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."
Sweet Inspiration
The Derek Trucks Band Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I need you here on my mind every hour of the day.
Without your sweet, sweet inspiration,
The lonely hours of the night just don't go my way.
A man in love needs sweet inspiration.
And honey that's all I ask,
That's all I ask from you.
You know there just ain't no telling
What a satisfied man will do.
And if I'm out in the rain, baby,
And in a bad situation.
I just reach back in my mind to find
Sweet, sweet inspiration.
Sweet, oh, what a power.
And I got the power every hour of the day.
I've gotta have your sweet inspiration,
To go on living, to keep on giving this way.
Sweet, sweet inspiration
Sweet, sweet inspiration
Sweet, sweet inspiration
Sweet, sweet inspiration
The Derek Trucks Band's song "Sweet Inspiration" is a testament to the power of love and the need for inspiration to keep the fires burning. The lyrics speak of a man who is deeply in love and needs his partner's constant presence to keep him going through the tough times. The song begins with the singer expressing his need for his partner's sweet inspiration, which he craves every hour of the day. Without it, he finds it hard to get through the lonely hours of the night.
Throughout the song, the singer emphasizes the power of sweet inspiration and how it can lead a man in love to do almost anything. He sings passionately about the importance of having his partner by his side, even in the worst situations. He asserts that sweet inspiration has the power to sustain him through any difficulty and help him achieve his goals.
Line by Line Meaning
I need your sweet inspiration.
The singer needs the inspiration and motivation that his lover provides.
I need you here on my mind every hour of the day.
The singer needs his lover to be constantly present in his thoughts and feelings in order to feel the inspiration he craves.
Without your sweet, sweet inspiration,
The singer cannot find the motivation to accomplish his desires without his lover's inspiration.
The lonely hours of the night just don't go my way.
The singer struggles with finding purpose and fulfillment during lonely nights without his lover's inspiration.
A man in love needs sweet inspiration.
Being in love drives the need for inspiration.
And honey that's all I ask,
All he asks of his lover is to provide him with that inspiration and motivation.
That's all I ask from you.
The singer's only request from his lover is to provide him with the motivation he needs.
I gotta have sweet inspiration,
The singer needs his inspiration badly
You know there just ain't no telling
The singer is aware that being inspired can lead to unpredictable changes in a person.
What a satisfied man will do.
Getting the inspiration he craves may lead to him achieving satisfaction.
And if I'm out in the rain, baby,
Even when life gets tough, the singer needs to have his lover's inspiration.
And in a bad situation.
When things get difficult, he needs to access his lover's inspiration to get through it.
I just reach back in my mind to find
The singer can access his lover's inspiration in his mind.
Sweet, sweet inspiration.
The singer recognizes the strength of the inspiration his lover provides.
Sweet, oh, what a power.
The power of the inspiration he receives from his lover is significant.
And I got the power every hour of the day.
He uses the inspiration his lover provides to fuel him every hour of every day.
I've gotta have your sweet inspiration,
The desire for his lover's inspiration is a must-have for the singer.
To go on living, to keep on giving this way.
His lover's inspiration is essential for him to keep living and giving in the way he does.
Sweet, sweet inspiration.
The singer repeats this line to emphasize the importance of his lover's inspiration.
Lyrics © O/B/O APRA AMCOS
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
@user-xp3ip8dk2o
Love this song and band. Mike Mattison does excellent work on the vocals.
@donnadreyer2580
WOW !! I've played this Song about 20 times in a row ! I Love this Song !!! WOW !
@desertskys1
Can't beat Mike Mattison's vocals and Derek's picking
@cameronmossbruger2198
fantastic song!!!
@elkepluntke3024
wonderful song
@lawlaw1
Pure joy
@mrnobody9104
listening to this i can do anything Sweet Inspiration from all the Joyful Noise!
Thanks for the soundtrack to life......8).
@mauminas
absolutely AMAZİNG
@jlojck
crazy slide!!! ❤❤❤
@Laulilala
Fine inspiration.