Guitarist Derek Trucks is an amiable guy, armed with a ready laugh. Then again, he's got plenty of reasons to smile. He's the nephew of longtime Allman Brothers drummer Butch Trucks. He's amply employed, both as a regular member of the aforementioned Allman Brothers and as co-leader of the Tedeschi Trucks Band, the sprawling eleven-piece group he co-helms with his wife, blues singer and guitarist Susan Tedeschi. What's more, when Eric Clapton is looking for a sparring partner, Trucks gets the call. To top it off, he lives with his wife and kids in what appears to be a perfect model of domestic tranquility.
No wonder then that the good vibes seem to emanate so naturally.
His band is headlining the inaugural Sunshine Blues Festival which makes its debut in Fort Myers, then heads to Boca Raton and St. Petersburg. "We thought it would be fun to do a festival with bands that we would want to sit out front and watch all day," Trucks explains the impetus for the affair. New Times spoke with the gifted and fortunate Trucks about working alongside his wife and starting at the top.