My good friend and HTN Editor John Lynskey was kind enough to loan me this space to put down some of my musings about the current issue. Over the twenty-three years that we have been publishing Hittin' the Note magazine, I have seen and heard some of the best musicians in the world. The Allman Brothers Band, which is the very reason this magazine is in existence, has deeply moved my soul over this time, but it is our journey with Derek Trucks that has been the most rewarding for me. Seeing and filming Derek's first Atlanta appearance at the Cavern in 1991 with fellow HTN founders Bill Ector and Ron Currens; watching the evolution of his talents over countless performances in his teens and twenties; and now, the fact that Derek is headlining major amphitheaters is something worth celebrating! And celebrating is what we are doing with this issue.

Derek first appeared in our magazine in issue #9 and then again in #13. After that, he was pretty much a regular - show reviews, CD releases, guest spots with other artists, interviews, etc., all found their way into our publication. Early on we knew that his talents were special and that the future was going to be much more interesting with him in the mix. All of our staff felt strongly that his development needed to be documented, and Hittin' the Note was the perfect way to share it with the world.

In 1999 Derek met Susan Tedeschi and brought her into the nucleus of bands that were so essential to the appetite of our readers – the Allman Brothers Band, Gov’t Mule and the Derek Tucks Band - now, we had Susan to write about!  What a pleasure it was to have some estrogen along with all that abundant testosterone on stage. At first, there was the Derek Trucks Band and the Susan Tedeschi Band, which evolved into the Soul Stew Revival for special occasions. This combustible combination and the needs of a growing family led to the formation of the Tedeschi Trucks Band.

HTN #85 contains a current interview with Derek and Susan that will catch you up on what’s happening now.  The rest of the issue takes and a look back at their careers through eleven articles that we have published in the past.  It’s been quite a rewarding journey, enjoy every word.