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."
Little By Little
The Derek Trucks Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
Snap me up with everything I say
Little by little
Oh, I’m losin’ you, I can see
And bit by bit, darling
Your love is slipping away from me
Oh, what you doin’ baby, don’t you know it ain’t right
Little by little, oh, I’m losin’ ya I can see
And bit by bit
Your love is slippin’ away from me
Now I say woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh, now woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I say woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
Oh, I get so disgusted when I try to kiss you
Just don’t feel like it used to do
Little by little, oh, I’m losin’ you I can see
Oh, and bit by bit, darlin’
Your love is slippin’ away from me
Oh, I tried to trail you last night, in my car
So scared I might find just what I was looking for
Little by little, oh, I’m losin’ ya I can see
And bit by bit
Your love is slippin’ away from me
Now I say woah-oh-oh-oh, baby that’s the way I feel
Oh, I say woah-oh-oh-oh, child, that’s the way that I feel
I said woah-oh-oh-oh, child, baby that’s the, honey that’s the
Oh, Lord, I said woah-oh-oh-oh, child, baby that’s the way I feel
Oh, I said woah-oh-oh-oh, child, baby that’s the way I feel, oh now
I said woah-oh-oh-oh, child, baby that’s the way I feel, oh now
The Derek Trucks Band's song Little By Little is a lament about a relationship that is slowly slipping away. The singer is addressing his partner, pointing out how she stays out all night until the break of day, and seemingly ignoring everything he has to say. The repetition of the phrase 'little by little' emphasizes the gradual nature of the erosion of their love. The singer is aware that he is losing his partner, and he tries to trail her in his car to find out what is going on. However, this only leads to more frustration and disgust, as he realizes that their relationship has changed and is not what it used to be. He ends the song chanting 'woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh,' expressing his emotions over the disintegration of their love.
The song portrays the painful realization of a love fading away. The singer is desperate to understand what is wrong with the relationship, but he is struggling to get answers. The gradual nature of the relationship's decay is shown through the repeated use of "little by little" and "bit by bit" phrases. The song expresses the universal feeling of the helplessness that people feel when they realize that they are losing someone they love. The use of the phrase "snap me up" suggests that the singer is still holding on to hope that he can turn things around.
Line by Line Meaning
You stay out all night till the break of day
You are out all night until morning, not caring about what I think or say.
Snap me up with everything I say
You dismiss everything I say, not taking me seriously.
Little by little
Gradually and slowly, over time.
Oh, I’m losin’ you, I can see
I am aware that I am losing you.
And bit by bit, darling
Gradually, in small increments, my love for you is slipping away.
Your love is slipping away from me
Your feeling of affection and attachment towards me is gradually disappearing.
Oh, what you doin’ baby, don’t you know it ain’t right
What are you doing, dear? Don't you realize it's not right?
I wonder what you’re doin’ that it takes all night
I am curious about what you do that it takes all night.
Now I say woah-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh
I express my emotions in frustration and astonishment.
Oh, I get so disgusted when I try to kiss you
I feel repulsive when I try to kiss you like I used to.
Just don’t feel like it used to do
It doesn't feel the same as it used to feel.
Oh, I tried to trail you last night, in my car
I followed you last night in my vehicle.
So scared I might find just what I was looking for
I was afraid that I might discover what I had been looking for.
Now I say woah-oh-oh-oh, baby that’s the way I feel
I express my emotions in frustration and astonishment.
Oh, Lord, I said woah-oh-oh-oh, child, baby that’s the way I feel
I express my emotions in frustration and astonishment.
Oh, I said woah-oh-oh-oh, child, baby that’s the way I feel, oh now
I express my emotions in frustration and astonishment.
Lyrics © Universal Music Publishing Group, Warner/Chappell Music, Inc.
Written by: SIMON WELLS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Cecilia Brooks
Not only does she have the best female voice , but her guitar playing is among the best!
Jeff Gaumond
The crowd is dozing in the humid, hot summer afternoon. Around the 2:00 mark she grabs the crowd and shakes
them awake. What a great live performance. Further evidence that they are one of the greatest live bands on the music scene today. My friends at Ponderosa Grove opened for them a couple of weeks ago in Palm Beach, what a thrill that must have been.
jeannie bell
That could also be because Clapton is filming from behind her ! Grew up in town next to and loved her since day 1. Blessed to see her many times in her earliest days.
John the Resonator
One of the most electrifying and brilliant live performances I've seen in a long time. Smokin! I will be looking out for tour dates in the UK.
Lewis Greenhowe
I certainly have to agree
D H
I have watched this video about 30 times in 24 hours. TTB is the epitome of music.
JCFNor
What a combination of talents! There is of course a great band behind them!
pushya1008
How good can it possibly get? Who could possibly not like this? God I wish my girlfriend could sing the blues and wail on the guitar.
Mightyjake 182
The world needs more women like this!
Richard Forrester
Loved the song on Susan's "Just Won't Burn" album, but this live version with TTB is off the chain!!!