It’s Turntable Tuesday because life is too short not to listen to great music! This week Turntable Tuesday features the brand new release from the Tedeschi Trucks Band featuring Trey Anastasio from Live at the Lockn’ Music Festival “Layla Revisted.” Turn that TV off! Crank up your local speaker or get out there and support your favorite band! Let’s get right to the topic at hand as this vinyl package is incredible and there is so much to cover!
If you would like to listen to my companion podcast you can listen here or subscribe for free on any of the streaming services you use. My podcast is easily searchable on any streaming service where you get your podcasts by searching “Andrew Talbert.” Look for the World Wide Music Media logo. I’ll talk to you on your mobile device
August 24, 2019. On this date at the Lockn’ Festival in Arrington , Virginia a surprise set was recorded live by the Tedeschi Trucks Band with Doyle Bramhall II and Trey Anastasio for release in 2021. To start the story you have to rewind back to November 9, 1970 when “Layla and Other Assorted Love Songs” was released as a double album. This classic is best known for its title track, “Layla”, and is often regarded as Eric Clapton’s signature hit. The other band members in this original band were Bobby Whitlock on keyboards and Jim Gordon on drums, as well as Carl Radle on bass. Duane Allman played lead and slide guitar on 11 of the 14 tracks on this record.
November 9, 1970 was also another special date besides the original release date for the album. It was the day that Susan Tedeschi Trucks was born. On June 8, 1979 Chris and Debbie Trucks welcomed their newborn son into the world and named him Derek after the album that was a part of the music collection in the family vinyl storage of the popular 1970’s Peaches Music crate. Chris Trucks is the brother of the late Butch Trucks who was one of the founding drummers for the Allman Brothers Band. As Derek was growing up Chris would put on Derek and the Dominos as well as the Allman Brothers Band music on in the house while his young children were sleeping at times. Sometimes you wonder if this music seeped into their memory banks as they grew older. It wasn’t long until Derek bought a $5 guitar at age 9 and by age 11 he played his first paying gig. By age 13 he was on stage with Buddy Guy. A few short years went by and Derek joined the Allman Brothers for a 15 year run of constant touring and recording. Derek started his own band called the Derek Trucks Band during this time. In 2006 Derek also joined Eric Clapton on an extensive tour with Doyle Bramhall II where he learned many of the songs from the “Layla” album. I remember all of this from first hand experience. I saw Derek Trucks play slide guitar at age 15 at a Greensboro, North Carolina blues show. I remember him signing cassettes at a table and somewhere in a box in my attic I am sure I still l have one. Soon I saw Derek perform with the Allman Brothers along side guitarist Warren Haynes. I lost track of how many of those shows I attended but this run went 15 years. I remember the Eric Clapton tour with Doyle Bramhall II and Derek on stage as a stellar guitar trio. I was very excited about seeing this tour and managed to score some tickets to the sold-out event in Raleigh, North Carolina. The song that I will never forget from that show was one of my favorites called “Motherless Children.” When those three slide guitars played together on that stage I remember streaming tears of joy from my eyes. I can still remember the very powerful harmonic slides that blended so well across the floor that night. That song was incredible in a live setting and I will never forget that moment.
I am going to dive into the tracks on my companion podcast this week and embellish the story as I go with personal notes from my concert experiences. This is a great album and I am giving it praise as the best live album I have heard in a very long time. The album was just released and already is skyrocketing up the charts. Here are the latest numbers and this album was just released! #1 Blues Album, #2 Americana/Folk Album, #4 Top Current Album, #4 Current Rock Album, and #47 on the Billboard Top 200. If one looks at previous Tedeschi Trucks Band albums chart trends you could estimate this album will soon take #1 on the Billboard Top 200. Yes folks, it is that damn good. The best touring band in America is showing you their stuff with the help of a couple of friends. The band is rocking you with guitar solos and the vocal work of Susan Tedeschi, Mike Mattison who is a favorite vocalist of mine, Mark Rivers, and Alecia Chakour just lead the way for all of the pieces to come together to pull this album performance off as no one else can.
Tune into the companion podcast for this episode where you will get a full introduction to this album. I look forward to telling you all about the tracks and the artists.
Until next time I’ll see you, down the road.