When Derek Trucks and Susan Tedeschi found themselves paying tribute to Joe Cocker and Leon Russell’s legendary Mad Dogs & Englishmen tour, it was fitting.
The concert film commemorating the 1970 outing is something that the pair had seen and not only did it draw them in as music fans, it sparked an idea that eventually gave birth to what became Tedeschi Trucks Band in 2010. “it’s kind of this romantic notion of what the ’60s and ’70s should have been, or could have been,” Trucks tells UCR in a new interview. “[I’m also reminded of looking] at the inside cover of the [Allman Brothers Band] Brothers and Sisters record. It’s just the families and the crew. I kind of grew up in and around that. But you know, in some ways, the aftermath of it, was sometimes beautiful and oftentimes not. I think when we watched that film, we had that sense of, ‘You know what? I think we could do this, maybe with a little more wisdom.'”
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“We’ve been at this a minute already. It’s not like we’re going into it blind, but we could kind of take that same spirit and maybe just not do all the drugs and not everyone would sleep with each other and do every drug and just totally spin out. I think we could still have fun and go out there and do our thing. We just had that sense [that] I think we’re still young enough [with enough] energy to do this, but maybe a little bit wiser. Maybe we could do it proper,” he remembers. “But we didn’t know how long it would last. We also figured if we were ever going to take on a big band, that this was the time to do it. Because, you know, it doesn’t make any sense financially or emotionally. I remember when we first brought it up to our manager and agents, they’re like, ‘What’s wrong with you? Why would you do that?’ We were like, ‘Because it sounds really fucking good and it’s really fun.'”
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Only a matter of years later, they had the chance to give thanks for the inspiration in a special way. It began with the idea of recruiting Joe Cocker for a special set at the LOCKN’ festival in Virginia, featuring songs spanning the unique vocalist’s entire career. As Trucks told Rolling Stone in 2015, though the singer was hesitant, particularly when it came to the material from the Mad Dogs era, he eventually came around and agreed to participate. Sadly, his passing at the end of 2014 meant that the performance never came to be.
Paying Tribute to Joe Cocker
In he wake of his death, the festival organizers suggested a new path, one which would honor the legendary rocker with a full recreation of the Mad Dogs & Englishmen performance, with alumni from the original tour in addition to other special guests. Tedeschi and Trucks already had a bit of a connection with Leon Russell. But as Derek shared with UCR in 2022, his hope that Russell might help to wrangle the band members was quickly dismissed. “When he said, ‘I’ll do it,’ I was like, ‘Well, you were the band leader last time.’ He’s like,’“I’m not doing that again, that’s on you, Trucks!’ But then it felt right.”
With Russell on board, as Trucks recalls now, it was easy from that point. “Everyone that got wind of it that was part of [the original tour] was reaching out [and telling me] ‘I was in the Mad Dogs,'” he shares. “We got as many people together as we could [and were so] honored to be in the room to witness everyone getting back together. There was this real palpable sense that no one ever thought that would happen again.”
The “musical high school reunion” featured prominent alumni including Rita Coolidge, Claudia Lennear and Chris Stainton, plus Dave Mason and fellow fans like Warren Haynes, Chris Robinson and Doyle Bramhall II. With only a few days of rehearsal, everyone came in “like it was the Super Bowl” and no one was “resting on their laurels” as the guitarist reflects now. Still, he knew they were in an environment that was different than how things might play out in front of thousands of people.
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Thankfully, as it turned out, they had nothing to worry about. “From the first note, everyone had this sense of, ‘Oh shit, this is really good. If it ends half as good as it started, we’ll be in good shape.’ And it just kind of kept getting better as it went. So there was this sense of, when is it going to go off the rails? And it just never did. So it was a special night, man. We’re hypercritical and super self-critical as a band. It’s not often you get off stage, and it’s just kind of a celebration. I’ve been a part of a lot of different things over the years, and that one holds a really unique place. And I feel like we were, we were very lucky to be a part of it.”
Fans can now hear what went down thanks to Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited (LIVE AT LOCKN’), which is available now to purchase or listen to on streaming services. Tedeschi Trucks Band have also been featuring some of the songs in their set as part of their ongoing ‘Live in ’25‘ tour.
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Gallery Credit: Bryan Rolli
