Susan Tedeschi
(pronounced te-DES-ki) (November 9, 1970 in Boston, Massachusetts) is an American blues and soul artist, who has risen to fame with multiple Grammy Award nominations, her powerful singing voice, fearless stage presence, and her marriage to Derek Trucks of the Allman Brothers Band. She is also known for the "Soul Stew Revival", a conglomeration of both her band, that of The Derek Trucks Band, and assorted other personnel.
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SUSAN TEDESCHI TICKETS
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Early life
Susan Tedeschi was born on November 9, 1970 in
Boston, Massachusetts but was raised in
Norwell, Massachusetts. Tedeschi had always been musically inclined, and made her debut public performance as a 5 year old
understudy in a
Broadway musical, which she enjoyed, as well as singing for family members, and listening to her father's record collection of old vinyl recordings of
Mississippi John Hurt, and
Lightning Hopkins. Raised as a
Catholic, she found little inspiration in their chorus, and so attended predominantly
African-American Baptist churches, feeling the music was "less repressed and more like a celebration of God." She's played in bands since the age of 13 and formed her first all-original group at age 18 in the nearby town of Scituate, Massachusetts, called the Smokin' Section.
[1]
Tedeschi attended the
Berklee College of Music where she sang in a
Gospel choir; performing show tunes on the Spirit of Boston and received her
B.A. degree in musical composition and performance. During that time, she began sitting in with local blues jams at venues there, and immersed herself in the Boston music scene. She additionally has many country artist influences.
Career
Early days
Tedeschi formed the
Susan Tedeschi Band
in 1994, featuring Tom Hambridge and Adrienne Hayes. In 1995 she began playing
guitar and honed her skills and in December the band released
Better Days
to regional audiences. Record contracts were difficult to keep together; however, recording sessions from 1997 were acquired by Richard Rosenblatt, and the band was signed to
indy label Tone-Cool Records and
Just Won't Burn
, featuring young guitarist
Sean Costello, was released in February 1998 to very positive reviews from blues publications.
1999 found Tedeschi playing several dates in the all-woman traveling festival, the
Lilith Fair, organized by
Sarah McLachlan.
Throughout 1998 and 1999 she toured extensively throughout the United States and her stage presence and powerful voice drew larger crowds.
Opening acts
Eventually Tedeschi was opening for
John Mellencamp,
B.B. King,
Buddy Guy,
The Allman Brothers Band,
Taj Mahal and
Bob Dylan. In 2000,
Just Won't Burn
reached Gold record status for sales of 500,000 in the United States, rare for a blues production. She recorded two tracks with
Double Trouble band members
Chris Layton and
Tommy Shannon for their album.
She opened for the
Rolling Stones in 2003 and played in huge venues, gaining national exposure. Somewhat surprisingly, the gig wasn't financially lucrative. According to Tedeschi,
"They pay, but it's not great. I don't make any money 'cause I've got to pay all my [sidemen]. I'll be lucky if I break even." [2]
In 2004, Tedeschi was featured on the
PBS show,
Austin City Limits
, flanked by William Green, on
Hammond organ, Jason Crosby, playing
keyboards,
violin, and vocals,
bassist Ron Perry, and
Jeff Sipe, on
drums. The performance was extremely well received.
[3] In the same year, Tedeschi turned a few heads when she was listed by
Peter Gammons of
ESPN in his list of "all time top 20 favorite albums." She came in at a respectable #15 for her album,
Just Won't Burn
. Not to be outdone, husband
Derek Trucks also made the list, at #9 for
Joyful Noise
, both surprising accomplishments, given that both artists play blues, a genre often overlooked. In addition, the other musicians on the list were some of rock's elite,
Jimi Hendrix,
The Rolling Stones,
Little Feat, and
Jackson Browne, to name a few.
[4]
Current band members
- Susan Tedeschi- vocals
- Ron Holloway – Tenor Saxophone
- Matt Slocum - Keyboards and Hammond B-3 Organ
- Dave Yoke - Guitar
- Ted Pecchio – Bass Guitar
- Tyler Greenwell - Drums
Influences
Susan Tedeschi's voice has been described as a blend of
Bonnie Raitt and
Janis Joplin, though she explains this is due to sharing the same influences as the two. Her guitar playing is influenced by
Buddy Guy,
Johnny "Guitar" Watson,
Stevie Ray Vaughan,
Freddie King and
Doyle Bramhall II.
Personal life
thumb
In 2001, she married
Allman Brothers Band slide guitarist
Derek Trucks, who is
bandleader and
lead guitarist of
The Derek Trucks Band. Tedeschi and Trucks met in
New Orleans when she was the opening act on the Allman Brothers Band's 1999 Summer Tour. They have two children; Charles Khalil Trucks, born in 2002, is named for saxophonist
Charlie Parker, guitarist
Charlie Christian, and author
Khalil Gibran. Sophia Naima Trucks, born in 2004, takes her unusual middle name from the
John Coltrane ballad, which was also the jazz legend's first wife's name. They reside in
Jacksonville, Florida.
[5]
Soul Stew Revival
below =
Problems listening to this file? See media help.
thumbTedeschi, with her powerful vocals and Trucks on guitar complement one another, and have toured together frequently under the name "Soul Stew Revival". This includes the members of The Derek Trucks Band, the members of Susan Tedeschi's band, and other musicians who travel with them, including Trucks' younger brother, Duane Trucks. As of 2008, two other horn players have been added, so that with regular band member
Ron Holloway, who plays the
tenor saxophone, there has been a three piece
horn section, playing with Soul Stew when on tour.
Grammy nominations
- 2000 Grammy nomination for Best New Artist
- 2003 Grammy nomination for Best Female Rock Vocal Performance
- 2006 Grammy nomination for Best Contemporary Blues Album for Hope and Desire
[6]
Discography
- Just Won't Burn
(Tone Cool, 1998)
- Better Days
(Oarfin, 1997)
- Wait for Me
(Tone Cool, 2002)
- Live from Austin, TX
(New West, 2004)
- Hope and Desire
(Verve, 2005)
- Back to the River
(Verve, 2008)
Collaborations and guest appearances
- Joyful Noise
(2002), Derek Trucks Band
- Already Free
(2009), Derek Trucks Band
- Truth
(2006), Robben Ford
- Bug - original motion picture soundtrack
(Various Artists, Lionsgate Records 2007) - track #5 "I Fell in Love"
- Skin Deep
(2008), Buddy Guy
- Tedeschi performed with The Derek Trucks Band, in Chicago, Illinois, opening for Eric Clapton's touring band, during his 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival, July 28, 2007 in Chicago, Illinois.
Listening
Tedeschi performed the Clapton song, "Anyday", with the Derek Trucks Band on stage during her performance in the 2007 Crossroads Guitar Festival:
References
- Lilith Fair Biography
- Florida Times-Union: February 19, 2003-Jacksonville Grammy-nominee Susan Tedeschi is by Nick Marino
- Susan Tedeschi, 2004 Susan Tedeschi: Live from Austin, TX From IMDB Pro
- The Lyrics of Life
- Florida Times-Union: December 23, 2008-Derek Trucks: The dude never loses his cool by Matt Soergel
- Official Website