Without Allen Toussaint, New Orleans’ crucial musical transition from blazing 1950s rock and roll to the second-line funk grooves of the ‘60s might have fizzled out altogether. As the Crescent City’s preeminent producer, arranger, composer, and session pianist, his visionary contributions provided the seminal bridge to a new sound for a new decade. “I just love writing, and it seems to even embellish more as time goes on,” says the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer, who had more to do with the modernization of New Orleans R&B than anyone else.