The Derek Trucks Band is a band started by slide guitarist prodigy, Derek T… Read Full Bio ↴The Derek Trucks Band is a band started by slide guitarist prodigy, Derek Trucks, who began playing guitar and touring with The Allman Brothers Band, as early as eleven years old. Raised partly on tour with them throughout his youth, meeting and playing with famous musicians, Trucks was still unsure about his own future. He resolved to start his own band while still an adolescent. What first began as a side project, and a way for Trucks to explore his own creativity, has evolved into an eclectic band with some of the most talented musicians from the southeastern United States. Loosely based in his home town of Jacksonville, Florida since 1994-1995, since his mid-teens, the band has drawn upon the wide variety of the influences and tastes of its current band members, and has gained fame for playing blues, southern rock, jazz, Indian classical, and a fusion of world music.

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."

Ain't That Lovin' You
The Derek Trucks Band Lyrics

Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴

You fill my hopes so high and lay me down so low
It makes no difference baby I wanna love you more and more
Every time you smile I wanna smile with you
And every time you cry I cry a tear for you too

Now ain't that lovin' you, ain't that lovin' you babe
Nah ain't that lovin' you, ooh ain't that lovin' you now baby

I do believe, I do believe that it's true
I do believe, I believe I declare I believe I believe that your love is true baby
Talkin' bout love love love, I'm talkin' bout love love love
And I swear I swear I swear I'm gonna give it all to you

Now ain't that lovin' you, ain't that lovin' you baby
Ain't that lovin' you, ooh ain't that lovin' you baby

Ain't that lovin' you babe, ain't that lovin' you

I do believe, I do believe your love is true
I do believe, I believe, I believe right now that your love is true
Said I'm talkin' bout love love love, talkin' bout love love love
And I swear this evening, I gonna give it all to you babe

Ain't that lovin' you baby, ain't that lovin' you baby
Ain't that lovin' you babe, ain't that lovin' you babe
Yeah, yeah

Ain't that lovin' you baby, ain't that lovin' you babe
Yes, ain't that lovin' you

Overall Meaning

The Derek Trucks Band's "Ain't That Lovin' You" is a soulful blues love song that features heartfelt lyrics and passionate vocals. The singer in the song addresses their love interest, admitting that they bring both highs and lows to their emotions but nevertheless expressing a desire to love them more and more. They express a willingness to share in both the joys and sorrows of the person they love, declaring that this is what true love is all about. Throughout the song, the singer repeatedly asserts that they believe in the love they share, and they promise to give their all to the relationship.

The lines "You fill my hopes so high and lay me down so low" suggest that the singer experiences intense emotions when they are with their love interest. They feel uplifted and full of hope in their presence, but the relationship also causes them pain and brings them down at times. Despite this, they are committed to the person they love and are willing to weather any ups and downs that may come their way. The refrain of "Ain't that lovin' you" functions as a rhetorical question, a declaration of the intensity of their feelings and a way of reaffirming their love.

Overall, "Ain't That Lovin' You" showcases the depth of emotions that can come with love and the importance of committing to someone despite the challenges that arise. The song's bluesy sound and passionate vocals add to its emotional impact, making it a standout track in The Derek Trucks Band's discography.

Line by Line Meaning

You fill my hopes so high and lay me down so low
You bring me both extreme highs and lows that come with loving someone deeply.

It makes no difference baby I wanna love you more and more
Regardless of the challenges and struggles that come with loving you, I still want to love you more and more.

Every time you smile I wanna smile with you
Your joy brings me joy and I want to experience it with you.

And every time you cry I cry a tear for you too
Your pain and sadness affect me deeply and I also feel your tears as if they were my own.

Now ain't that lovin' you, ain't that lovin' you babe
This intense love I have for you can be seen through my actions and emotions.

I do believe, I do believe that it's true
I have faith that your love for me is real and genuine.

I do believe, I believe I declare I believe I believe that your love is true baby
I am convinced, certain, and absolutely sure that your love is real and honest, my dear.

Talkin' bout love love love, I'm talkin' bout love love love
This song is all about expressing the depth and intensity of our love for each other.

And I swear I swear I swear I'm gonna give it all to you
I promise wholeheartedly to give you all of my love, affection, and devotion.

I swear this evening, I gonna give it all to you babe
Tonight, I will make a special effort to express and show you the depth of my love for you.

Ain't that lovin' you babe, ain't that lovin' you
My actions and words are the embodiment of the love I have for you.

Yeah, yeah
I am overcome with emotion when I think about how much I love you.

Yes, ain't that lovin' you
Indeed, this intense love that I have for you is a testament to the depth of our connection.

Contributed by Carter I. Suggest a correction in the comments below.

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