Advertisement "With all of the touring we do, you can't just look at tomorrow," Trucks said during an Allman Brothers' tour stop in Michigan. "You really need to look a record away or even five or 10 years out to keep your career on track."
So far, that plan has worked well for the 29-year-old Florida native. Trucks first sat in with the Allman Brothers as an 11-year-old guitar prodigy when drummer and Trucks' uncle Butch saw in the young slide guitarist a talent reminiscent of the late Duane Allman.
Soon, Trucks was both a full-time member of the southern rock band and leader of his own experimental and improvisational five-piece band, The Derek Trucks Band, which plays at the Majestic Theater Tuesday night.
More recently Trucks and his wife, acclaimed guitarist Susan Tedeschi, started The Soul Stew Revival -- a family-affair band that also features Trucks' brother Duane on drums.
"You just have to get very comfortable wearing different hats in different situations," Trucks said. "I was really lucky early on that I had a family that was always moved by music and very supportive of me pursuing this, as long as it didn't interfere with school or being a normal kid.
"They were big fans of music in an emotional way and realized this wasn't just about entertainment," he said. "They'd watch closely, too, and if my attitude started to change, they weren't afraid to say, We'll stop this (expletive) in a minute.'"
With a stoic stage presence that betrays the blistering tones coming from his guitar, Trucks has grown into a musician who has drawn respect from his inspirations.
He spent much of last year touring the world with Eric Clapton after Rolling Stone magazine named Trucks as one of the "new guitar gods." This year he appeared on records by Buddy Guy and Elvin Bishop. He also recorded with Richie Havens.
But now, his future outlook is focused toward a yet-to-be-released sixth studio album from the Derek Trucks Band that was created in a new recording studio he constructed at his Florida home.
"Having the studio is the best thing we've done yet," he said. "It gave us the most time to record an album that we've ever had. We didn't have to fit into a schedule, so we were able to make a record that is really organic.
"Being able to be home and work is a huge advantage," the father of two explained. "I am able to drive the kids to school in the morning and then spend the whole day in the studio. It's really led to a huge evolution in our band's sound. This record has less of a live feeling. There'd be some days that I'd go out with (vocalist) Mike (Mattison) and we'd hammer out a track and start layering on extra tracks.
"It was a completely different process for us and a revelation for me that records could be made this way. Only now when I go back and listen to some of my favorite records from the early '70s by Stevie Wonder, (Jimi) Hendrix and the Beatles do I see how they used the studio to their benefit."
And, as a father, Trucks hopes to use his studio for personal benefit. Although he said he doesn't see a time where touring isn't part of his life, he knows he has to gauge how long he can be away from home.
"It's not an option for me to be an absentee father like some traveling musicians had to be 20 or 30 years ago," he said. "I figure we'll still find time to tour in the summer without depriving my life with my wife and kids. And, when I get home, I can keep the ball rolling musically and creatively in the studio."
AG A GLANCE
WHAT: The Derek Trucks Band (with the Greyhounds)
WHEN: 9 p.m. Tuesday
WHERE: Majestic Theatre, 115 King St., Madison
TICKETS: $29. Go to www.majesticmadison.com or call 255-0901.
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