38 Facts About Paul Shaffer

Paul Shaffer's father, a lawyer, was a jazz aficionado while his mother loved show tunes.

When Paul Shaffer was 12, his parents took him on a trip to Las Vegas where they took in Nat King Cole and other shows; this was an experience Paul Shaffer described later as "life changing" and led to his decision to become a performer.

Paul Shaffer appears briefly, playing an organ at an outdoor wedding, in North of Superior, an early IMAX documentary shot in northern Ontario.

Paul Shaffer began his music career in 1972 when Stephen Schwartz 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.

Paul Shaffer 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 Saturday Night Live television program from 1975 to 1980.

Paul Shaffer regularly appeared in the show's sketches, notably as the pianist for Bill Murray's Nick the Lounge Singer character, and as Don Kirshner.

Paul Shaffer occasionally teamed up with the Not Ready for Prime-Time Players off the show, as well, including work on Gilda Radner's highly successful Broadway show and as the musical director for John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd whenever they recorded or performed as the Blues Brothers.

Paul Shaffer was to appear in the duo's 1980 film, but as he revealed in October 2009 on CBS Sunday Morning, Belushi dropped him from the project.

Paul Shaffer later reported that he was in love with Gilda Radner.

Paul Shaffer went on to appear in 1998's Blues Brothers 2000.

Paul Shaffer left SNL in 1977 for a few months to co-star with Greg Evigan in A Year at the Top, a short-lived CBS sitcom in which Paul Shaffer and Evigan play two musicians from Idaho who relocate to Hollywood, where they are regularly tempted by a famous promoter, played by Gabriel Dell, to sell their souls in exchange for a year of stardom.

In February 2015, Paul Shaffer appeared on the 40th-anniversary special of SNL, playing music to Bill Murray's lounge-singer character, a love song from the movie Jaws.

Letterman consistently maintained that the show's switch to CBS was because NBC "caught Paul Shaffer stealing pens" or some other trivial reason.

Paul Shaffer guest-hosted the show four times when Letterman was unavailable: February 9 and 11,2000, during Letterman's recovery from his quintuple heart bypass surgery; March 24,2003, when Letterman was suffering from shingles; and January 19,2005, when Letterman went to receive an award for his racing team's victory in the 2004 Indianapolis 500.

Paul Shaffer recorded the synthesizer solo in the 1982 song "Goodbye to You" by the band Scandal.

Paul Shaffer used his Oberheim OB-Xa to emulate a 1960s organ sound.

Paul Shaffer wrote and performs the bridging music on Letterman's current Netflix series My Next Guest Needs No Introduction with David Letterman which premiered in 2018.

In developing the sound of the show's music, Paul Shaffer initially looked to Letterman for guidance.

The score initially included drums, but the show's producers and director thought that the music should "feel like it's Dave's old friend Paul Shaffer playing", so it was ultimately stripped down to solely include piano and organ.

In 1984, Paul Shaffer played keyboards for The Honeydrippers, a group formed in 1981 by former Led Zeppelin frontman Robert Plant, on their only studio album, The Honeydrippers: Volume One.

Paul Shaffer released two solo albums, 1989's Coast to Coast, and 1993's The World's Most Dangerous Party, produced by rock musician Todd Rundgren.

Paul Shaffer has served as musical director and producer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony since its inception in 1986 and filled the same role for the 1996 Olympic Games closing ceremonies from Atlanta, Georgia.

Paul Shaffer served as musical director for Fats Domino and Friends, a Cinemax special that included Ray Charles, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Ron Wood.

Paul Shaffer has hosted Musicians Hall of Fame and Museum induction concert and ceremonies.

Paul Shaffer has appeared in a number of motion pictures over the years, including a small role in Rob Reiner's This Is Spinal Tap, Blues Brothers 2000, a scene with Miles Davis in the Bill Murray film Scrooged, and as a passenger in John Travolta's taxicab in Look Who's Talking Too.

Paul Shaffer hosted Happy New Year, America in 1994 on CBS.

Paul Shaffer served as musical director for 2001's The Concert for New York City, and accompanied Adam Sandler's "Opera Man" sketch and the Backstreet Boys' "Quit Playing Games ".

In 2002, he hosted the infamous Friars Club Roast of Chevy Chase on Comedy Central in which the presenters' insults directed at the comedian were so vicious, Paul Shaffer reportedly had to console him afterwards.

Paul Shaffer was the musical director for A Very Murray Christmas, a 2015 Netflix variety special starring Bill Murray in which Paul Shaffer appears and performs extensively.

Paul Shaffer competed on the second season of the TV series The Masked Singer as "Skeleton".

On September 29,2005, Paul Shaffer made a major contribution to Lakehead University to dedicate the fifth-floor ATAC boardroom to his father Bernard Paul Shaffer, inaugural member of the board of governors.

Later in 2012, Paul Shaffer appeared in a skit of SNL Christmas, which aired on Saturday, December 15,2012.

Paul Shaffer appeared playing the piano and singing for the host Martin Short.

Paul Shaffer is a member of Canadian charity Artists Against Racism.

Paul Shaffer was inducted into the Order of Canada, Canada's highest honour, in 2007.

Paul Shaffer's appearance was included on the live album recorded on that date.

Paul Shaffer has received two honorary doctorates, including one from Lakehead University.

Paul Shaffer has been married to Cathy Vasapoli, a former talent booker on Good Morning America, since 1990.