Saturday Good Reads: Andrew Duhon

It doesn’t seem that long ago when, while visiting my mother in New Orleans, we went to see some old friends, just about the oldest friends we know. She was a bridesmaid in our wedding; my wife was a bridesmaid in hers. They flew to Phoenix when our oldest son was married; we were in a folding chair in front of an old plantation home on the River Road south of Baton Rouge when their daughter was married.

And our youngest children are both named Andrew. My wife in their Andrew’s godmother.

Their Andrew is a singer and songwriter, performing in New Orleans (like the Jazz Festival), all across the South and even the U.K. and Europe. A few years back, he was performing at a folk festival in Memphis, and had his picture taken with two other singers performing at the festival – Chad & Jeremy, my wife’s all-time favorite performers.

His style is a combination of blues, jazz, soul, Randy Newman, a dash of Cajun – all coming together as something unique. Andrew has his own style, and you just have to listen to understand that. When we saw him perform at a club “back of the Quarter” (behind the French Quarter in New Orleans), I kept thinking that this was the rather shy little boy we watched play baseball one afternoon at St. Catherine of Siena Catholic School.

Shy no more, but to talk with him and listen to his music is to experience a kind of grace. He just has that way about him.

He’s produced three albums: Songs I Wrote Before I Knew You, Dreaming When You Leave (with the Lonesome Crows), and The Moorings. And he blogs under his own name, where you can find his performance schedule.

And now, Andrew Duhon.