Derek Trucks -- guitar
Kofi Burbridge -- keyboards, flute & vocals
Todd Smallie -- bass & vocals
Yonrico Scott - drums, percussion, & vocals

Mike Mattison - lead vocalsThe Derek Trucks Band has been a work in progress for over 10 years, slowly blending jazz, rock, blues, Latin, Eastern Indian, and other world music into the sound that now defines the DTB. The mission of the band has been to assemble a group of musicians that share a passion for improvisation and musical exploration, and to develop a special musical unity by performing with this core group of players for an extended period of time. The focus of the band is on the art form itself, despite the current trend of image-driven music on the scene today. The DTB aims to create progressive roots music in an effort to move the art form forward and re-establish substance over hype. Following is a brief history of the band, and the diverse background of the musicians that make up the DTB. Derek's musical career began at the age of nine, when he picked up a five dollar acoustic guitar at a yard sale. "It was nothing special," he claims. "I had no desire to play. It was just the only thing that looked interesting." But that seemingly meaningless purchase changed his life. After learning what he could from his father and a family friend Derek began playing with other musicians around town. "It happened pretty quick," Derek remembers. Within the span of a single year, he had purchased an instrument, learned how to play, and began touring - with his father acting as road manager/chaperone, "making sure I was only exposed to the stuff that I was supposed to be exposed to…Keeping me away from the madness." Derek's touring became more and more frequent, eventually forcing Derek to change to an on-the-road schooling program to finish high school. What had begun as a weekend activity had grown into Derek's lifestyle, his life.

Derek got his first paying gig at age 11 and formed his first band at age 12. Todd Smallie, who played with many jazz and blues musicians in the Atlanta area, entered the picture in 1994, when Derek was 15 years old. "We have so many stories and so much in common. It's been an amazing experience with him," Derek says of his friend and band mate. "We ended up having babies together at the same time, too, which is pretty wild."

In 1995, Yonrico Scott rounded out the band's permanent rhythm section. Forty-six-year-old Yonrico brings an incredible lifetime of experience to the table. Like Derek, Yonrico began at an extremely early age, picking up the drums when he was only 7 years old, playing gospel music in church. While growing up in Detroit, Yonrico studied under Motown drummer George Hamilton before moving south to attend the University of Kentucky, where he received a Bachelor's Degree in percussion performance. "I thought we lost him for a minute. He was on his way out," Derek somberly reveals, referring to the extensive open-heart surgery Yonrico underwent last October. "So this album (Joyful Noise) was a real blessing. It's the first time we really played together after his surgery, so there was a lot of emotion and energy around the session with him."

Born in the Bronx, raised in Washington, DC, Kofi Burbridge first picked up the flute at age 6. He soon began ear training and studying theory at the same time. Kofi's musical education was rooted in classical and jazz -- for the flute. While attending college at the North Carolina School of the Arts, Kofi landed his first touring gig. Eventually making his home in Atlanta, Kofi took advantage of numerous opportunities to play with his brother Oteil (bassist extraordinaire) and a host of like-minded, enthusiastic musicians. He joined the Derek Trucks Band in 1999.

The Derek Trucks Band released its eponymous debut (Landslide) in 1997, following it up in 1998 with Out of Madness (House of Blues). Both albums were produced by John Snyder (Etta James, Dizzy Gillespie), and quickly informed listeners that there was a lot more to Trucks than his blues guitar prodigy label would indicate.

In 1999, Derek was asked to join the Allman Brothers Band, taking over slide guitar duty. When your childhood heroes ask you to play, "no" is hardly an option. But with so much invested in the Derek Trucks Band, breaking up the group was also out of the question. Derek decided to balance the two, and between them he keeps up an extensive touring schedule that leaves little time at home in Jacksonville. In fact, between his own group and the Allman Brothers Band, Derek played more than 365 shows in 2000 & 2001, reaching a combined audience of more than a million people in those two years alone.

In May of 2002 the DTB added vocalist Mike Mattison to the touring line up. Mike had been performing in the New York City area as part of a duo called Scrapomatic. Mike started Scrapomatic in 1995 in Minneapolis with guitarist Paul Olsen, and the duo was immediately recognized and critically acclaimed for their original brand of music. Mike was nominated for Best Male Vocalist as part of the Minnesota Music Awards that year. Scrapomatic plans to release their debut record on Artists House Records in early 2003. The Derek Trucks Band looks forward to upcoming writing sessions with Mike and continued collaborations.

The Derek Trucks Band is constantly on tour, circling the entire country two to three time a year. This would not be possible without the incredibly talented a devoted DTB road crew. Following are the band members behind the scenes:
Marty Wall- Sound Engineer/ Tour Manager
Joe Main- Band Tech
WJ Smith- Bus Driver.