Since 2005, Uriah has been a member of Whitesnake—as the story goes, David Coverdale reportedly tracked him down via his Website and offered him the bass-playing slot, sight unseen. Being a member of one of the world’s most enduring and popular hard rock acts has offered him many insights into the affinity fans worldwide maintain for smokin’ hot riffs, feathered hair, male cleavage, and power ballads, not to mention a working knowledge of Internet cafes and dive bars in Lithuania, Norway, Belgium, and Luxembourg. In 2008 alone, Duffy estimates, Whitesnake played for over a million people, and several hundreds of thousands more saw him play with Lyrics Born, his other main gig.

While Uriah loves the “prominent role” bass plays in urban music, he notes that “the energy that comes out of playing music in Whitesnake is something I just can't get out of R&B gigs,” adding, “I really do enjoy it all. Slayer is next to Sinatra in my music library!”

It was inevitable, after gigging with so many dynamic emerging musicians and backing up so many classic artists, that Uriah would foray into uncharted waters as an artist himself. His first official solo endeavor, The Uriah Duffy Band, trades power chords for a smooth, soulful, jazz/funk/R&B sound which recalls both the Headhunters and Graham Central Station – with a pinch of arena rock swagger added, for good measure.

For this project, which he somehow found time to do in-between rocking major stages from the New Orleans Jazz Festival to Jimmy Kimmel Live to the UK’s Download Fest, Uriah assembled a veteran band including guitarist B’Nai Rebelfront (The Coup/Lyrics Born), keyboardists Sundra Manning (Ledisi) and Mike Blankenship, trombonist Adam Theis (Jazz Mafia/Brass Mafia/Realistic Orchestra), vocalists Joe Bagale (Jazz Mafia) and Karen Paige, drummer Thomas “Tomcat” McCree, and special guests Greg Errico and Jerry Martini (both from Sly and the Family Stone). Noting that he has history with every single band member, he calls UDB “the natural result of all of my combined experiences, not just musically, but in life.”

Even at this early stage—an album is expected sometime in 2010—UDB is clearly a monster in the making. Becoming a bandleader after being a sideman for so long marks a new experience for Uriah, but one the veteran bassist has embraced with the same kind of affection he’d show to a new amp or wah-wah pedal—that is, unconditional love.