Bill King on Facebook, 5/19/26: When Thursday evening finally rolls around, and Stephen Colbert signs off for the last time, we will miss far more than the biting monologues, the intelligent interviews, the political darts launched with a grin, and the parade of musical guests crossing that famous stage beneath the glow of the Ed Sullivan marquee. Lost in all the conversation surrounding the end of this era is one of the finest late-night bands ever assembled for television. In the tradition of Doc Severinsen and the mighty Tonight Show Band, Colbert quietly built a modern ensemble that deserves a permanent seat in television music history.
When Colbert launched The Late Show eleven years ago alongside Jon Batiste and Stay Human, it felt like a jolt of fresh electricity running through late-night. The faces were different. The energy was different. The musical language leaned heavily toward New Orleans soul, jazz spontaneity, gospel grooves, and fearless improvisation. It did not feel polished for network television. It felt alive. There was joy in the looseness, danger in the transitions, and chemistry that could not be manufactured in some executive boardroom.
When Batiste exited in August of 2022, and the reins were handed to multi-instrumentalist Louis Cato, I honestly did not know how to read the transition. Batiste had become such a visible and magnetic force that replacing him felt nearly impossible. Yet almost immediately, something fascinating happened. The giant grand piano disappeared. The band’s visual language changed. What emerged was tighter, leaner, and more communal. The focus was no longer fixed on one dazzling frontman. The spotlight widened. The love was shared equally across the stage.
And Colbert understood exactly what he had in front of him.
Rather than keeping the musicians politely tucked away in the shadows, as television has done for decades, he elevated them into prime-time personalities. He joked with them, trusted them, leaned on them, and celebrated them openly. Night after night, the audience came to know these players not merely as “the band,” but as artists with stories, humour, personalities, and extraordinary musical depth. I cannot remember another late-night host who treated his musicians with such genuine affection and respect. You could feel the admiration in the room.
Colbert never presented them as wallpaper. He presented them as family.
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Go here to read more of Bill’s thoughts on this matter, along with short bios of the band members:
https://www.facebook.com/billkingpiano
https://www.billkingpiano.substack.com
Barb Dye: I was never worried about Colbert but musicians already have a hell of a time finding a decent paying job. I sure am wishing them the best in the future. Damn the bosses at CBS.
Photo: Great Big Joy Machine Band
