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. He played in various groups before forming the 31st of February while at Florida State University 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. Claude Hudson Trucks was born on May 11, 1947, in Jacksonville, Florida. His father was an optician. 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. He then attended Jean Ribault High School, where he was made first chair as a freshman.