Tedeschi Trucks Band’s third annual multi-artist “Wheels of Soul” tour, which stops in Rogers Tuesday, July 25, at The AMP, is shaping up to be their biggest and best musical journey yet. Along with supporting acts Hot Tuna and The Wood Brothers, TTB’s 2017 Wheels of Soul run has already delighted tens of thousands of fans along the East Coast.
The group, fronted by guitar virtuoso Derek Trucks and his wife, soulful singer, blues guitarist, and 5-time Grammy nominee Susan Tedeschi, is fresh off a sold-out show in Atlanta, and TTB heads to a two-night run at Red Rocks days after the AMP concert. [Related News: One of Truck’s favorite charitable organization’s, has teamed with a Northwest Arkansas craft brewery in a nationwide fundraising campaign to raise money for musical instruments for underprivileged kids, coordinating with the TTB tour. ALSO: Tedeschi Trucks Band recently announced a concert at Little Rock’s Robinson Center set for Sept. 17. Tickets are on sale now.]
Trucks first became known as the founder of the Grammy Award-winning Derek Trucks Band, but also earned some major accolades as a member of The Allman Brothers Band, of which became an official member in 1999. In 2010, he and Tedeschi formed TTB. Trucks has twice been named to Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. He also is the nephew of Allman Brothers Band drummer, Butch Trucks.
Tedeschi is a superstar in our her own right. After working her way up in the club-touring scene, within six years she co-headlined Lilith Fair, and a few years after, she was opening for the likes of John Mellencamp, B.B. King, Buddy Guy, The Allman Brothers Band, Taj Mahal, the Rolling Stones, and Bob Dylan. In 2004, Tedeschi was featured on the PBS show “Austin City Limits; the performance was extremely well-received. Her voice has been described as a blend of Bonnie Raitt and Janis Joplin — aptly so, as she cites both as major influences.
TTB has enjoyed amazing success in its relatively short lifespan. The band’s debut album, “Revelator,” earned them a Grammy Award for Best Blues Album in 2012; since then, they’ve won four more major industry nods, including 2017 Best Rock Blues Album of the Year at the Blues Music Awards for “Let Me Get By.” In all, TTB has released three studio records and two live albums, the most recent being “Live From the Fox Oakland,” which debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s Blues chart and No. 6 on Billboard’s Rock Albums chart.
“It’s been great to develop this tour into an annual event where we get a chance to hit the road and share the stage with fellow musicians we love and respect,” Tedeschi says. “Each year we try to find bands that share our musical vision while bringing their own unique talents to this traveling circus.”
“Every year as the tour rolls along,” Trucks adds, “the collaborations between all the musicians grow and grow. It inspires and challenges us in new ways and I think that really translates to the audience when they see how much fun we’re having with our friends.”
The collaborative fun has certainly been in full swing, as members of both Hot Tuna and The Wood Brothers have joined the well-oiled TTB powerhouse on several occasions, adding fresh sonic flavor to blues standards such as “Key To The Highway” and “Sky Is Crying;” classic rock and roll favorites like Dylan & The Band’s “You Ain’t Going Nowhere;” and The Stones’ “Sweet Virginia.”
While The Wood Brothers and Hot Tuna collaborations have served as memorable highlights, TTB’s indomitable 12-piece ensemble has remained the high-powered engine that “keeps the wheels turning.” As the Providence Journal raved, “Watching Trucks attack the frets was absolutely amazing at times,” and “Tedeschi’s voice was a wonderful blend of rasp and power. The depth of this band is part of its magic.” NPR calls Tedeschi and Trucks “two of the best roots rock musicians of their generation.”
THE WOOD BROTHERS
Dubbed “masters of soulful folk” by Paste Magazine, The Wood Brothers are coming off their most successful year yet, including performances at Bonnaroo, Red Rocks and Carnegie Hall. Upon the release of their debut studio album in 2006, Chris Wood already had legions of devoted fans for his incomparable work as one-third of Medeski Martin & Wood. The Wood Brothers’ latest album, “Live at The Barn” – recorded at Levon Helm’s Woodstock, N.Y. barn as part of the legendary Midnight Ramble series – was released earlier this year. [Check back Friday, July 21, for a ShindigMusic! interview with The Wood Brothers!]
HOT TUNA
From their days playing together as teenagers to their current acoustic and electric blues, Jorma Kaukonen and Jack Casady, the core members of Hot Tuna, have celebrated over 50 years of playing together. Recently honored with a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers and Jefferson Airplane founding members create a propelling sound, cruising through new songs, old songs, traditional songs and instrumentals. With Kaukonen’s inventive finger-picking guitar work and Casady’s full-driving bass lines, Hot Tuna delivers soulful Americana music bursting with creative energy. Rolling Stone declared, “Hot Tuna is a psychedelic-blues institution.”