Born in Jacksonville, Florida, Derek Trucks took up the guitar at age 9, and it was quickly apparent that he was a child prodigy. He was playing with a band and touring within two years. His early repertoire was heavily blues-based, obviously inspired by The Allman Brothers Band, of which his uncle, drummer Butch Trucks, is a founding member. Older bluesmen like Howlin' Wolf, jazz musicians Miles Davis, Sun Ra, John Coltrane, Charlie Christian and later Wayne Shorter and many others, became an influence for Trucks a few years later. Eastern Music, mainly Indian Classical, also affected Trucks's musical development, primarily his slide guitar playing, which is often compared to that of Duane Allman but is also heavily influenced by sarod players like Ali Akbar Khan. In 2003, he was the youngest guitarist on Rolling Stone magazine's list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All-Time, and has been hailed as one of the greatest slide guitarists since Duane Allman.
Trucks formed his first band at age 12, and played his first gigs with them as "Derek and the Dominators". Later, Atlanta's jazz and blues bassist Todd Smallie joined Trucks in 1994, and became the first member of what is now the current version of The Derek Trucks Band. When Trucks really set about assembling a lasting band, he was by his reckoning about 14 years old. Smallie, on bass, was the first to join him. As a result, Trucks feels that he's "kind of grown up with him." A year later in 1995, drummer Yonrico Scott completed the band's early rhythm section. The band released its self-titled debut album, The Derek Trucks Band, in 1997, and followed with Out of the Madness in 1999. Scott has been playing with Trucks for over 16 years as of 2008. According to Derek Trucks: "We've developed a kind of 'musical ESP'.. it's nice to have somebody that you don't have to look at...he's just right there with you."
Kofi Burbridge joined the band shortly thereafter, contributing to the band's sound as a multi-instrumentalist, with his versatility on keyboards, flute, and vocals. Like his brother, whom Trucks plays with in the Allman Brothers Band, bassist Oteil Burbridge, Kofi Burbridge's education was primarily rooted in classical and jazz music. In an interview upon the release of their 2002 album, Joyful Noise, Trucks laughingly commented, "Kofi Burbridge has been with us maybe 2-3 years, and he's one of the few musical geniuses that I've had the chance to work with, he's totally insane"... continuing, "I'm really anxious to see in the next few years to see where he takes this, because he's definitely a huge part of what's going on right now."
In 2002 the band's producers, Craig Street and John Snyder recommended singer Mike Mattison to the band. Mattison performed several shows with the band, and Trucks decided Mattison's soulful voice and calm stage presence completed the band's identity. 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." Mattison had a previous band as well-- a vocal duo, called Scrapomatic, with Paul Olsen, a guitarist and vocalist, whom he still performs with at occasional gigs, including some opening sets for The Derek Trucks Band. The band's final member, Count M'Butu is the only band member that does not appear on every tour. M'Butu, the group's eldest member, plays a variety of African drums. Trucks mentions casually that he had known M'Butu for many years before he joined the Derek Trucks Band, as M'Butu was a regular musical fixture in Atlanta; one of the bastions of the Allman Brothers fan bases.
Trucks' guitar playing is unusual in a number of respects. He steadfastly avoids processing and effects, preferring to get the purest tone possible by connecting his guitar directly to his amplifier, a 1964 Fender Super Reverb. He modifies his tone with the controls on the guitar. He plays without the use of a plectrum (pick), using his fingers instead, plucking primarily with the thumb, index and middle fingers, but also using the ring finger on occasion. He developed his technique himself. His guitar is always tuned to 'Open E'. From the low to high string, (i.e., EBEG#Be) he slightly detunes his low E string (a technique he and Jimmy Herring developed while playing together). Open E is a normal tuning for slide players, as it allows them to form chords more easily, but over the years he has become a highly acclaimed straight lead player without switching to standard tuning (EADGBe).
In 2001, Trucks married singer/guitarist Susan Tedeschi. The couple have two children: Charles Kahlil Trucks (born March 8, 2002), and Sophia Naima Trucks (born August 9, 2004). Charles is named for saxophonist Charlie Parker and guitarist Charlie Christian; his middle name is taken from author Khalil Gibran. The name Sophia has mystic overtones (meaning "Wisdom" in Greek), and the unusual middle name comes from the John Coltrane ballad, which Coltrane named after his first wife, Naima.
In 1999, Derek Trucks joined his uncle, drummer Butch Trucks, as a member of The Allman Brothers Band, while continuing to lead his own band. With the Allman Brothers Band he has performed on 2000's Peakin' at the Beacon, 2003's Hittin' the Note, 2003's live DVD At the Beacon Theatre, and 2004's One Way Out.
As of early 2006, Trucks is an accompanying guitarist in Eric Clapton's 2006-2007 touring band. In early 2006, Trucks lost equipment, as an equipment trailer was stolen. Some of the gear was recovered on May 18, 2006, as reported in the Columbia Records Derek Trucks Forum. Gear that was reported as recovered from a field outside Atlanta, GA includes Derek's "1965 BFSR, the amp he's been playing since he was a young boy; Derek's 1968 SFSR (one of the backup amps),the DTB's Hammond B-3, two Leslies, a Hohner E-7 Clavinet, and a few other minor items."
555 Lake
The Derek Trucks Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
It reminds me of the thief I know
It end up dead just like that rat
Lookin' like an owl, like a dried-out cat
Well I know where to go...
A place we know, but lookin' sure
A place we can create
We just got to go...
A place we know, but lookin' sure
We just got to take it... to the lake!
The trees keep shaking like a dog without food
Creepin' through the jungle like I know we should
Running from people supp'd to treat us right
Leaving us stranded in the middle of the night
Where's my cake
It fills my belly, all up state
We just got to go,
A place you know, but lookin' sure
A place we can create
Troubles we can va-cate
We just got take it... to the lake!
A dead man ran on the side of the road
It moves just like a thief I know
It end up dead just like that rat
Lookin' like in heaven, like a dried-out cat
Well I know where to go...
A place we know, but lookin' sure
A place we can create
Troubles we can va-cate
We just got to go...
A place we know, but lookin' sure
We just got to take it... to the lake!
The Derek Trucks Band's song 555 Lake tells the story of the singer finding a dead man on the side of the road and being reminded of a thief they know who met a similar fate. The lyrics go on to describe the singer's desire to escape to a familiar place, possibly a lake, where they can create and vacation from their troubles. The lyrics use vivid imagery to describe the feeling of being stranded in the middle of the night and the hunger for something, maybe cake, to fill the belly.
It's common for lyrics to have multiple interpretations, and this song is no exception. Some might see the dead man and the thief as representations of the singer's darker nature, while others might take these events as literal. The lake, in this interpretation, could represent a place of spiritual rejuvenation, and the need to go there with others might signify the importance of community in times of hardship.
Line by Line Meaning
Found a dead man on the side of the road
Discovering a body on the side of the street brings back memories for the singer of someone who betrayed them and met a similar fate
It reminds me of the thief I know
The sight of a dead body brings to mind a former associate who wronged the singer
It end up dead just like that rat
The person being thought of ended up meeting the same fate as a despised vermin
Lookin' like an owl, like a dried-out cat
The dead man's appearance is described as resembling that of a bird of prey and a malnourished feline
Well I know where to go...
The singer has an idea of where to go in order to escape their troubling thoughts
A place we know, but lookin' sure
The destination they have in mind is a familiar place, but it may have changed over time
A place we can create
Despite the changes, the singer believes that they can still make a new experience for themselves at this location
Troubles we can va-cate
The hope is that by going to this place, they can leave behind their problems and worries
We just got to go...
The need to escape is felt strongly
We just got to take it... to the lake!
The specific destination they have in mind is a lake, and they are determined to reach it
The trees keep shaking like a dog without food
The trees are described as shaking violently, like the way a hungry dog might shake when desperate for sustenance
Creepin' through the jungle like I know we should
The singer and their companions move through the environment cautiously and quietly, as if they are being hunted
Running from people supp'd to treat us right
The group feels the need to flee from people who should be helping them, which suggests some sort of wrongdoing or danger
Leaving us stranded in the middle of the night
Their escape has left them stuck in an unfamiliar place, without any clear way forward
Where's my cake
The desire for something to nourish them, something comforting or familiar, is expressed
It fills my belly, all up state
The hope is that the cake will provide a feeling of fullness and contentment
Contributed by Callie E. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
ukhio
Best blues band ever!!
Daniel Clemente
love when the organ comes in at 3:02
Paul Gallagher
The great, the best, the original... Bill McKay. Enjoy same original lineup on into the madness.. 2nd CD with pyramid on cover
Mark D
WOW!!!!
mrk65
nice song
Modern Sax
and after that the Miles-ish muted trumpet kicks arse too!
Carl Dougherty
Line up in the description is incorrect. Neither Mike nor Kofi are on this track....that's Bill McKay on keys and vocals. And the Count wasn't there either...that's Yonrico