On This Day: Susan Tedeschi Was Born on November 9, 1970

Susan Tedeschi was born on November 9, 1970, a date recorded by the Music Museum of New England and the Rhythm & Roots festival’s artist biography. Her birthday offers a reason to return to a musician whose guitar playing and singing belong in the same conversation.

Finding an electric voice

Her official biography describes an important change in direction: leaving a top-40 wedding band, moving from acoustic to electric guitar and studying musicians including Freddie King and T-Bone Walker. That account places her development within a community of working musicians rather than a sudden arrival fully formed.

Just Won’t Burn, released in 1998, is a useful starting point. The official account identifies guitarists Adrienne Hayes and Sean Costello among its contributors. Their presence is a reminder to check performance credits rather than automatically assign every guitar part on a singer-guitarist’s record to its named artist.

Listen beyond the headline

Tedeschi’s solo recordings and her work in Tedeschi Trucks Band provide different settings for that musical identity. For today’s listening, choose a performance and pay attention to how the guitar responds to the vocal. Which moment makes the strongest case for her playing?

Want to dig deeper into Susan Tedeschi’s guitars and gear? Read our full guide.

Sources: Music Museum of New England; Rhythm & Roots artist biography; Susan Tedeschi’s official biography.

Photo: Susan Tedeschi performing at the Pompano Beach Amphitheatre on December 29, 2006. Carl Lender, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped to 16:9, resized and re-encoded for web.