Singer, songwriter, and guitarist Susan Tedeschi seem like an unlikely superstar.  There's no denying her talent and aura as an emerging music diva with all the attention she garnered as a Grammy nominee this year. Guest appearances with legends such as Bob Dylan and B.B. King have bolstered her reputation as one of the most entertaining and versatile young musicians playing today.  Despite all the international media attention and hype that goes along with a Grammy nomination, Susan has retained her easygoing nature and graciousness.  She is quick to point out that despite her lifelong dedication to music, fame found her and not the other way around.  With roots in blues music, her petite appearance contrasts with her soulful singing and powerful guitar tone.

Tedeschi has certainly traveled a long road to the success she enjoys today, although her journey is far from over.  She graduated from the Berklee School of Music in Boston, took out a $10,000 loan from her family to make her first album, and won awards for her playing at blues festivals and competitions all over the country.  The success of her first album and growth of a grassroots fan base led to her signing with Tone-Cool records, also based out of the Massachusetts area she grew up in.  Her second album, "Just Won't Burn" distinguished her from the numerous female singer-songwriters that have come to the musical forefront in the past 5 years.  She also has strong ties to the jamband community since she opened for the Allman Brothers Band during their summer tour in 1999. She recently sat in with Frogwings at the Jammys for a performance of "Feels So Bad," and it is quite possible that she will team with that group in the future. Tedeschi also isn't afraid to put in a few guest appearances at Derek Trucks Band gigs and tours almost constantly by herself when she's not in the studio planning her next album.

I had the chance to talk with Susan on a rare day off between two of her shows.  Excerpts from that interview follow.

C:  You certainly had a breakthrough year last year.

S:  Yeah, I'm very lucky.

C:  I took a look at your tour schedule yesterday.  You have as busy as summer as anyone I've ever seen.  It must be hell to be your travel agent.

S:  It is! [laughs]  I don't have many days off.  It's a little crazy. It's actually not that bad being on the bus.  What we're doing in August with B.B. [King], we'll be really busy with that.  We'll be driving every single day.

C:  I know you've already gone from Red Rocks last week to Illinois where you played a gig with John Hiatt, back to Colorado to do the Telluride Bluegrass Festival this week as well.  Did you make a special trip to do the date with John?

S:  Yeah, I made a special trip to do that one.  I was asked if I wanted to do that show.  I was told I would have to fly to make it, but I said "sure."  I wanted to do it because of John.  He's been an influence of mine since back in '89.

C:  I always liked his song Buffalo River Home.  That was on the radio when I was in high school.

S:  Very cool.  I didn't discover him until 1988.  A friend in the family turned me onto him and I've been a big fan ever since, pretty much.

C:  Two nights ago you played a gig with Ray Charles in Indianapolis and tomorrow you're headed up to Virginia to share a bill with Maceo Parker. Have you been brushing up on your funk licks or just your soulful singing?

S:  Oh, I didn't get to play with Ray Charles.  I did get to go on right before him, so I got to meet him.  I hugged him and got my picture taken with him.  That was great.  I've done other festivals with Maceo before, but we've never played together.  I'm doing Wolftrap tomorrow with him, so I'm looking forward to that.  His band is outstanding.  He's got some great players.

C:  Gospel has always been in your background a little bit.  Songs like Looking For Answers from your last album leans towards that tradition.

S:  It's funny that a lot of people think that, and I don't hear it as gospel.  Gospel to me is Mahalia Jackson or the Wynan family, you know, groups like that.  For me Looking For Answers is almost more of a traditional or.  I really don't know how to describe it.

C:  You play that song in an "open D" tuning.  For non-guitar players such as myself, how does that differ from other ways of tuning or playing that guitar?

S:  Well, the strings are different.  Instead of being E-B-G on the bottom, it's D-A-F#, so everything is a little different just in the actual tuning of it.  Derek plays in open E tuning.  I'm actually in Harrisburg with Derek right now.

C:  You were about 21 when you graduated from Berklee School of Music in Boston.  Was being a professional musician or entertainer something you had planned on doing all along?

D:  Well, I was 20 when I graduated from Berklee.  I was definitely hoping for it.  It's always a crapshoot.  It's easy to make it one day and then be poor the next day, trying to find a gig.  There's no security in being a musician.  I've always been in love with singing, so it was just a matter of time until I started making records or doing something like that.  I was playing out all the time, even in school, so I've kind of been doing that for a while.  I certainly didn't expect to have all of the success I've had in the past 2 years.  I don't know if it was timing or luck or what.  I feel very blessed.  I feel very lucky because there are so many people out there who are playing well.  I've had a good year.

C:  Tone Cool Records, your label, is based out of Boston, too.  They seem to be a good fit for you musically.  How did you originally come together with them?

S: I had been searching for a label for a long time.  I had been pursued by a few majors, but nothing ever seemed really substantial.  They were just kind of throwing stuff out there.  It never seemed like they really cared about me.  It was hard for me to take them seriously.  The only label that seemed serious was Tone-Cool.  They were very supportive of me as a person and as an artist.  I made the decision to go with them. They were honest and I felt like I could trust them, unlike most record companies.  I think they are very good people.  They know a lot about blues and traditional music.  They were definitely the right people to go with at the time.

C:  Sean Costello played a part in your music career for a period of time. Paul Linden played piano in that band too, didn't he?

S:  Yes.  That whole band played with me from about February '98 until [pauses]  Well, I played with Sean for about 7 months, but then I kept using the rest of his band for a while even after that.

C:  Costello played the lead lines on most of your latest album, "Just Won't Burn."  Was your desire to do more lead playing what lead to your parting ways?

S:  No, it was a clash of personalities.

C:  That album has some great diversity between all the songs, but your vocals are what really rise above there, as opposed to the guitar lines. Is the album that you have been working on at Dark Side studios down in Louisiana going to be a different kind of album?

S:  Well, that was, but I don't know if that is the recording we're going to use.  I think we're actually going to go back into the studio and do some more.  I don't know if that's going to be the one or not.  I think it should be interesting to see what happens.  I need to make some decisions about what this record is going to become.  I think it will be similar to the last record in the variety of styles.  I doubt it will be anything too extreme, though.

C:  Who are the players going to be on the album?  Will it be some of the guys from the last one?

S:  Well, that's what we did in the studio.  I haven't actually made the record yet, so I'm not sure.  There are a lot of musicians who want to be on the album now.  Jimmy Vaughn wants to play on it.  There are a bunch of people I want to work with on it.  I do have some people I want to work with on it, so it should be different.

C:  You were backed by Double-Trouble on one tour, right?  How did you end up playing with those guys?

S:  I met them one time when I did Austin City Limits, a year ago February. They came out and said they would really like to play together with me some day.  So, I invited them out to do a tour with me.  We had a blast.  It was a great learning experience.

C:  You did a few tracks with Willie Nelson as well for his duets album. You could probably release a duets album of your own from all the appearances you've had with Bob Dylan, B.B., Bonnie Raitt...

S:  Yeah, you know I finally got to hang out with her the other day in Telluride and we just had a blast.  We played Angel From Montgomery together.

C:  Was that a highlight for you?

S:  Yes, definitely.  Just to get to meet her and realize how down to earth she is was really a wonderful experience.

C:  That's pretty neat that a bluegrass festival can still make room for other musicians that don't necessarily play straight bluegrass.  I'm sure the audience appreciated it.

S:  That's the thing that I found to be true.  They had a lot of music that was actually very diverse, but still rooted in the same place.

C:  Speaking of roots, you did Farm Aid last year.  Did Willie Nelson get you involved with that?

S:  Yeah, he invited me to come out and play with my band.  It was awesome. He actually invited me to do a special date with him, but I couldn't do it because I was going to be touring with B.B. and Buddy.  I had one day off in 11 shows and I would have had to fly from the West Coast to the East Coast to do it that day.  He's been so incredible, he just so gracious. He's an American Legend, but so down to Earth.  He knows music, he knows people, and he's just very inspiring.  He's a pure and good person.

C:  How have your touring experiences differed between touring by yourself to traveling with the Allman Brothers to just traveling with Derek when he's tour with his own band?

S:  Well, in a way they're all kind of similar.  But the difference is that I actually learn a lot from Derek.  He's just so thoughtful and intelligent about everything.  The guys in his band are really above the music. They're just good people.

C: I agree, I like those guys a lot.

S:  They're outstanding.  You really don't see a lot of bands like that anymore.  To me, sometimes all I see is a lot of egos on the road.  The thing that amazes me about that band is that they're ego-less.  They don't let their attitudes get in the way of the music or each other.  I really love that band.  They're like a home for me.  The RV is really cool.

C:  You met Derek opening for the Allmans last summer, of course.  How long did it take you to get past the professional part of your relationship?

S:  [To Derek in the background] Hey honey, he wants details! [laughs]

C:  You don't have to talk about that if you don't want.

S:  Maybe two weeks.  No, he says a week.

C:  Fair enough.  You said he's helped you a lot, does that include your guitar technique?

S:  It's hard for me to watch him and try to think about playing like that because his tuning is so different and his whole right hand is different. I almost want to just give up!  Actually, he makes me a lot more aware of tone, of playing melodies, and the appropriateness of the guitar.  I'm still learning so much, but I'm so far behind.

C:  Speaking of learning experiences, you have one heck of a tour coming up with B.B. King and Buddy Guy throughout August and September.  You used to play gigs in Memphis at the Black Diamond on Beale St. quite a bit.  Do you feel any special kinship with those musicians?

S:  I don't know B.B. or Buddy really well.  I have toured with B.B. before and he's just such a humble person.  I learn so much from being around people like that not only as a musician, but also as a person. He's very gracious with the musicians in his band.  Plus he's worked harder than most people will ever work in their lives.  They don't make people like that anymore.

There's no doubt that with all the positive things going on in her musical world Susan will be around for music fans for quite a while to come.  To check out her tour dates and find out more about her albums, visit http://www.pipeline.com/~stb/.