The road is one of the greatest challenges any musician faces. Being away from home puts a lot into perspective and certainly makes one appreciate things like family and home-cooked meals.
Tedeschi Trucks Band co-founders Susan Tedeschi and Derek Trucks have sustained their marriage and career together by, in many ways, making the road more like home.
For many years, the Tedeschi-Trucks children have joined their parents on the road when it doesn't conflict with school. The family atmosphere has also helped sustain the band and keep it together through difficult times, like the death of keyboardist/flautist Kofi Burbridge this past February.
Tedeschi and Trucks remembered their longtime band mate during their interview on Q104.3's Out of the Box's with Jonathan Clarke.
"Twenty years on the road together [with the Derek Trucks Band and then Tedeschi Trucks Band]," Trucks recalls. "Kofi was just somebody that everybody loved. He was the best musician on stage — any stage he walked on, but he never made anyone feel that way. He was a sweet, sweet man.
Burbridge was a unique character whose love of music, people and life was ecstatic, Trucks continued.
"He would go out before every show and go mingle with the audience or go to the parking lot. He was at home anywhere.”
Tedeschi adds: “Leonardo Di Vinci and Kofi had something in common, which was you sleep for 15 minute naps and you never really go to sleep. He would be up with our bus driver, while he was driving all night, talking to him, keeping him awake.”
The Tedeschi Trucks Band's new album, Signs, was completed before Burbridge's passing and the album is a testament to his talent. Burbridge can be heard playing either keyboards or flute on every track on the album. He also arranged and conducted a string quartet in the studio.
"It was just a beautiful sound that he made," Trucks says. "He definitely went out on a high note."
Signs is available now. Tedeschi Trucks Band has live dates booked into November. Get all the tour dates here.
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Here's the music video for Tedeschi Trucks' song "Hard Case":