Led by Joe Cocker and Leon Russell, the Mad Dogs & Englishmen Tour of 1970 was crazy, debauched, inspired, shambolic, the kind of event that could have only happened once, and even then it was something of a miracle.
Famously, time was against Cocker. By many reports, his keys player and bandleader, Leon Russell, had just over a week to put a band together for his US tour and was calling in favours left, right and centre, reaching out to anyone he knew.
Somehow, Russell amassed the talent – recruiting from Bonnie & Delaney, supplemented by alumni from of Cocker’s Grease Band – putting together a lineup featuring the likes of Rita Coolidge, Pamela Polland, Chris Stainton, and Claudia Linnear. Cocker and Russell had found their Mad Dogs.
It made for great art, as the eponymous live album, recorded at the Fillmore East, in New York City, would testify to. It made for great drama, too. Mad Dogs was a wild time for all concerned, tumultuous interpersonal relationships and the fog of excess sent the ship towards the rocks. And it hit them hard.
That tour left a bruise. So when the idea came to revisit the Mad Dogs era 45 years on, with Tedeschi Trucks Band to partner with Russell and get as many of the original band back onstage in honour of the then-recently departed Cocker, guitarist and co-bandleader Derek Trucks figured the odds were against them.
“We had done shows with him and had a pretty great connection,” says Trucks. “I was like, ‘Look, if Leon’s into piecing that band back together, I think that’d be amazing way to do a Joe tribute.’ But I didn't think there was a 10 per cent chance Leon would want to do it. [Laughs]”
But there is something about the Tedeschi Trucks Band; the 12-piece ensemble has its own centre of gravity. They know how to put a lot of people onstage and make them feel good. Trucks and his wife and co-bandleader/guitarist/vocalist, Susan Tedeschi, put Russell at ease. He was in.
Trucks and Tedeschi found some heavyweight pinch-hitters of their own. In came the Black Crowes’ frontman Chris Robinson, Gov’t Mule frontman Warren Haynes, Doyle Bramhall II, Dave Mason, Anders Osborne and John Bell.
But could they get the original band together? Checking in from Cincinnati as TTB tour the US, Trucks picks up a story that begins with a show invite, involved one of most intense rehearsals he has ever been part of, and ends with a concert album, Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited: Live At LOCKN’, and a band who had just levelled up their game.
![Tedeschi Trucks Band and Doyle Bramhall II [far-left] jam onstage at the 30th Anniversary season of Central Park SummerStage, New York, in 2015.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/pJDWetFwzQwTdamnWpbuCQ-1200-80.jpg.webp)
This was a ridiculously ambitious and unlikely project. How did it come together?
“The LOCKN’ festival, they like to pair the headliners, unique collaborations or whatever, and they asked if we would be into doing a show, backing up Joe Cocker. That was the original idea. We were going to do a show with Joe at LOCKN’, and it sounded like an incredible thing to do.
We’d already started chatting about tunes and what we were going to do, and then, all of a sudden, Joe got sick, and of course the show didn’t happen and he passed away
“We’d already started chatting about tunes and what we were going to do, and then, all of a sudden, Joe got sick, and of course the show didn’t happen and he passed away.
“Then they asked if we wanted to do a tribute to Joe at the festival, and as much as I am a fan, and we were about to do a show [together], I didn’t know him yet. We hadn’t played together. It didn’t feel like we were the ones to do it, so the idea came up for the Mad Dogs thing, and we knew Leon pretty well at this point.
“I really thought it was way off but I called him and asked him and much to my surprise, he was like, ‘You know what? I’d be in doing that.’ I was like, ‘Well, man, if we do it, you were the MD the first time, it’s all you. Just let me know what you need.’ He’s like, ‘No, I did I did it the first time. It’s all you, Mr Trucks.’ I was like, ‘Oh shit! When did I said that?’ [Laughs] It went from zero to 60 miles-an-hour, really quickly.”
How did you get up to 60?
“Once Leon agreed to do it, word started spreading amongst that crew, and people were reaching out to members that lived in Hawaii, California, like, all over the place.
Our MO was, if anyone was there and you want to come along, everybody’s invited, and almost every living member made it. There was only one or two that wasn’t been able to make the trip.”
“But I didn’t know what shape people were going to come into this with. I didn’t know the last time they had listened to or played that music. We didn’t know. We really didn’t know anything, so we went into our studio with our band, Tedeschi Trucks Band, and just learned that material cold, up and down.
We had four or five days where we just we hit it hard, and the thinking was like, no matter how everyone rolls in here, we’re gonna be ready. [Laughs] The backstop will be there.”
The rehearsals and preproduction for this would have been super important?
“The real magic of it was we got to we had one day full rehearsal on site at Bonnaroo. There’s this carriage house, I guess a mile or two from the site, and we got there, set up in this big rehearsal room, and everyone started rolling in, and it was just the most incredible reunion.
“I mean, getting to watch Dave Mason and Leon and Chris Stainton. Some of these guys hadn’t seen each other since that tour.”
Everybody rolled in there knowing the shit upside down, inside out, left and right
They were ready?
“It was pretty heavy, the whole scene, but everybody rolled in there the way we rolled in there. Everybody rolled in there knowing the shit upside down, inside out, left and right. Everybody came loaded for bear, and it just meant a lot to everybody involved.
“It meant a lot to us to be allowed to be a part of it with them, and it meant a lot to them to get back together. It was magical. That rehearsal was one of the most memorable musical hangs I have ever had, and I’ve been lucky to be a part of some great stuff. But the spirit in that room was really intense.”
![Tedeschi Trucks Band and Leon Russell pictured in front of a brightly patterned wall, with Derek Trucks [centre] holding a Gibson SG.](https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/6PtheRDQHxHPxoEnuBDZyj-1200-80.jpg.webp)
There would have been a lot of interpersonal stuff for people to unpack.
“I didn’t even know all the stuff that people were unpacking, and after the movie, and learning more about the back story, you could feel all this stuff in there. But it was overwhelmingly positive, and it was I think it was really important for that group to get back together that way – and I think it meant a lot to Leon.
“He came out of that show with a different pep in his step and I think his last year or two, he probably enjoyed it a little more after that show. I think it was something that he needed to get off of his shoulder. It was a powerful few days, man, the shows, the rehearsal, the whole build up to it… just getting to spend that time in the laboratory with Leon. All the original members, they would come up to Leon and they referred to him as ‘Maestro,’ which was just fucking awesome to watch.”
Because of all that emotional baggage, the chaos from the original tour, this was the sort of thing that would could only do some decades on. Not 10, 20 years later. But maybe 45 years later?
“No, you’re absolutely right. It could have only happened when it did. Any sooner, I just don’t think it would have it would have happened. There was a short window. I think when Joe passed away, there was probably a lot of reflection with everybody in that camp, and then Leon was gone a few years later.
“It was a really, really small window where that thing could have happened – and we just stumbled into it, I’ve got to say. It was really because we were gonna do a show with Joe and that led to this. Pretty amazing.”
Joe Cocker was like a magpie. He’d cover anything, playing many different styles, and he turned some of those songs into standards. As a guitar player, you must have felt quite stretched?
“Learning that material and the way they arranged those tunes, I mean, it changed our band. We came out of that show with just a different confidence and a different swagger, and a different feeling. Digging into that songbook, those are tunes we would have never attempted. We wouldn’t have done some of those Beatles tunes or the Box Tops [laughs].
You listen to the way way that Joe and Leon arrange those things, and it just, yeah, they became new standards because of the way they interpreted that music. It’s pretty incredible.”
Yeah, and Susan’s voice is made for this material. I mean, how did it feel to be playing The Letter and hearing her sing that chorus? The hairs on the back of your neck must have stood up
“It’s funny, because when you when you said that... My hairs on my arms are standing up! I remember when we first got into that rehearsal room, we did With A Little Help [From My Friends] and it was Susan singing. Chris Robinson didn’t make the rehearsal, so it was Susan, and she just fucking ate that thing alive, dude. [Laughs] Everybody in the room was just, you could feel it.
“That was the moment when we knew this was gonna be good. Because we’re in a rehearsal room, and it’s big enough, but when you have 20 people singing in the choir in that band, with that rhythm section, and Leon over there, just the energy coming off of that sound stage was really, really powerful. It’s not something you hear every day, that’s for sure!”
You don’t get to welcome an Ikette onto the stage every day. Claudia Lennear must have had some amazing stories to tell.
“She was a sweetheart, man. Her spirit was just really incredible, and there was a really amazing moment… It was captured pretty well in the film but she came over to me and she was like, ‘I’ve always wanted to sing Girl From The North Country. I’ve always wanted to sing that with Leon. Do you think I could take a stab of that with Leon?’
“Of course you can! So the band works it up, and before we get over there, before the band gets settled to play, Leon just starts playing it, and she’s singing it, and it’s just the two of them, and it was just this beautiful moment, and when they finished it, everyone knew. I was just like, ‘You know what? You don’t need the band on this moment. That’s the way it needs to go down.’
“There were a lot of moments in the room like that where things just naturally ended up where they needed to be. Nobody was jockeying for a position. Everybody was just in the moment really, really grateful to be there.”
Were there any moments where it got really intense working through those old issues?
We knew we were in the presence of our heroes and the architects of the thing that we do, but there was a lot of that respect flying back at the band
“There was Rita Coolidge and Leon, I think they dated before or after that tour, and it went sideways. There was a moment in the rehearsal where Rita got done singing a tune, Leon was playing, accompanying her, and she’s on the microphone, she just looked over, and she’s like, ‘I loved you, Leon. I really did.’ She walked away and you are just like, ‘Holy shit! I don’t know if I was supposed to be in the room for that.’ [Laughs] It was intense, man! There were some intense moments, but it was awesome, man.
“The respect that everybody had, obviously our band for them, we knew we were in the presence of our heroes and the architects of the thing that we do, but there was a lot of that respect flying back at the band. The way that Rita and Claudia and Leon treated Sue was just incredible to watch. They made everyone feel like equals, and it was it was a special thing. It’s not always like that. Yeah, actually, it’s never like that! It was pretty special.”
![Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell – “Feelin' Alright” [Feat. Dave Mason, Anders Osborne] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/TFFi56h_4ew/maxresdefault.jpg)
There’s no hiding from all that emotion. You don’t even have a pedalboard to pretend to adjust, somewhere to avert your eyes.
“No, you’re right. And there were members when we did that first song, I remember looking around, and there were a few members, I couldn’t tell if they were upset, and then I realised, oh no, those are like, those are musical tears of relief and joy! There were some people that were broken up after the first song or two in the rehearsal. It was intense.”
It couldn’t be any other way. Some of the set itself was informed by Rita Coolidge. Delta Lady was written about her!
“Isn’t that wild!? Isn’t that wild! She is such a pivotal figure in this music and I don’t think a lot of people know that. Obviously, her writing the ending of Layla, which she didn’t get credit for. There was a lot of mixed-up history in there.”
There are a lot of dues that need to be paid to Rita Coolidge. Speaking of Rita, your Delta Lady solo seems to be channelling her vocals – it’s a salty one.
The way Rita talked to Susan about this kind of navigating the musical world as as a woman, and all the stages that you go through, it was really badass to get that time with her
“Yeah, yeah! [Laughs] And she’s a salty one, man, but she is a sweetheart. She does not suffer fools but she is a sweetheart. We did a screening of the film in Jacksonville, Florida, and she lives in Tallahassee, and drove over. And after the film, me and Susan, and Rita and Jesse Lauter, the filmmaker, did a Q&A, and we got to hang with her before and after.
“We went out afterwards and, man, she is just so open with her history and the way she talked to Susan about this kind of navigating the musical world as as a woman, and all the stages that you go through, it was really badass to get that time with her. And they’ve stayed in touch. Sue stays in touch with her, checks in on her, and it’s a really great friendship.”
Tedeschi Trucks Band just keeps widening that circle, bringing more people in. You have your own force of gravity. There’s already so much humanity on stage but you attract more.
“It’s true! It’s got its own gravity for sure.”
![Tedeschi Trucks Band & Leon Russell – “The Letter” [Feat. Susan Tedeschi] - YouTube](https://img.youtube.com/vi/0BFISKz-jaw/maxresdefault.jpg)
And talking about stretching yourself, there is no slide on your solo on The Letter. There’s a lot of fretted work. We don’t talk about that side of your playing but presumably you are still in Open E?
You hear guys like Jeff Beck and you’re like, ‘Oh, you you can play without a slide and make it sound like a slide’
“Yeah, I’m still in open E and it’s funny, I don’t even think about it anymore. We change our setlist every night and I don’t really think about those details when I’m writing a setlist, but there was, I think last night or the night before, an hour-and-a-half set, we were playing before another band, and we got about an hour in, and I was like, I haven’t even pulled the slide out of my pocket yet! [Laughs]
“I forgot! I was like, ‘I should probably probably rip that thing out here sooner or later!’ But some nights you just feel more inspired one way or the other, definitely depending on the tune. There’s some songs that just call for a certain things.”
Exactly, maybe you want a different feel in that solo.
“A a lot of the tunes, it’s last minute. You decide if you want it to be more angular or lyrical or what the the spirit is in the moment – or just what inspires you in the moment. But it’s fun to be able to kind of dip back and forth into those worlds.”
Let the tune tell you what it needs
“And then then you hear guys like Jeff Beck and you’re like, ‘Oh, you you can play without a slide and make it sound like a slide.’ There are some nights where maybe you play more lyrical without the slide and a little more angular with it. It’s fun to be able to to kind of challenge yourself that way.”
Back to that night at LOCKN’. You were playing your Alessandro 50-watt heads. You described them before as being like turbocharged Super Reverbs.
“Yeah, pretty much, with a pretty good reverb in there. I always always like having a little bit of a spring reverb in the chain somewhere. Something about it just stings better for me.
“With that much sound on stage, the Supers just weren’t always cutting it, especially playing without a pick, ‘cause there's a little bit of bite and edge that you lose that way, so the Alessandros helped me cut through all of that energy.”
Especially in Sticks And Stones – that’s a smoking solo.
“Oh yeah, that’s a fun one. We should probably break that one back out. We haven’t played that in a long time. That’s a good one.”
How did this set at LOCKN’ change the band. You mentioned it earlier, you had a different swagger, and led to revisiting Layla with Trey Anastasio. But did doing this give you the confidence to tackle projects like I Am The Moon?
“One of the things that the band took away from doing that project was that there was a confidence that the band came away from it where we felt like we could do anything.
We’ve just had more faith in everybody in the band and each other, and yeah, it definitely changed. It changed that, and it made us realise that a big project is not too much to tackle. So, yeah, it definitely it informed all of that stuff.”
You carry these experiences with you.
We’ve gotten to play with a lot of our heroes, and not just on the surface but, like, really digging in, and having memorable, important musical moments with them
“We just finished a new record. We just recorded 17 tracks, and there’s a few tunes on there where you could just feel that Mad Dogs energy in it, just the way the tunes [are], the balls-out, everything, everybody pointing in the same direction and flying. There’s some of that stuff that sticks with you. Yeah, I mean, that’s the beauty of collaborating and I think one of the things that we’re incredibly fortunate with is our history.
“We’ve gotten to play with a lot of our heroes, and not just on the surface but, like, really digging in, and having memorable, important musical moments with them, whether it was, you know, 15 years with the Allman Brothers – I mean, that stays with you! That never leaves.
“The time with Leon, or the time on the road with BB King – we were out with him for months at a time – those are things that you dip into. And you want to honour their legacy, in small ways and big ways, keep them in people’s minds if you can.”
The timing of this release couldn’t be better.
“I’m glad this project is coming out when it is. We mixed it during the pandemic, because we have the tapes, but it just didn’t feel like the time; we were trying to get the film out there. But now, it’s amazing. It’s lining up with Joe Cocker being inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame – finally. That’s just kind of by chance.”
- Mad Dogs & Englishmen Revisited: Live At LOCKN' is out now via Fantasy.
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.