About Butch Trucks
Claude Hudson "Butch" Trucks (May 11, 1947 – January 24, 2017) was an American drummer. He was best known as a founding member of the Allman Brothers Band, for which he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1995. Trucks was born and raised in Jacksonville, Florida. Prior to joining the Allman Brothers, Trucks played in various groups before forming the 31st of February as a student at Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida, in the mid-1960s. He joined the Allman Brothers Band in 1969. Their 1971 live release, At Fillmore East, represented an artistic and commercial breakthrough. The group became one of the most popular bands of the era on the strength of their live performances and several successful albums. Though the band broke up and re-formed various times, Trucks remained a constant in their 45-year career. Trucks died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound on January 24, 2017. He first discovered his talent at drumming when prompted by a band director at Ribault Junior High: "The band director gave three of us sticks and said, 'Play me something,'" he recalled. The band signed a deal with Vanguard Records, and their self-titled debut album was released in 1968.
Biography source: Wikipedia. The profile adds birthday-specific historical context from the Celebs Birthday Today editorial database.