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CANADIAN MUSIC WEEK ANNOUNCES
PAUL SHAFFER
AS HOST OF THE
2017 LIVE MUSIC INDUSTRY AWARDS
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For 33 years Paul Shaffer served as David Letterman’s musical director and sidekick.
Paul began his career in 1972 as musical director of the Toronto production of “Godspell.” He
played piano in “The Magic Show” on Broadway in 1974, then spent the next five years with the original
“Saturday Night Live,” where he played keyboards, composed special musical material and, in 1980,
became a featured performer.
In 1977, he took a brief break from the show to star in the CBS comedy series “A Year at the
Top,” produced by Norman Lear and Don Kirshner. After his return to “Saturday Night Live,” he
collaborated with Gilda Radner on the songs for her Broadway show, in which he also appeared. He
served as musical director for the Blues Brothers – John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd – for their triple
platinum album and national tour. His guest starring television appearances include “Ed”, “The
Sopranos”, “Law & Order: Criminal Intent”, and “How I Met Your Mother”. Paul recently starred with
Bill Murray in and was musical director for the Netflix special “A Very Murray Christmas”, directed by
Sofia Coppola, for which he received his fourth EMMY nomination.
In addition to recording his own albums, Coast to Coast (1989) and The World’s Most Dangerous
Party (1993), Shaffer recorded with such diverse artists as Diana Ross, Yoko Ono and Robert Plant’s
Honeydrippers. He composed the LATE SHOW theme song and, with Paul Jabara, wrote the Number
One ’80s dance hit “It’s Raining Men,” performed by the Weather Girls and re-recorded by Geri Halliwell
for the “Bridget Jones’s Diary” soundtrack, topping the British pop charts in 2001. In 2002, he received
his first GRAMMY, Best Country Instrumental, for the Earl Scruggs and Friends album, and coproduced
an avant-garde jazz album for his mentor, Tsziji Munoz.
His feature film roles include Artie Fufkin in Rob Reiner’s “This Is Spinal Tap.” He also
appeared in the Mike Nichols-directed “Gilda Live,” the Bill Murray movie “Scrooged,” and with John
Travolta in “Look Who’s Talking Too.” He is heard as the voice of Hermes in Disney’s animated feature
“Hercules” and the television series based on the film. He produced the gold selling soundtrack for and
appeared in “Blues Brothers 2000”, and composed original songs for
the movie “Strangers with Candy.”
Shaffer has served as musical director and producer for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
induction
ceremony since its inception in 1986. He led the band for the “We Are the World” finale
of Live Aid.
Shaffer hosted CBS’s 1994 New Year’s Eve special from New York’s Times Square
and was musical
director of the closing concert at the 1996 Summer Olympic Games. He
appeared with the Blues
Brothers at the 1996 Super Bowl halftime show and was musical
director of the 1999 Concert of the
Century at the White House, featuring Eric Clapton, B. B. King, Gloria Estefan, ‘N Sync and others, to aid
music programs in public schools. He was Paul McCartney’s musical director for “Concert for New
York” and appeared with Faith Hill on the “America: A Tribute to Heroes” telethon, both of which
honored and raised money for victims of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
“Paul Shaffer’s This Day in Rock,” is a daily interstitial feature nationally syndicated by Envision
Radio. Paul’s best-selling memoir, We’ll Be Here For The Rest of Our Lives, is published by Random
House, and his latest CD, produced by Richard Gottehrer, will be released in early 2017.
Shaffer holds two honorary doctorate degrees, was inducted into the National Black Sports and
Entertainment Hall of Fame, and awarded a star on Canada’s Walk of Fame. In 2008, Paul received the
Order of Canada, Canada’s highest civilian honor. He lives in the New York area with his wife and two
children.
Catch Paul Shaffer on Wednesday, April 19th as he hosts the 2017 Live Music Industry Awards at the Sheraton Centre Hotel, Toronto. Get your tickets below.
About Live Music Industry Awards:
Created by Canadian Music Week in partnership with the International Festival Network (IFN) and Music Canada Live, the trade association for the live music sector, the Live Music Industry Awards are a highlight of CMW’s Live Music Summit.
“Last year the first-ever LMIA’s proved beyond a doubt that we have much to celebrate, by acknowledging lives’ incredible contributions to the industry. This year, we continue shine a spotlight on this passionate and dedicated community – one that works tirelessly to put artists and fans together. This effort is at the heart of what Music Canada Live is about, and we are thrilled to co-present the second annual LMIA’s in 2017 with CMW on behalf of our members and Canada’s live music industry.” Erin Benjamin,
Executive Director
,
Music Canada Live
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REMINDER
LMIA NOMINATION SUBMISSIONS
NOMINATION DEADLINE:
JANUARY 27TH, 2017
Submit your nomination
here.
Voting Opens February 1st.
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