CBS Orchestra
| CBS Orchestra | |
|---|---|
| Also known as | The World's Most Dangerous Band The Paul Shaffer Band |
| Origin | New York City |
| Years active | 1982–2015 |
| Past members |
Paul Shaffer Anton Fig Felicia Collins Sid McGinnis Will Lee Tom "Bones" Malone Aaron Heick Frank Greene Steve Jordan Hiram Bullock Bernie Worrell Bruce Kapler Al Chez |
The CBS Orchestra was the house band, led by Paul Shaffer, that played for David Letterman's CBS late-night talk show, Late Show with David Letterman. Minus its horn section and second guitarist, it was previously known as The World's Most Dangerous Band (WMDB) from 1982 to 1993, during the group's tenure as the house band for NBC's Late Night with David Letterman.
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 Band was keyboard player Clifford Carter.) Shaffer was a regular attendee at their shows, and had worked with Lee as a session musician. When it came time to create a band for Late Night, Shaffer simply recruited the three non-keyboard playing members of the 24th Street Band, in essence hiring a ready-made supporting band for himself.
Bullock dropped out of the band around the end of 1983. Shaffer had met guitarist Sid McGinnis in 1978; McGinnis became a permanent member of the group, replacing Bullock, in 1984.
Jordan was the second to exit, in 1986, and was replaced by Anton Fig. Shaffer and drummer Fig first played together at a Joan Armatrading recording session in March 1980.
From the mid-1980s through 1993, saxophone player David Sanborn was a frequent guest player, usually sitting in with the band on Thursday or Friday nights. Sanborn was originally intended to be a permanent band member.
When Letterman moved to CBS to host the Late Show in 1993, the band came along and was greatly expanded. 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the NBC Orchestra seen on The Tonight Show; with Carson's retirement and the change of network, the stipulation was no longer in effect, and Shaffer was now free to add horns. 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 Will Lee in 1985 when they backed the Thompson Twins at Live Aid in Philadelphia. Two years later, she and Shaffer first performed together, at a benefit concert for homeless children, hosted by Paul Simon. A horn section was also added at this time, including trombonist Tom Malone, and saxophonist Bruce Kapler. Trumpeter Al Chez was added in February 1997.
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