"Paul Shaffer Paul Allen Wood Shaffer, CM (born November 28, 1949) is a Canadian singer, composer, actor, author, comedian and multi-instrumentalist who served as David Letterman's musical director, band leader and sidekick on the entire run of both ""Late Night with David Letterman"" (1982–1993) and ""Late Show with David Letterman"" (1993–2015). Shaffer was born and raised in Fort William (now part of Thunder Bay), Ontario, Canada, the son of Shirley and Bernard Shaffer, a lawyer. Shaffer was raised in a Jewish family. As a child, Shaffer took piano lessons, and in his teenage years played the organ in a band"
"invited him to be the musical director for the Toronto production of ""Godspell"", starring Victor Garber, Gilda Radner, Martin Short, Eugene Levy, Dave Thomas and Andrea Martin. He went on to play piano for the Schwartz Broadway show ""The Magic Show"" in 1974, then became a member of the house band on NBC's popular ""Saturday Night Live"" (""SNL"") television program from 1975 to 1980 (except for a brief departure in 1977). Though Shaffer was at the piano and appeared to be directing the band's actions, Howard Shore was credited as ""SNL""'s musical director, eventually turning the actual conducting of the"
"Shaffer first performed together at a benefit concert for homeless children, hosted by Paul Simon. A contract stipulation with previous producer Johnny Carson prohibited the World's Most Dangerous Band from having a horn section, so as not to emulate the NBC Orchestra seen on ""The Tonight Show."" With Carson's retirement and the change of network, the stipulation was no longer in effect, and Shaffer was now free to add horns. The band added trombonist Tom Malone and saxophonist Bruce Kapler. Trumpeter Al Chez was added in February 1997. Shaffer and trombonist Malone first worked together in 1975, as original members"
"the ""Late Show"" in 2015. After a two-year hiatus, in 2017, the band was revived by Shaffer using its original name and released an album titled ""Paul Shaffer & The World's Most Dangerous Band"", followed by a tour. The original membership of ""The World's Most Dangerous Band"" was assembled in early 1982 and consisted of Paul Shaffer (keyboards); Will Lee (bass); Hiram Bullock (guitar) and Steve Jordan (drums). Lee, Bullock and Jordan were all previously members of The 24th Street Band, a jazz/rock fusion ensemble that released three albums in the late 1970s. The fourth member of the 24th Street"
"Matthew Shaffer Matthew Joseph Shaffer (born May 4, 1978) is an American musical theatre, television, and film actor, director, executive producer, author , and choreographer. He was born in Florence, Colorado, USA. Shaffer began his career in Southern California. He attended Orange County High School of the Arts. He was accepted as a performing apprentice to the concert dance company Giordano Dance Chicago in 1996. He became a principal in the company the following year. After three years touring the United States and Europe he left the company. He worked in the ensemble of the Radio City Christmas Spectacular at"
"Canadian Paul Shaffer of the ""Late Show with David Letterman"" attended the official launch at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York City. In March 2012, Purple Day received the Royal Assent and became a legal day for epilepsy awareness in Canada. In December 2015, Electronics retailer Dick Smith had arranged a major corporate partnership with Epilepsy Action Australia to support Purple Day in Australia with a $50,000 cash sponsorship, prizes and exclusive distribution of Purple Day merchandise. A week prior to Purple Day celebrations in 2016, Dick Smith was placed in receivership. Later, the Retail Food Group provided a $50,000"
"Don Shafer Don Shafer (born May 25, 1947) is an American-born Canadian broadcaster and radio industry executive. He worked at and managed a number of radio stations in the United States and Canada for over 50 years. Shafer was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and served in the U.S. military from 1965 to 1969 as a communication specialist. Shafer began his broadcast career at WEEP AM Pittsburgh, and also with KNAC FM and KPPC FM in Los Angeles. In 1969, he immigrated to Canada, and worked on-air with CHOM FM (Montreal) from 1969 to 1972, CHUM FM (Toronto) from 1972 to"
"Olympic Games closing ceremonies from Atlanta, Georgia. Shaffer also served as musical director for ""Fats Domino and Friends"", a Cinemax special that included Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis and Ron Wood. He released two solo albums, 1989's Grammy-nominated ""Coast to Coast"", and 1993's ""The World's Most Dangerous Party"", produced by rock musician Todd Rundgren. Shaffer has also recorded with a wide range of artists, including Donald Fagen, Ronnie Wood, Grand Funk Railroad, Diana Ross, B.B. King, Asleep at the Wheel, Cyndi Lauper, Carl Perkins, Yoko Ono, Blues Traveler, Jeff Healey, Cher, Chicago, Luba, Robert Burns, George Clinton, Bootsy Collins, Nina"
"Todd Shapiro Todd Michael Shapiro (born June 20, 1973) is a Canadian broadcaster, radio host, and media personality who currently hosts ""The Todd Shapiro Show"" on SiriusXM Canada's Canada Laughs Channel. Shapiro is also a regular fill in host and currently is one half of The Dart Guy and Todd Shapiro Show on TSN 1050 Radio. Shapiro was born to a civil servant father and teacher mother in Toronto, Ontario, stating his parents provided him with a wonderful upbringing, but taught him little about business which is why he ended up in the arts. He graduated with a sociology diploma"
"City, and accompanied Adam Sandler's Opera Man sketch and the Backstreet Boys' ""Quit Playing Games (with My Heart)"". In 2002, a street which surrounds the Thunder Bay Community Auditorium in his hometown was renamed Paul Shaffer Drive. Shaffer has also received two honorary doctorates, including one from Lakehead University. Since 2002, he has been the national spokesperson for Epilepsy Canada. On September 29, 2005, Shaffer made a major contribution to Lakehead University to dedicate the fifth floor ATAC boardroom to his father Bernard Shaffer, inaugural member of the Board of Governors. In June 2006, he received a star on Canada's"
"Canadian Culinary Championships and the Kelowna General Hospital Foundation. In 2015, he was working with PFLAG and Qmunity Vancouver, the Canadian Red Cross, the British Columbia Institute of Technology, and the BC Chiefs of Police Association. He received the British Columbia Association of Broadcasts 50 Year Certificate of Service in 2014, and was simultaneously inducted into the Canadian Broadcast Industry Hall of Fame. Shafer was also presented with the 2015 Allan Waters Broadcast Lifetime Achievement Award. Don Shafer Don Shafer (born May 25, 1947) is an American-born Canadian broadcaster and radio industry executive. He worked at and managed a number"
"other auditioning bands. Paul has also served as musical director/keyboardist for Pink from 2006 till the present. Besides Cher and Pink he has served as musical director for Janet Jackson, Christina Aguilera,Hilary Duff and others. ""Alongside Paul Shaffer, Paul Mirkovich is arguably the most visible keyboardist on the planet. As musical director and keyboard player for the Rock Star INXS House Band, Paul is seen no less than three nights a week on prime time TV by millions of viewers. And he makes it look like cake, as he and his ace band mates springboard from genre to genre with"
"night talk shows. It was produced, engineered, and mixed by rock icon Todd Rundgren. Assistant engineered by Mike Thompson at The Hit Factory recording studios. Shaffer's band was billed as ""The Party Boys of Rock 'n' Roll"" because NBC held a trademark on the phrase ""World's Most Dangerous Band."" (CBS, where the band would arrive later that year, would also hold the trademark on the name the band would use next, the ""CBS Orchestra."") The World's Most Dangerous Party The World's Most Dangerous Party was Paul Shaffer's second album, released as a double CD in July 1993. Assembled as if"
"Lewis Schaffer Lewis Schaffer is an American comedian, based in Nunhead, south-east London, where he moved in 2000. He currently hosts his own weekly radio show on Resonance FM 104.4FM in London entitled ""Nunhead American Radio with Lewis Schaffer"" and tours Britain as a stand-up comedian. He was the first comic to tour a ""free admission"" show across the United Kingdom and in 2015 performed at 47 theatres and art centres in Britain. Schaffer's show ""Free until Famous"" at the Source Below in Soho ran from October 2008 until April 2014, and afterwards at The Rancho Grill in Mayfair, London."
"Fred Penner Frederick Ralph Cornelius Penner, (born November 6, 1946, Winnipeg, Manitoba) is a Canadian children's music performer who gives appearances throughout North America. His television show, ""Fred Penner's Place"", aired on CBC in Canada from 1985–97, and was seen in the United States on the cable channel Nickelodeon from 1989-92. Penner has received a Juno Award for Children's Album of the Year four times: in 1989, 2003, 2015, and 2018. Penner was born on November 6, 1946 in Winnipeg to Lydia Agathe Penner (née Winters, 1913-2005) and Edward W. Penner (d. 1971). By the age of four, he had"
"Paul Shull Paul James Shull (born May 25, 1973) is a rock music promoter and television host who has worked in music, film and television. He is the host of the television show ""The Weapon Hunter"". Shull was born in Kitchener, Ontario and graduated with honours from St. Davids high school in Waterloo, Ontario in 1993. In 1993, Shull became a music promoter, booking agent and band manager with London, Ontario based company Sink or Swim Promotions. He worked to promote local indie bands and booked local, national and international touring acts. That year Toronto's NXNE festival enlisted Shull to"
"Jack Schaeffer Jack Schaeffer (born March 19, 1946, Los Angeles, California) is an American musician, recording artist, record producer and arranger. The saxophone player and vocalist was signed by producer Gary Usher to a recording contract at MCA/Universal Studios, Decca Records. As a member of the early California surf band the Royale Monarchs, he was under contract by Bob Eubanks as house band at his Cinnamon Cinder night clubs. Schaeffer also performed regularly on the television shows ""The Cinnamon Cinder"" and ""Hollywood Dance Time"". He recorded under the name The Forte' Four with guitarist Dan Anthony, founder of the Royale"
"Saturday Night Live Band The Saturday Night Live Band (referred to in the closing credits as The Live Band) is the house band of the NBC television program ""Saturday Night Live"" (""SNL""). The band has featured many studio musicians from New York, including Paul Shaffer (1975–1980), Lou Marini (1975–1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker, Ray Chew (1980–1983), Alan Rubin (1975–1983), Georg Wadenius (1979–1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), and Tom ""Bones"" Malone, who served as leader of the band from 1981 to 1985. Guitarist G. E. Smith was director from 1985 until 1995. Drummer Matt Chamberlain (1991–1992) is a former member of"
"re-opening of the Capitol Theatre in Port Chester, NY. The facility was built in 1926 and designed by one of the era’s leading theater architects, Thomas W. Lamb. It first saw use as a concert space in 1970, hosting performances by The Grateful Dead, Pink Floyd, Janis Joplin and many others. Following a heyday of a few years, the facility experience a brief resurgence in the 1990s with shows from Phish, Blues Traveler, Spin Doctors, Strangefolk and performances by The Rolling Stones and David Bowie as part of MTV’s Live From The 10 Spot series. In late 2011 Shapiro entered"
"well as his former corps, The Cadets. Chez also conducts brass-music clinics throughout the country. He first met Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra's Will Lee at a club in New York City in 1986 and was asked to tour with Shaffer's band. As ""The World's Most Dangerous Band,"" they performed at such venues as the Jacksonville Jazz Festival and Summerfest in Wisconsin, and the closing ceremonies of the 1996 Winter Olympics. Chez has also played with such artists as Tower of Power, the Robert Cray Band, Dave Edmunds, Dion, Graham Parker, Kim Wilson Sting, Flava Flav, Rolling Stones, Stevie Wonder"
"Ross Shafer Ross Shafer (born Ross Alan Shafer December 10, 1954), is an American comedian and network television host-turned-motivational and leadership speaker/consultant, based in Denver, Colorado. Born and raised in McMinnville, Oregon, Shafer graduated from Federal Way High School in Federal Way, Washington. As a high school All Conference football player, he received a scholarship to play linebacker for the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, where he earned a business marketing degree. Shafer began his career as a small-town pet-store manager-turned-stand-up comic in Seattle, Washington, after winning the Showtime cable network's 1983 Showtime Comedy Laugh-Off. The following year,"
"show, and sometimes questions for the guest posed in the chat room are answered live. The show's self-described ""Paul Shaffer"" is actor Samm Levine. Recurring segments and bits on the show include: In 2012, Pollak began a new podcast called ""Talkin Walkin"" in which he spends an hour or more with a new guest in character as Christopher Walken. After three episodes, the show was rated in the top 5 of all comedy podcasts by iTunes. He is the only person to ever go ""2 for 2"" (two exact matches), as a guest on the Sklar Brothers/Daniel Van Kirk podcast"
"Party"", under the name ""Paul Shaffer and the Party Boys of Rock 'n Roll"". When Letterman moved to CBS to host the ""Late Show"" in 1993, the band came along, renamed itself ""Paul Shaffer and the CBS Orchestra"", and was greatly expanded. Felicia Collins was added as a second guitarist and eventually a vocalist (over the course of the show, she occasionally shared top billing with Shaffer, as ""Paul Shaffer, Felicia Collins and the CBS Orchestra""); she had first performed with Lee in 1985 when they backed the Thompson Twins at Live Aid in Philadelphia. Two years later, she and"
"brand into television. Shafer moved to SUN FM/AM1150/ CILK FM in the BC Interior as Vice President and Regional Manager in 2003, where he remained until 2013. In 2013 and 2014, he became the interim General Manager at Jim Patterson Broadcasting's Q104 and FAB 94 in Winnipeg, participating in the acquisition of the two stations. In this capacity, he oversaw 22 radio stations and two television stations in the BC Interior, as Vice-President and Regional Manager with Standard Media, and took part in the transition to new ownership by Astral and then Bell Media. In 2014 Shafer co-founded Roundhouse Radio"
"Editing in a Documentary Program or Series. More recently, Shull developed and hosted the television show ""The Weapon Hunter"" which focuses on military artifact collectors and military history. Shull began fencing in 2010, and became a C.I. certified fencing instructor. He also became President and a member of the executive of Excelsior Fencing Escrime. He served as chair of the Canadian Fencing Historical Committee in 2013. Paul Shull Paul James Shull (born May 25, 1973) is a rock music promoter and television host who has worked in music, film and television. He is the host of the television show ""The"
"times) or even Elvis Presley. (See the ""Le Show"" article for a more complete list of his characters). Leopold and Shearer are also friends with Paul Shaffer. They share an interest in the vagaries of show business itself and sometimes go on trips to see odd shows. In a ""New York"" article, Leopold said: ""Paul, Harry and I are show-biz-philes. We fly all over to see these bad, funny shows"". Leopold and Shearer produced and co-wrote (with Shaffer) a 1986 Cinemax special titled ""Viva Shaf Vegas"" in which Leopold also performed, some of which was based on this shared interest."
"Al Shaver Al Shaver is a Canadian sportscaster who covered the Minnesota North Stars. He won the Foster Hewitt Memorial Award in 1993 and is a member of the media section of the Hockey Hall of Fame. He is also a member of the Minnesota Broadcasting Hall of Fame. Shaver attended the Lorne Greene Academy of Radio and Television Arts in Toronto, graduating in 1948. He was a play-by-play announcer for radio and television stations in Guelph, Ontario (CJOY), Calgary, Alberta (CJCJ), Medicine Hat, Alberta (CHAT), Edmonton, Alberta (CFRN), Montreal, Quebec (CKGM), Windsor, Ontario (CKWW) and Toronto (CKEY) prior to"
"concert raised money for the people who were affected by Hurricane Sandy in October 2012. Later in 2012, Shaffer appeared in a skit of ""SNL Christmas"", which aired on Saturday, December 15, 2012. He appeared playing the piano and singing for the host Martin Short. In February 2013, he appeared in an episode of the sitcom ""How I Met Your Mother"" titled ""P.S. I Love You"", in which it is revealed that the character of Robin (Cobie Smulders) used to be obsessed with him. The letters ""P.S."" in the episode title refer to Paul Shaffer. In February 2015 Shaffer appeared"
"featured several New York studio musicians including Paul Shaffer (1975–1980), Lou Marini (1975–1983), David Sanborn (1975), Michael Brecker (early 1980s), Ray Chew (1980–1983), Alan Rubin (1975–1983), Georg Wadenius (1979–1985), Steve Ferrone (1985), David Johansen (performing as Buster Poindexter), Tom Malone (who took over as musical director from 1981 to 1985), and G. E. Smith (musical director from 1985 to 1995). As of 2017, the band is under the leadership of Tower of Power alumnus Lenny Pickett, keyboardist Leon Pendarvis, and Eli Brueggemann, who does not play in the band on the live show. The number of musicians has varied over"
"Chas Lawther Charles ""Chas"" Lawther is a British-born Canadian actor, comedian and writer. Lawther came to local prominence in Toronto when in the 1980s he created the character of Chuck The Security Guard for CFMT-TV's ""The All-Night Show"", on the ostensible premise that as the station's night security he would be allowed to use the broadcast facilities to play classic television shows, short films and music videos between sign-off and 6 a.m. Lawther and his comedy partner Suzette Couture formed the comedy duo Joined at the Hip, regularly playing comedy venues across Canada and at one point getting their own"
"Jeff Schaffer Jeff Schaffer is an American film and television director, writer, and producer. During his work with the ""Seinfeld"" series Schaffer created the Festivus pole. Schaffer was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He and his brother Greg (also a film and TV writer and producer) were raised in the Warren–Howland, Ohio area, about east of Cleveland. After graduating from Western Reserve Academy in Hudson, Ohio, Schaffer attended Harvard University, where he was on the staff of the humor publication ""The Harvard Lampoon"". After college, Schaffer and his ""Harvard Lampoon ""writing pals Alec Berg and David Mandel wrote several episodes of"
"""Shindig!"", it was a new direction for pop music presentation. The last show aired in 1981, the year that MTV was launched. The program presented many of the most successful rock bands of the era, but what was consistent week-to-week was Kirshner's deliberately ""flat"" delivery as the program host. In its final season, ""Rock Concert"" was mostly hosted by Kirshner's son and daughter, whose delivery was the same as their father's. Kirshner's ""wooden"" presentation style was later lampooned on ""Saturday Night Live"" by Paul Shaffer, most notably in Shaffer's introduction of the Blues Brothers during the duo's television debut. Shaffer"
"celebrating his life in music. Duffy peers had deemed him as ""one of the greatest stage managers and sound men that Chicago has seen."" Event artists include Paul Barker, Chris Connelly, Jared Louche, Martin Atkins, Steven Seibold, Jim Marcus, Jason Novak, and Eric Powell to perform selections by Revco/Revolting Cocks, Chemlab, 16volt, Acumen Nation, Damage Manual, Hate Dept, The Clay People, and Go Fight!/Die Warzau; additional artists to perform Czar, Cyanotic, , and The Final Cut; with DJ sets by Zoltar, a former Q101 Chicago and WXRT Chicago radio host, and current host of the satellite radio show Subterranean. It"