I don’t remember how I discovered Doug Duffey, a member of the Louisiana Music Hall of Fame and the Blues Hall of Fame. Probably a college pal from Louisiana who clued me in. I do know I’ve been a fan for almost 30 years.

I’d planned to spend a quiet Friday evening at home with the pup after attending the New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival, the Muddy Roots Spring Weekender and a bunch of other concerts over the last several weeks. Thank goodness I happened to check The Knickerbocker Saloon’s concert calendar earlier in the day.

Duffey, who played with the Louisiana Soul Revival, danced effortlessly on his keyboard between blues, funk, rock and sweet, sweet soul. Duffey’s voice is gruff, weathered by the better part of five decades on the road. That – and the band’s great horn section – give The Louisiana Soul Revival’s funk tunes bite. But when Duffey sang Toussaint McCal’s “Nothing Takes the Place of You” (one of my favorite songs), his voice was sweet and soulful. Beautiful.

The band, led by guitarist Dan Sumner, is filled with pros. I didn’t think I’d get a chance to return to Louisiana so soon after jazz fest, but they took me back just a few seconds into the first song. They covered several Allen Toussaint songs, which were both poignant, just a few months after his death, and vibrant. But Duffey’s songs are the ones still ringing in my ears.

I wish there’d been a larger crowd to hear a Louisiana music legend and one of the state’s finest bands, but I’m glad I got a chance to hang out with them, if only for a couple of hours.