The Derek Trucks Band On Tour
Eagerly Awaited Columbia Records Debut, Joyful Noise, In Stores Tuesday, August 27
PRNewswire
NEW YORK
06/05/2002
Columbia Records -- Joyful Noise, The Derek Trucks Band's eagerly awaited debut album for Columbia Records, will be in stores on August 27. The genre busting group, fronted by 22-year-old guitar phenomenon Derek Trucks, will hit the road June 23rd for the summer 2002 leg of the Joyful Noise Tour, a series of concert dates including festivals, headline gigs, free outdoor shows, and gigs opening for The Allman Brothers Band as well as with Columbia label mates Phil Lesh & Friends and Jorma Kaukonen (see itinerary following).
Joyful Noise was produced by Craig Street (Chris Whitley, Cassandra Wilson), with two tracks produced by legendary session man Russ Kunkel, and contains a mixture of tasteful yet technically impressive instrumentals as well as songs featuring an ambitious group of guest vocalists including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan (Pakistani singer most notable for his work with his late uncle, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan), Salsa legend Ruben Blades, R&B master Solomon Burke, and Derek's wife Susan Tedeschi. The Derek Trucks Band, an incredibly tight unit comprised of Todd Smallie on bass, Yonrico Scott on drums, and Kofi Burbridge on keyboards & flute, was joined by longtime friend Count M'Butu on congas and percussion. The interplay between Derek's unique slide guitar work and the masterful improvisation of Todd, Yonrico, Kofi, and Count M'Butu, when coupled with the guest vocal performances, gives Joyful Noise a truly unique sound.
Since his first paying gig at the age of eleven, Derek has been slowly blending jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian, and other world music styles into the sound that now defines The Derek Trucks Band. Derek began playing blues music early on, paying homage to Delta Blues greats such as Elmore James, Bukka White, Son House, and Howlin' Wolf. As his proficiency on the slide guitar progressed, he expanded into other genres of music which took him into many new realms, few of which were previously associated with slide guitar.
In the last five years, Derek has assembled a group of musicians who share his passion for improvisation and experimentation while having the experience and talent to continually push the envelope. The DTB takes a progressive approach to roots music, blending elements of different cultures and styles into a new sound that remains unique.
Each member of the band adds to this eclectic style that has become its trademark. Yonrico Scott, the elder statesman of The Derek Trucks Band at 46, has a degree in percussion from the University of Kentucky and has performed with symphonies and Broadway productions, as well as on R&B, jazz, and rock tours. Todd Smallie has been with the band the longest, joining Derek in 1994 after playing with a number of bands in the Atlanta area. Kofi Burbridge studied composition at the North Carolina School of the Arts before performing on a number of worldwide tours.
In addition to Trucks' regular duties with The Derek Trucks Band, he became a member of The Allman Brothers Band in the summer of 1999, playing both lead and slide guitar. Derek deftly handles his duties among the veterans of the Allman Brothers Band with his keen ability to listen, his respect for his predecessors, and the contribution of his own musical vision. In 2000 and 2001 Derek played a combined 365 shows with The Derek Trucks Band and the Allmans, performing in front of over a million people.
Embraced by the national media, Derek has been interviewed by the Associated Press and featured by the Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Guitar World, Pollstar, Downbeat, and Rolling Stone.
Two albums on which Derek performed were nominated for Grammys in 2002. Hellhound On My Trail: Songs of Robert Johnson, on which he performed an acoustic version of "Walking Blues" with his wife, Susan Tedeschi, was nominated for Best Blues Album, and The Allman Brothers Band: Peakin' at the Beacon was nominated for Best Rock Instrumental for the song "High Falls."
The Derek Trucks Band Itinerary
June
23 Columbus, OH Polaris Amphitheater Opening for
Allman Brothers Band
24 St. Louis, MO Cicero's Headline
25 Kansas City, KS Memorial Hall Opening for
Allman Brothers Band
26 Fort Smith, AR Neumeier's Headline
July
2 Cuyahoga Falls, OH Blossom Music Center Opening for
Allmans & Phil Lesh
3 Cincinnati, OH Riverbend Music Center Opening for
Allmans & Phil Lesh
4 Antioch, TN AmSouth Amphitheater Opening for
Allman Brothers Band
11 Buffalo, NY Thursday at the Square Free Headline show
12 Holmdel, NJ PNC Bank Arts Center Opening for Phil Lesh
13 Amagansett, NY Stephen Talkhouse Headline
18 New York, NY Castle Clinton Free Headline show
19 Asbury Park, NJ Stone Pony Headline
20 Farmingdale, NY Dave Glicker's Downtown Headline
25 Rochester, NY Manhattan Square Park Free Headline show
28 Duanesburg, NY Camp Creek Festival
SOURCE: Columbia Records
CONTACT: Howard Wuelfing, Columbia Records, Media, New York,
+1-212-833-8891, or howard_wuelfing@sonymusic.com; Tour Press: Renee Pfefer,
Columbia Records, Media, New York, +1-212-833-4424, or
renee_pfefer@sonymusic.com; Online Press: Lisa Linder, Columbia Records,
Online & Emerging Technologies, New York, +1-212-833-6666, or
lisa_linder@sonymusic.com
Web site: http://www.columbiarecords.com/