Jon Lampley's Journey From Ohio Church Music to a Late-Night Show Band

Just a few weeks after The Late Show With Stephen Colbert ended, the band's trumpet player Jon Lampley chatted with us in an episode of The CLE Connection podcast.

by Annie Nickoloff | Sep. 2, 2026 | 5:00 AM

Photo courtesy Clay Rodriguez

For the majority of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert's nearly 11-year run, Northeast Ohio native Jon Lampley was a big part of the musical accompaniment. First hired by Jon Batiste as a member of Stay Human, Lampley continued with Louis Cato and the Great Big Joy Machine as the group's trumpet and tuba player.

The Late Show ended in May, wrapping up a significant chapter in Lampley's musical life.

"I think the most dominant feeling is gratitude, for being a kid from Tallmadge, Ohio, that somehow winded up on this program, playing with musicians that are now family," he says. "It's changed my life, and to get to be associated with something that I believe will be talked about for years and years and years to come, as a pillar of American cultural history, it's very surreal."

Though he's not on late-night TV these days, Lampley has stayed plenty busy touring with O.A.R. and performing with other artists and musical groups. This summer, he debuted his latest solo album, Notes to Self, showcasing a musical range that he's developed since first honing his skills in a Tallmadge, Ohio, church band.

We caught up with Lampley just a few weeks after The Late Show ended to hear more about his Northeast Ohio roots, his time on late-night TV and what the next chapter of his musical life will look like.

In the podcast, Lampley discusses the final episode of The Late Show with Stephen Colbert:

"I was fortunate enough to be with that show and with the band from almost day one. My first day playing with originally Jon Batiste and Stay Human was in September of 2015. I think it was maybe two weeks after the show had started. In music, I feel like it's very rare to get to do something for as long as we got to do it, and so all of that to say that the last day was extremely emotional. From getting to the theater for the last time, getting to the dressing room, hanging out with the guys in the band, knowing that this was going to be the last time it's going to happen. Walking down to sound check and rehearsal with Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello, there was a moment where I was talking to Paul, and he ended up playing my trumpet. Seeing Stephen (Colbert) in that moment, and then just going through the course of the day and the show itself.

"It's the type of thing where, as much of an event that it was, it was also like the thing that we'd done almost every day for 11 years. We come out and we perform to the crowd, and then Stephen comes out, and then we go through the show. And obviously, it was a very special show. But I just remember really trying to be present in every single moment of it, knowing that this is the end. To get to perform 'Hello, Goodbye' with Paul McCartney and Elvis Costello and Stephen and (Louis) Cato and Jon Batiste and the whole band and seeing the whole staff come up onto the stage: That's a memory that I will be in my mind forever and ever.

"That day was very surreal, and it's hard to describe what it's like waking up after that, knowing that's done. Very emotional. There's been some tears, a lot of hugs, a lot of just processing that I think will still be happening for days, months. But overall, I'm incredibly grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of that family. It's taught me so much as a musician. I've gained a new family. I've grown as a performer. I learned so much from Stephen, from Jon Batiste, Louis Cato, from all the musicians in the Great Big Joy Machine. I think it's something that I will take with me, and will be a core part of who I am as a person and as an artist for the rest of my life."

Hear more from Lampley in our podcast, which is streaming on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and more.

Listen to more episodes of The CLE Connection:

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Annie Nickoloff

Annie Nickoloff is the senior editor of Cleveland Magazine. She has written for a variety of publications, including The Plain Dealer, Alternative Press Magazine, Belt Magazine, USA Today and Paste Magazine. She hosts a weekly indie radio show called Sunny Day on WRUW FM 91.1 Cleveland and enjoys frequenting Cleveland's music venues, hiking trails and pinball arcades.