The Derek Trucks Band

History

The Derek Trucks Band came together in 1994 when Trucks brought in bassist Todd Smallie, a musician rooted in Atlanta’s jazz and blues scene. Trucks has said he feels he has “kind of grown up with him.” A year later, in 1995, drummer Yonrico Scott joined, starting as both a percussionist and drummer, which gave the group its first solid rhythm section. Scott picked up drumming very young, grew up in Michigan with a Motown background, and earned a B.A. in percussion performance from the University of Kentucky.

He began co-writing songs with other band members on their 1997 debut album, continued on 1999’s Out of the Madness, and has kept at it ever since. By 2009, Scott had played with Trucks for more than 17 years. Trucks described their connection as “musical ESP,” adding, “it’s nice to have somebody that you don’t have to look at...he’s just right there with you.”

Trucks steadily built a core group of musicians, though two early members didn’t stick around. The original keyboardist and vocalist, Bill McKay, left his mark through songwriting credits on the earliest albums. When the band needed a new keyboardist, they felt lucky to find Kofi Burbridge, brother of Oteil Burbridge (the bassist Trucks plays with in the Allman Brothers Band). Kofi Burbridge, a classically trained multi-instrumentalist, brought versatility with keyboards, organ, flute, and backing vocals, plus his own songwriting.

He joined in 1999. Around the release of the 2002 album Joyful Noise, Trucks said, “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...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, producers Craig Street and John Snyder recommended singer Mike Mattison to the band.