[UPDATED] Allman Brothers Band Co-Founding Drummer Butch Trucks 1947 – 2017
By Scott Bernstein Jan 27, 2017 • 7:20 am PST
Updates
Jan 27, 2017 • 7:20 am PST
Tragic circumstances surrounding Butch’s death have surfaced as police have confirmed suicide as the cause. Trucks reportedly shot himself in front of his wife Melinda on Tuesday evening as per the Miami Herald.
Jan 25, 2017 • 8:40 am PST
A message has been shared by The Allman Brothers Band. Read the official statement below:
Butch Trucks, a founding member of The Allman Brothers Band, tragically died the night of January 24 in West Palm Beach, Florida. His wife, four children, four grandchildren and all of the Allman Brothers Band, their families and Road Crew survive Butch. The Trucks and Allman Brothers Band families request all of Butch’s friends and fans to please respect our privacy at this time of sadness for our loss. Butch will play on in our hearts forever.
Donations and remembrances in Butch’s name may be made to The Big House Museum in Macon, Georgia.
We’re sad to pass along news that Butch Trucks has died. Organizers of the Chesapeake Bay Blues Festival, where Trucks was supposed to perform in May, posted news of Butch’s passing on Facebook.
“We are shocked and sad to report that Butch Trucks, one of the founding members of the Allman Brothers, has passed away at the age of 69. We will repost the official press release when we get it. Sorry to be the bearer of such sad news,” reads the note. Family members including Lee Trucks and friends have also posted about the drummer’s death on social media, but an official statement has yet to be made.
Born Claude Hudson Trucks in Jacksonville, Florida on May 11, 1947, Butch played in a number of local bands including The Vikings and The 31st Of February before teaming up with Duane Allman, Gregg Allman, Dickey Betts, Berry Oakley and Jaimoe to form The Allman Brothers Band in 1969. The group quickly found success as a live act and helped establish the genre of Southern Rock.
Trucks and Jaimoe were the powerful dual drumming force behind the group. Butch was a staple of the band through its final show in 2014 as the Allmans continued through the deaths of Duane Allman and Berry Oakley and multiple breakups. The Allman Brothers Band were also a commercial success after Duane passed as they scored hit records with Eat A Peach in 1972 and Brothers & Sisters in 1973. Trucks was joined by his nephew Derek, Gregg Allman, Jaimoe, Oteil Burbridge, Warren Haynes and Marc Quinones in the last and longest lasting Allman Brothers Band lineup.
The news is a shock as Trucks had been performing regularly with two projects as of late: Butch Trucks & The Freight Train Band and Les Brers. Butch Trucks was 69. Our thoughts are with the Trucks family and Butch’s friends.
