Photo: CBS
IntroducingStephen Colbert’s new bandleader!
After his seven-season tenure as the musical frontman onThe Late Show, Grammy winnerJon Batisteispassing the torchto multi-instrumentalistLouis Cato.
The musician is no stranger to the late-night scene, as he’s been with the hit CBS show since its relaunch with Colbert in September 2015. Fast forward seven years later and Cato will step even further into the spotlight when the series returns on Sept. 6.
Prior to his permanent gig asThe Late Show’s musical frontman, Cato has served as the show’s interim bandleader throughout the summer. Colbertannounced the switch-up newson Aug. 11 — recognizing Cato for his work and praising his talents.
“Louis has done a great job this summer, and he is very humble, so he won’t say this. But I will. He’s a musical genius,” Colbert said. “He can play basically every instrument over there. Give him an afternoon, he’ll learn how to play Mozart on a shoehorn.”
The feelings are mutual for Cato, who said: “Watching and learning from both Jon and Stephen for these past seven years, I’m genuinely excited to continue the tradition of excellence they’ve established.”
From his acclaimed musical career to the Grammy-winning artists he’s worked with, here’s everything to know about multi-hyphenate Cato.
He will leadThe Late Showband under a new name.
Heather Wines/CBS via Getty
When the eighth season ofThe Late Show with Stephen Colbertpremieres on Sept. 6, the former Batiste-led Stay Human will be renamed to The Late Show Band when Cato takes the lead. Prior to his new role, Cato was a nightly member of the previous group.
The revamped band will include Joe Saylor, who’s jammed alongside Cato since the beginning, as well as veteran house band members Louis Fouché, Jon Lampley, Endea Owens and Nêgah Santos.
He’s traveled all over the world
Jazz Services/Heritage Images/Getty
According to hiswebsite, Cato is “Portuguese-born, Carolina-bred and a current Brooklyn, NY resident.” Between touring to play different venues and hitting the studio to record, the professional musician’s constantly traveling the world for a variety of reasons.
He’s a multi-instrumentalist
David Wolff - Patrick/Getty
He studied at Berklee College of Music for two semesters. Though much of his education and influence is rooted in contemporary Christian and gospel genres, his musical catalog spans wide — much like the wide array of instruments he’s mastered through the years.
Cato honed his bass, drum and guitar skills in the underground jazz and soul scene in Boston, where he’d play nightly performancesduring a five-year period.
He’s recorded music with major musicians
Al Pereira/Getty
The Grammy-nominated artist is more than just a multi-instrumentalist. He’s a songwriter, singer and producer as well. Over the years, he’s collaborated with top talent such as Beyonce, John Legend, Mariah Carey and Lisa Fischer (pictured) among other household names.
He’s a solo artist as well
In addition to his collaborations and two decades worth of projects, Cato made his solo record debut in 2016, entitledStarting Now. He mixed and produced the entire collection of work independently.
Currently, he’s in post-production on his sophomore albumReflections, slated to be released later this year, perDeadline.
He posts song covers on social media
Scott Kowalchyk/CBS via Getty
When he’s not performing onThe Late Show, collaborating with other artists or working on independent projects, Cato’s constantly posting videos of his musical creations to his Instagram, which show off his skills as a multi-instrumentalist.
A tour through his Instagram turns upfascinating clipsof himself performing covers of songs while playing every instrument at the same time, recording each piece separately then stitching them together to create a sound that replicates a complete band.
source: people.com
