grew to the ripe old age of nine before he bought his first guitar.  That child had dreams and a family history. Unbeknownst to him at that time, he had a grand-uncle, Virgil Trucks, who was a big league pitcher. Virgil "Fire" Trucks could throw a ball as hard as anyone in the land, and he did so before and after World War II.  In fact, he did it so well in 1938 that his 448 strikeouts might be a record that will never be approached, never mind broken.

Fire Trucks enjoyed a visit from his grand nephew one day.  The grand nephew brought his wife and baby boy, Virgil's great grand nephew Charlie - named after Charlie Parker - and they talked baseball. 

For that youngster, the dream of being a big league baseball player was overtaken by a desire to play the guitar. As he learned to play the guitar, he fast-became one of the most talented 100 people to ever play. As he grew to the ripe age of 20, he's amongst the Top 10 of all-time, and some believe he is at the very top of that list.  The raw talent brought Derek Trucks to his profession, right to his destiny as a guitarist and a song writer. Through that profession he met his wife, Susan, a talented songwriter herself and one who owns an amazing voice which can only be compared to that of Bonnie Raitt. Susan, an accomplished guitarist herself, seems to be ever-improving as a musician.  "Osmosis," said her husband to me after a show at the Boston House of Blues not long ago.

The most delightful aspect of their story is how wonderful both Derek and Susan are to all they come in contact with in this crazy world of sports, music and entertainment in which we all make a living, pay our bills as we put a nice roof over our heads. They are both so damn down-to-earth, it's truly inspiring. Derek is a the best guitarist in the world. I'm a behind-the-scenes guy in sports and entertainment. We both met our brides and have a family because of it, very directly because of it all.

I guess we're both pretty fortunate.

Fortunate sons. Fortunate husbands. Fortunate nephews, fortunate son-in-laws, and fortunate grand nephews.

And, the only comparison I'll draw is this.

We're both very glad we didn't become big league ball players.

***

Please read this article written by Boston Globe great Peter Gammons, now a contributor for MLB Advance Media on mlb.com and a frequent commentator and studio host for the New England Sports Network (NESN).

It was written in 2010:

Gammons: Music connects Trucks family

Guitarist Derek Trucks performs in concert with the Allman Brothers

Virgil Trucks had just turned 91 two years ago when this boyish kid who looked as if he were 20 showed up at his door. The kid introduced himself as Derek Trucks, Virgil's nephew's son, and they spent the day tying together the frayed generations of Trucks, of baseball stories Derek loved hearing, and music that Virgil says he didn't fully understand.

For years, Derek had Virgil "Fire" Trucks' baseball card on the back of his guitar, with the Allman Brothers or The Derek Trucks Band, with his wife Susan Tedeschi, playing lead on the Eric Clapton tour, backing Buddy Guy. That he told Virgil, and that Derek's uncle Butch, who has been the Allman's drummer since they formed in 1969, has often had another baseball card on his drums. "I haven't listened to the Allman Brothers too much," says Virgil. "They don't play them much on the Birmingham station."

When Virgil was told that Derek has a 1952 Tiger uniform with Virgil's 23 hanging in a trophy case, he said, "maybe I should start listening to the Allmans a little more."

Derek was more interested in Virgil and never said much about his own biography, how he was the youngest of the Rolling Stone magazine's Top 100 Guitarists of all time, published in 2003,  and how the Wall Street Journal called him the "most awe-inspiring slide guitar players" ever, and how peers have put him in the class of the half-dozen guitarists who ever lived. He proudly got a copy of Virgil's book, and listened to stories about the two no-hitters he threw in 1952 for the Tigers and how he went right from World War II to the World Series, about the day he matched zeroes against Satchel Paige in a game the Hall of Famer won in the 12th.

Virgil says he has never met Butch, but he was thrilled to "meet so fine a young man as Derek. I don't know where the musical part of the family came from, but I'm proud of him."

He was told that when Derek, Susan and their son Charlie went to a Red Sox Spring Training game last March, Susan -- whose family have had season tickets at Fenway Park, where Susan has many times sung the National Anthem -- sat next to Johnny Pesky. She introduced Derek, that he is Virgil's great-nephew. "That coot is still alive?" Pesky replied. "No one wanted to hit off that [guy] he threw so hard." Pesky failed to mention that his candor and character preserved one of those 1952 no-hitters.

Virgil Oliver Trucks was born on April 26, 1917. He won 177 Major League games from 1941 until he retired in 1958. Ted Williams once said he might have been "the hardest throwing right-hander I ever faced."

He is one of four pitchers who threw two no-nos in a single season and he finished fifth in the American league MVP race in 1953 for the White Sox (he started that season with the Browns). And back when the Tigers won the 1945 World Series, Detroit's great staff was called "TNT" -- Dizzy Trout, (MVP) Hal Newhouser and Trucks were three of the best in the game. In the mid-Seventies, Bernie Carbo asked Pesky "did they have anyone who threw hard when you played?"

"You couldn't have hit a fair ball off [Bob] Feller, Trout or Trucks," Pesky shot back.

Go back to the beginning. Andalusia of the Alabama-Florida League. 1938. Including the playoffs struck out 448 batters.

Ye, 448. That, Sweet Melissa, is the most strikeouts ever recorded in an organized professional baseball season.

And for the full season, he was 25-6, with a 1.25 ERA and two no-hitters.

After a strong 1939 split between Alexandria and Beaumont, in 1940 he pitched for Beaumont in the Texas League and threw another no-hitter, in 1941 threw another no-no for Buffalo in the International League and by the time he made his debut on Sept. 27, 1941, he had four Minor League no-hitters on his resume.

Somewhere along the way, they tried to figure out how hard he threw. "They found an old Army gun," says Trucks. "It read 105 miles an hour."

Just 71 days after his Major League debut, Pearl Harbor was hit, and by the end of the 1943 season, Trucks enlisted. When the war in Europe ended in April 1945, Trucks was sent to a base in Norman, Okla., to await his discharge papers. Fortunately, there was a former Minor League catcher on the base, so the two would work out, run and throw every day. Problem is, the papers didn't come.

Finally, in September, he pushed his case, got the papers and got released a week before the end of the season. The Tigers were in a pennant race, so Trucks got his release and called the Tigers. "They were ending the season in St. Louis the coming weekend," Trucks recalls. "So I got a bus to Oklahoma City, took a train to St. Louis and arrived in time for the final series."

The final day of the season was Sunday. If the Tigers won, they clinched the pennant. If they lost, they had to take a train back to Detroit to play a one game playoff with Washington. To Trucks' surprise, manager Steve O'Neill told him he was starting that final game. After two years off and six months in Norman, Okla., Virgil "Fire" Trucks was asked to start the game to get the Tigers to the World Series.

So much for the notion that pitchers need a seven-week Spring Training.

Trucks gave the Tigers 5 1/3 innings, allowing one run and leaving with a big lead. Unfortunately, Newhouser came in and blew the lead, but Hank Greenberg hit a grand slam in the eighth inning and the Tigers were in the World Series. In the first live game action in two years, Virgil Trucks had his quality start.

As Trucks remembers, trains were hard to come by "because they were transporting the troops home, so for the only time in World Series history, we agreed to play the first three games in Detroit and the last four in Chicago against the Cubs." Trucks pitched a complete-game, 4-1 victory in Game Two -- his second start in two years -- and started Game Six. The Tigers won the Series, and three weeks after getting his discharge papers, Trucks had earned his first World Series ring.

In that miserable 1952, the Tigers were dreadful, Trucks went 5-19, but two of those wins were no-hitters and one was a one-hitter that could have been a third no-no. "The second one was controversial," says Virgil. "In the third or fourth inning, there was a ball hit in to short. Now, the umpire blew the call. The runner was out. But the umpire called him safe, and it was ruled a hit.
"The official scorer was John Drebinger of the New York Times, and a lot of the other writers insisted it was an error because Johnny Pesky had problems getting the ball out of his glove. Around the seventh inning, Drebinger called Pesky in the dugout, and Johnny told him, 'I should have made the play. It was an error.' One of the finest people I've ever known.

"I should have had the third no-hitter, though. The Washington leadoff hitter never swung the bat. He always looked to walk. So I started off the first inning with a fastball down the middle, and the guy we called 'The Walking Man' swung snd hit a single." Trucks did not allow another hit, and Eddie Yost had ruined Virgil's shot at being the only pitcher ever to throw three no-hitters in a single season.
Trucks, who was dealt to the Browns after the 1952 season, was traded to the White Sox in June 1953 and won a combined 20 games and finished fifth in the MVP balloting. He eventually became a reliever, and was in the bullpen in his last season, in 1958.

"Casey Stengel left me off the World Series roster because he said Murray Dickson knew the National League hitters," says Trucks. "Now, the National League hitters knew him and not me, but while I was pretty mad, when we beat the Braves, the Yankees gave me a World Series ring."

In 1960, Trucks got his third Series ring when he was the bullpen coach for the Pirates.

Fire Trucks worked for the Pirates, the Braves and the Tigers in different capacities, then eventually retired and moved back to Birmingham. Ted Williams made him one of two pitchers in his Hall of Fame. Two years ago, the Tigers flew him back to Detroit to honor Justin Verlander for his no-hitter.
Derek has been practicing with the Allmans for their March shows in New York. He went to Europe. He's helping Susan prepare for a Jimi Hendrix tour; he has the list of Hendrix's album collection at the time of his death. Derek is re-designing his band so that he and Susan -- one of the great R&B singers on the planet -- will be in the same band.

Next week, Derek, Susan and the kids will drive down from Jacksonville to Ft. Myers to see the Red Sox. "Baseball is in Charlie's blood, he loves it," says Derek of his oldest son Charles (for Charlie Parker) Khalil (as in Gibran) Trucks.

In the blood. Derek and Susan will meet a Red Sox rookie named Lars Anderson, who this spring told me, "I was downloading some Little Feat videos off You Tube and found two with you playing with Paul Barrere. That's gotta be better than being in the Hall of Fame."

Hear that, and you understand why he can't wait to meet Susan Tedsechi and Derek Trucks, the great nephew of the man who struck out more batters in one season than any man in organize baseball history.

Then we have to hope that the process gets sped up so that Derek Trucks goes into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and Virgil "Fire" Trucks can get to Cleveland to be there. And if he does, there's a story he can tell about a ruckus in a Cleveland hotel.

***

Peter Gammons is a columnist for MLB.com and analyst for MLB Network. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.

TTB - Angel to Sugaree

Some "Snowbound Entertainment Blues" courtesy of Susan Tedeschi and the Tedeschi Trucks Band

Best

After practicing and performing for years and years, the sun rises and the day finally comes when Derek Trucks hits the 5 percent.  In fact, he hits the 1 percent. He is among the greatest living guitarists in the world and he will soon become one of the greatest to ever play a guitar. 

He has already earned the un-official title of the very best slide guitarist in the world and his Gibson SG, signed by many of his idols, is bringing in accolades like Grammy Awards, and the support and damn-near idolization from an ever-increasing legion of fans, all stemming from religious-like experiences at their shows, one of which was held at the House of Blues - Boston just a few days ago.  Here is their stunning story and some insight to becoming the very best in the world.

***

Derek Trucks (3rd from right) helped reinvigorate the ABB

This story is posted on American Blues Scene. I thought I'd share it, as a good HS buddy came to town this weekend to see Derek Trucks play alongside his bride, the charming and equally stunning, talented and warm, Susan Tedeschi.

The story reads...

Every day for more than six decades, 85-year-old Jiro Ono has walked into his 10-seat restaurant in a Tokyo subway station to make his specialty, sushi. It is, in fact, the only food on the menu, and in spite of its humble location, the restaurant is the first of its kind to be awarded a prestigious three-star Michelin Guide rating, and sushi lovers from around the globe make repeated pilgrimages, calling months in advance for a coveted seat at Jiro’s sushi bar. The documentary film about him, Jiro Dreams of Sushi, has inspired slide guitarist Derek Trucks.
“(Jiro) has gone to work the same way for 60 years and just perfecting his craft and just watching him go through every day and even at his age just uncompromising. That’s the stuff that’s inspiring,” says Trucks who himself enjoys a similar status with guitarists and roots music fans, unequalled since the death of Stevie Ray Vaughan more than two decades ago. It’s all about discipline. He told one newspaper reporter that the first 90% of learning your craft is really the easy part. The next five is harder, and the next five is what separates everybody else.
“I’m not sure I’m out of the first 90% yet,” he told me with a nervous laugh, “but the beauty of music – especially when you’re listening to the greats – is that your heroes are great enough that you always come after ‘em. You never fully get there and surpass them. So if I ever get to the point where I’m feeling that I’ve got it under control, I can put on an Ali Akbar record or a John Coltrane record or great western classical album and it’s pretty humbling. I feel, especially as a guitar player, there’s plenty of meat on the bone. There’s plenty to learn.”
At age 32 Trucks has become one of the youngest recipients of the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award as a 13-year member of the Allman Brothers Band. He is also the youngest person on Rolling Stone Magazine’s poll of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time and the only person under the age of 50 in the top 20 on that list. He came in at number 16. Unlike most axe wielders his age, he is extremely focused on discipline, and sees himself as a younger version of Jiro Ono.
With wife/singer/guitarist/songwriter Susan Tedeschi, Trucks has written 16 songs for the Tedeschi Trucks Band’s third album, due out later next year. They are currently finishing a national tour with their 11-piece group. The tour has included eight co-headliners with B.B. King, a three-night stand at New York’s Beacon Theater, and a closing set at this year’s Newport Jazz Festival. The group has two albums, Everybody’s Talkin’ and Revelator, the latter a Grammy winner. He and his wife took so many awards at this year’s Blues Music Awards, they prompted one other winner to quip, “Thank God Derek Trucks wasn’t nominated in my category.”
Veteran rock journalist David Fricke called The Tedeschi Trucks Band the best Dixie-fried group since Delaney and Bonnie more than 40 years ago. Eric Clapton was the guitarist in that large super group. Derek, in fact, was named after Clapton’s Derek and the Dominoes band and toured with the British guitarist in 2006, but he says it was his wife who turned him onto Delaney and Bonnie.
“You know I came to Delaney and Bonnie a little later, certainly before we started this band. The idea for this group was certainly influenced by the Dominoes, Delaney and Bonnie, Sly and the Family Stone, Mad Dogs and Englishmen and the Allman Brothers. Those were the kind of communal big bands just rolling down the road. That whole family vibe was a huge part of Susan deciding to try this. It was kind of a crazy thing to throw together an 11-piece band in 2010 or whenever we decided to do it, but that template was certainly big in our minds when we put this together.”
The biggest difference between the seminal big rock bands and TTB is discipline. Watching Delaney and Bonnie perform live in 1970 was like trying to balance on a tight wire — at any time they could turn the whole concert into a train wreck. “I think we’ve taken the train wreck element out of it for the most part,” says Trucks. “On the rare occasion you’ll feel it coming off the tracks, but I definitely think that’s the difference. That’s kind of the evolution of the thing. I mean those guys were experimenting with the whole format, with their bodies, with their music. The traveling rock band, that whole concept had just been invented when those guys were doing that.
“So I think we have a lot of time and experience to learn from, and I feel we’ve definitely taken it in a different direction. I mean, part of the idea of putting this band together was to actually help our family, to be with our kids more, to be together more. So I think that’s maybe a little different concept than what put those bands on the road (chuckles).
“I think the impulse is a little different, but the core, the idea, is the same. You want to be surrounded with people you love being around, people that you respect musically, and you wanna go from town to town and bring the church with ya. You want to bring that thing. You want people to feel better when they leave. I feel like that sentiment is very much the same.”
Both Susan and Derek have impressive track records with their own bands, not to mention Derek’s credit, along with Warren Haynes, for having resurrected the old Allman Brothers war horse. That said, TTB is more than the sum of its parts, and discipline trumps obsession when it comes to the group updating their rock, jazz, and blues influences. Trucks takes seriously his obligation to educate young people to the historical wonder of American music.
“As much as I love being home and having somewhat of a routine, you feel like being on the road and taking it to people is kind of your duty. We gotta be out there doing it because there’s not enough real bands doing it, real musicians, and American music really is one of our gifts to the world. I remember just a few nights ago flipping through and seeing the American Music Awards, and I was like there’s not one ounce of American music. All this shit is just depressing, you know?
“And I think about my kids and their friends and the stuff they’re being constantly exposed to, and it’s kind of across the board now. It’s the food you eat, it’s the music you hear, it’s the news you get, the television being thrown at you. There’s not a lot of substance there, so I feel like I was fortunate enough to grow up in a situation where there was a lot of good music around, and it was important the way my dad and mom would talk about music and listen to music. You could tell it was their religion in a way. It meant something, and it wasn’t background noise, and it wasn’t – yeah, it just wasn’t something to party to.
“It was (like) it actually mattered, and I feel like if you’re lucky enough to be doing that and able to bring that to people, it’s your duty to do it so even on the road when you get worn down, you think about that, and then you think about people like B. B. King or Willie Nelson at their age just beatin’ the road. Then you shut up and stop your bitchin.’ You go to the next town.
“I think with anything you do you just have to keep your nose to the grind. I think once you start buying the hype, that’s when you’re in trouble of heading in the other direction. I think sadly we’ve all seen it many times. I know a dozen musicians that I’ve seen in the last five or 10 years kinda come and go. You see all this potential, and you see this fire, and then you see everybody kissing their ass, and then you see them a few years later, and then you hear them, and it’s like that’s not as good as it was two years ago. You’re like what happened? It’s all mental, man. It’s all a mental game. You have to realize you can never really let up.
“I guess it comes down to you have to enjoy this work. You have to enjoy the grind in some way or at least get some satisfaction out of it, even if you don’t enjoy it all the time. You gotta keep going back to it.”
Susan Tedeschi graduated from Berklee College of Music at age 20 with a bachelor’s degree in music composition. Husband Derek, on the other hand, is 10 years younger, was on the road at age 11, and most of the musicians he’s played with are “roads” scholars. Those disparities, he says have caused no conflicts. “Yeah, you know, it’s funny. She went to school for a lot of that, but with her it’s straight intuitive. Her thing is just musical guts. She knows what feels right, and she has the ability to just unleash at will.
“With (band keyboardist) Kofi (Burbridge) he was a child prodigy. I think he was on stage with Duke Ellington when he was just a kid in D.C. I mean those pictures of Kofi with the masters when he was really, really young. So he went to school in his teens for music. I mean he knows it inside and out, but with him it’s his ears, you know. For me you learn whatever somebody has to give. If it’s something you’re unfamiliar with or something that moves you, I feel like you can really take it from anywhere.”
As disciplined as he is, Derek Trucks is also versatile, having established himself in genres as varied as blues, rock, jazz and jam band. “I feel like with my solo group and with this band, too, but definitely when I was on the road with my guys, we always had the sense we were kind of one toe in all the different scenes, but never fully embraced by any of them.
“We were kind of a blues band but not blues enough for the hard core blues crowd. It was kind of too adventurous at times. We were not a jazz band, but just enough to get on the jazz festivals. We were kind of not a jam band but enough to play the jam band festivals. I kind of like the band orphan vibes. Nobody would fully take us in, and in the beginning it was a little difficult because it was hard to get a label to record you.
“It was hard to do that, but I mean for me it was fuel for the fire. I was glad we didn’t get stuck in any of those worlds where you have to – uh – I don’t know if I have that personality anyways, but I think once you’re in a world like that you start catering to it in a way, and I feel like by not being fully embraced early on it just gave us free reign, and then you kind of use that as propellant.”
The last year for Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi has been a Cinderella adventure. They’ve rubbed shoulders with Mick Jagger and Keith Richards at the White House blues concert, and the Apollo Theater Hubert Sumlin Tribute respectively. They inducted Freddie King into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame; and played with Herbie Hancock, Wynton Marsalis, Tony Bennett, and Stevie Wonder on the first annual International Jazz Day at the United Nations General Assembly. And they got to compare notes while touring with B. B. King. They’ve broken through several ceilings as a blues couple who also are parents of two school-age children and crossed over into several genres that promise to give blues a higher visibility — a role Derek takes very seriously.
“I feel a sense of wanting to turn people onto this music and wanting to just keep the level of it up. You wanna always make sure anything you retain, anything you play, is to a certain level, and hopefully that brings people along, but I don’t know if setting out on a mission like that makes it false. I think you just have to do what you do. You just have to dig in and play music, and a lot of that, whether it was Duane (Allman) or Stevie Ray (Vaughan) or anybody, a lot of it is just time and place. You were the right guy at the right time doing the right thing. You know, those guys were students and lovers of music, and they gave their life to it.”

About Don Wilcock-- Don Wilcock started writing about blues for the Army Reporter in Vietnam before there were any American blues magazines. He's edited five different blues magazines and interviewed 4000 artists. He's vowed to be the last blues journalist standing.    

Tedeschi Trucks Band ...

Good Sunday morning to all.  Here is a new video by our good friends Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi, along with their talented band of musicians:

Enjoy.

President Obama with BB King & All-Star Blues Band

It's been a pretty cool month of February for Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks as they took home the GRAMMY for Best Blues Album then supplied the Bluesy back-up for BB Kin, Mick Jagger and President Barack Obama when The White House staged a special night of celebration for Blues to be aired by PBS.  The vent was streamed live on White House (dot) gov and the highlight of the evening, President Obama opening the vocals for "Sweet Home Chicago" in the finale, with Trucks, Tedeschi, and Warren Haynes among the all-star band members backing King and Jagger, among many others.

Here's a clip:

Hosted by actress Taraji P. Henson, the program included performances by Mick Jagger, B.B. King, Troy “Trombone Shorty” Andrews, Jeff Beck, Gary Clark Jr., Shemekia Copeland, Buddy Guy, Warren Haynes, Keb Mo, Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks. Booker T. Jones served as music director and band leader.

Tedeschi-Trucks Band

Conan hosted the Tedeschi-Trucks Band and he quickly realized that Derek has been practicing! 

Happy 40th to Susan Tedeschi: Tribute to "the Experience"

While you are accustomed to many a sports-related post on TheBlog@TerryLyons.com - I love to recognize the very best in classic rock entertainment.  Among the most talented musicians that I have had the pleasure to meet is Susan Tedeschi.

Susan happens to hail from Boston and is married to the world's greatest living guitar player, Derek Trucks. As you well know, Derek heads up the DTB and regularly plays guitar for the Allman Brothers Band when he's not sitting in or on tour with Eric Clapton (2nd best living guitarist , IMO).  This summer and fall, Susan and Derek gave fans a treat when they toured together.

When the two appeared together at a DTB show at NYC's Nokia Theatre a while back, we had the good fortune to have VIP and backstage passes for the show.  Susan was hosting when not playing and at one point, she gave me a special treat.  She handed me a pass (that the roadies and guitar technicians use) and it allowed me to get a side-stage look at her hubbie as he was playing with his band.  Susan later joined in for a medley of "The Band" - from the Band's greatest performance - The Last Waltz.  It was terrific.

Anyhow, this post is dedicated to Susan today, Nov. 9th, her 40th birthday (hope she doesn't mind 'revealing' her age but, then again, it was plastered in today's Boston Globe, along with this review of Susan's work with the Experience - a tribute to Jimi Hendrix.

Happy Birthday Susan.  Hope to see you at a concert very soon.  Maybe the one listed under the Globe story?

Reveling in the Hendrix experience

By Scott McLennan Globe Correspondent / November 9, 2010

It doesn’t take a dozen exceptional guitarists to extol the virtues of Jimi Hendrix. But having that many certainly makes for a great show, as was the case Sunday at the Orpheum with the “Experience Hendrix’’ concert.

Steve Vai, Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Vernon Reid, Ernie Isley, Eric Johnson, Susan Tedeschi, Brad Whitford, Johnny Lang, Mato Nanji, and a triple dose of pedal steel players — Robert Randolph, Darick Campbell, and Chuck Campbell — produced a fiery three-hour show that explored all facets of Hendrix’s brief and brilliant career.

Isley, an early supporter of Hendrix, and bassist Billy Cox, who was in both the Experience and Band of Gypsys, brought historical heft as they teamed for the opening salvo of “Stone Free’’ and “Message to Love.’’ Cox reminded the packed house how Hendrix rested his unparalleled guitar architecture atop a steady foundation of blues and soul. Isley, best known as an R&B player, showed how Hendrix opened up new possibilities for guitarists, and he demonstrated with a mind-melting rendition of “Manic Depression.’’

Living Colour captured Hendrix’s brash showmanship. A crazed “Crosstown Traffic’’ found singer Corey Glover prowling the aisles and balconies of the theater, with bassist Doug Wimbish in the floor seats and Reid letting loose screams and howls from his guitar.

Drummers Chris Layton from Double Trouble and Will Calhoun of Living Colour manned the kits throughout the night, and when Cox wasn’t playing, the bass was handled in turns by Wimbish and Scott Nelson, from Shepherd’s band.

Tedeschi’s performance showcased the elegance of Hendrix’s songwriting. She teamed with Johnson to tackle the wistful “One Rainy Wish,’’ then moved on to the psychedelic poetry of “If 6 Was 9’’ and “Spanish Castle Magic,’’ tunes that summoned Aerosmith’s Whitford and Indigenous’s Nanji for additional guitar firepower, though Tedeschi delivered some of the toughest solos of the lot.

Just how far Hendrix’s legacy reaches beyond rock ’n’ roll became evident when Randolph and the Campbell brothers — players schooled in the gospel tradition — trained their pedal steel guitars on “Hey Joe’’ and “Purple Haze.’’

Lang, using the night’s only acoustic guitar, and Whitford crafted a majestic version of “All Along the Watchtower.’’ Shepherd tapped both “Voodoo Chile’’ and “Voodoo Child (Slight Return)’’ to highlight Hendrix’s influence on modern blues. Vai’s note-packed performances reminded how high Hendrix set the bar for those wanting to be impressive soloists.

Vai, Reid, and Randolph engaged in ebullient jamming during “Love or Confusion’’ and “Foxy Lady,’’ and Cox, singing and playing bass, brought the show home aptly with “Red House.’’

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Key concert news....

This year marks the 10th anniversary of the death of Allen Woody, a respected bass player known for his work with Southern rock acts Gov’t Mule and The Allman Brothers Band. His passing in 2000 brought together former bandmates, friends, and fellow musicians (including The Black Crowes and Phil Lesh) to pay tribute to both Woody’s life and his contributions to the rock and roll world with the ”One for Woody” benefit show. Now, a decade later, The Allman Brothers and Gov’t Mule camps are ready give back and celebrate the life of their friend by hitting the stage once again.

The original benefit was held at the historic Roseland Ballroom in New York City on September 21, 2000, less than a month after Woody was found dead of an apparent overdose. Thus, it’s only seems fitting that the legendary venue will also serve as host for “Another One for Woody” on November 22nd. Confirmed acts include The Allman Brothers Band and Gov’t Mule, as well as country/blues rock act The North Mississippi All Stars Duo.
“Another One for Woody” tickets go on sale November 5th and you can get yours at the Roseland Ballroom official site. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to help raise money to keep music education alive in schools. For a taste of what’s to come, check out a performance of “I Shall Be Released” from the original benefit concert below.

In related news, Gregg Allman just announced his first new album in 14 years. Titled Low Country Blues and due for release on January 11th, the T Bone Burnett-produced effort hears Allman offers his take on classic Blues tracks from the likes of Muddy Waters, BB King, and Buddy Guy, among others. Album’s tracklist can be found below the aforementioned video.

Ya' gotta love T-Bone Burnett!

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Also, as long as I'm dedicating this entire post to music, I might as well plug a tribute to the late John Lennon (celebrating what would have been his 70th - back in Oct.).  The show is coming this weekend, Nov. 12th, at The Beacon Theatre in NYC.

See this blog from WFUV - Fordham University's radio station.

Some Revolution Music for you on the crowning moment of the American Revolution ...

Peakin' at The Beacon ...

Coming soon....

Allman Brothers Band - Concert Review from March 16th at The Beacon...