Derek Trucks: Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited, the Joy of Big-Band Chaos, and Finding Light in a Crazy World
Now Spinning Magazine podcast with Phil Aston
It’s not every day you get to sit down with one of your all-time favourite guitarists. Derek Trucks — slide innovator, bandleader, and co-captain (with Susan Tedeschi) of the mighty Tedeschi Trucks Band — joined me to talk about the long-awaited release of Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited (Live at LOCKN’), the legacy of Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, the telepathy of sharing a band with your spouse, Indian classical music as a nightly compass, and the quietly radical idea of being a joyful, human big band in turbulent times.
The conversation traces how a one-off 2015 tribute bloomed into a definitive live album, why “Space Captain” helped launch TTB itself, what happened when a rehearsal room turned electric with 20 original Mad Dogs, and why Derek’s red SG keeps calling him home. Along the way we touch on grief, gratitude, and the kind of communal music-making that makes ushers stop in their tracks at soundcheck.
“It just kept delivering”:
Why release the album now
The 2015 LOCKN’ performance — featuring Tedeschi Trucks Band with Leon Russell, original Mad Dogs alumni, a choir, and friends — was captured on multitrack and intended to accompany a documentary. The film never got a proper release; the tapes sat on a shelf. Then the pandemic arrived.
“We realised our engineer lived right down the road… We had these multitracks from Mad Dogs. Let’s go sit out there and listen to some music and try to mix this sucker.”
Derek admits they were apprehensive. Could the recording match the memory?
“We pulled the tunes up and it just kept delivering… It reminded us how great those few days were.”
They mixed to tape, cut vinyl masters straight from the tape, and let the project breathe until the 10-year anniversary felt right — especially poignant after losing Leon Russell, Kofi Burbridge, and Chuck Blackwell. Joe Cocker’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction added a serendipitous glow to the timing.
The spark: Mad Dogs as TTB’s origin story
For Derek, Mad Dogs didn’t become a personal touchstone until around the time Tedeschi Trucks Band was forming.
“I came to the Mad Dogs record pretty late… ‘Space Captain’ was the first song we ever recorded when we were putting the band together.”
That early studio version, cut with Herbie Hancock and Vinnie Colaiuta, hinted at a bigger picture: a modern, soulful rock orchestra that toured like a small army.
“We figured if we were ever going to do a big band, that was the time… The Mad Dog thing really was the inspiration for us putting a big band together.”
Today, “Space Captain” remains a set-closing staple, and TTB’s connection to the Joe/Leon songbook (“Bird on a Wire”, “With a Little Help from My Friends”) feels unforced — almost familial.
Rehearsal day: The room where it happened
The LOCKN’ rehearsal was a living reunion. Original Mad Dogs members greeted Leon Russell as “Maestro,” hugs were exchanged, old bonds rekindled.
“Everybody showed up like this was the Super Bowl… The first tune we played was ‘With a Little Help,’ and immediately your hairs are standing up.”
A choir in a small room pushed emotion over the edge:
“I looked back and saw Bobby Torres… I thought maybe something was wrong. Then I realised — that’s just raw emotion.”
On show day, Derek made a spontaneous call: ask Leon to end the set solo with “Ballad of Mad Dogs and Englishmen.” Word couldn’t reach everyone in time; half the band didn’t know. The moment landed perfectly.
“It got really intimate at the end… Way more of the audience knew that tune than I expected. It was powerful.”
Order vs. chaos: How to steer a 12-piece (and friends)
A show of this scale needs structure, but not too much.
“There was room inside all of it for chaos. With that many people on stage, there’s going to be chaos whether you want it or not… You might as well surrender to it.”
TTB’s DNA — rock, blues, soul, gospel, jazz, roots — made Mad Dogs feel like home.
“It reminded me of the Allman Brothers ethos. Leon and those guys created that template.”
Two leaders, one voice: On creating with Susan Tedeschi
Playing alongside your partner asks for trust and constant conversation.
“95–96% of the time it’s natural… But you have to communicate. Wide-open communication helps keep a band together.”
Derek says standing next to Susan every night reshaped his own phrasing:
“When she sings and digs in, you can’t help but be moved. I’ve definitely stolen some riffs from Sue’s singing.”
And sometimes, the band gives her a little nudge:
“When Susan’s a little pissed off, she plays her best guitar solos… It’s a dangerous game — but it works.”
Sound as spirit: Indian classical music, gospel, and the slide
Derek’s slide voice carries strong Indian classical colours — a thread that runs back to encounters with Ali Akbar Khan, Zakir Hussain, and nights sitting quietly at Ali Akbar College in San Rafael.
“I think about it every night… The slide guitar and the raga — these are very compatible things.”
For years, his bedside stack was Coltrane, Sun Ra sideman John Gilmore, Wayne Shorter, Ali Akbar Khan, and gospel — plus Elmore James when it had to be guitar.
“I didn’t want to hear a guitar at all unless it was Elmore James.”
That blend — gospel intensity under Susan’s voice, raga shapes in Derek’s slide — helps explain those “pin-drop” moments where a crowd just feels seen.
At a recent soundcheck in Cincinnati, TTB drifted into “Bell Bottom Blues.” Venue staff stopped cleaning and simply listened.
“You could see three or four people just… in it. That song really means something to them. I get it.”
Band chemistry, gratitude, and life on the road
TTB’s big-family energy isn’t an act. Days off still mean hanging together, hearing music, breaking bread.
“There’s musical chemistry, and there’s human chemistry… The pandemic reminded us not to take it for granted.”
They made a pact early: have fun, but don’t let rock & roll wreck your life.
“It doesn’t have the same spirit if it’s too safe… But we’ve seen the broken families. There’s a way to thread the needle.”
Gear talk: Why the red SG keeps calling
Derek’s mainstay is a feather-light Gibson SG, a reissue inspired by a guitar Dickey Betts gave to Duane Allman, gifted to Derek by Galadrielle Allman.
“It’s one of the lightest SGs I’ve ever played… The lighter the wood, the more resonant. Whenever I play another instrument, it feels a little wrong in my hands. I always come back to it.”
What’s next: New studio music on the horizon
“It’s maybe a touch more aggressive than any record we’ve done… And there’s a ballad that might be my favourite Susan vocal on record to date.”
They’ve already premiered new material onstage:
“It’s nice when a new song on its maiden voyage feels like it’s supposed to be there.”
Closing thoughts
Whether revisiting Mad Dogs or forging ahead, Tedeschi Trucks Band are doing the deceptively simple thing — playing honest, human music at scale — and doing it with heart. In a world that can feel relentlessly dark, that’s a service.
“We’re trying to be a counterbalance. It’s a crazy time to be alive — let’s do what we can.”
Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited (Live at LOCKN’) arrives 12 September. For tour dates, music, and merch (including UK shipping), visit the band’s official site. And if you’ve not lost an evening to Live from the Fox Oakland or the four-part I Am the Moon yet, prepare to feel your shoulders drop and your soul reset.
Phil Aston | Now Spinning Magazine
