Allman Brothers Guitarist Derek Trucks Talks Inaugural Peach Festival, Joint Shows with Santana

Allman Brothers BandThe Allman Brothers Band is gearing up to host the inaugural Peach Music Festival, scheduled for August 10-12 at Montage Mountain in Scranton, Pennsylvania. The three-day extravaganza is part of the Southern rockers' "Year of the Peach" festivities, celebrating the 40th anniversary of the release of their classic album Eat a Peach.

The Allmans will headline the first two nights of the event, which also will include performances by the band members' various side projects, including the Warren Haynes Band, Tedeschi Trucks Band and Jaimoe's Jasssz Band. In addition, the lineup features such acts as The Wailers, Southside Johnny & the Asbury Jukes, The Blind Boys of Alabama and Robert Randolph and the Family Band.

Allmans slide-guitar whiz Derek Trucks says the group's decision to create The Peach Music Festival was inspired by the success of the band's Wanee Festival, which has been held annually since 2005 in Live Oak, Florida.

"Wanee [has] been getting better every year, and I think they wanted to kind of spread that around…do a few similar festivals," Trucks tells ABC News Radio. "This is a first attempt at that."

He adds, "There's something about that place down in Live Oak, Florida -- it's just a magical setting. I haven't been to this new spot yet, but I'm hoping there's some of that juju that carries over."

The 33-year-old Trucks wasn't even born when Eat a Peach was released, but he cites the album as a major influence and says he's excited to help celebrate its milestone anniversary.

"That's the music I grew up with," he explains. "It's hard to imagine that it's been that long, but [At] Fillmore East, Eat a Peach [and Eric Clapton's] Layla record, I remember going to sleep as a kid listening to those albums."

Prior to The Peach Music Festival, The Allman Brothers will join forces with Santana for six East Coast shows later this month. Trucks says the bill is "a great pairing," adding that The Allmans have been considering teaming up with Santana "for a long time."

Trucks also says he has the utmost admiration for Carlos Santana as a musician.

"He's a unique individual and…is still a real student of music, which I appreciate," he points out. "He's always looking for something new and always pushing himself. So, it's an inspiration to see a guy that's been on the road that long and kind of done it all but still keeps it fresh and still keeps it growing."

The Allmans' tour dates with Santana run from a show this Sunday in Darien Center, New York, through a July 30 gig in Columbia, Maryland. Log on to AllmanBrothersBand.com to check out all the group's upcoming shows.