Derek Trucks

Philadelphia City Paper
February 10–17, 2000

To reach the equivalent of stone cold pimp status among bluesmen at the ridiculously tender age of 20 is no small feat. In doing so, slide guitarist/frontman Derek Trucks has raised the bar for young musicians while invoking the nature-vs.-nurture debate regarding the blues. As the nephew of longtime Allman Brothers skin slapper Butch Trucks, Derek has his claim staked on the nature side of the conundrum. The nurture side, however, is often challenged by skeptics who question the authenticity of any 20-year-old fumblin’ with the blues. In response to such detractors, Derek cites the example of Robert Johnson. While he’s got Derek beat in the hard-livin’ department, Johnson, widely considered the mack daddy of Delta blues musicians, was booked at the great gig in the sky by the time he was 26. Let’s hope for a slightly more optimistic future for this young gun. (Joshua Valocchi)