The 1985 video "You Kill Me" (aired on the David Letterman Holiday Film Festival special) is credited on-screen to "Paul Shaffer and the Band".
Around this time, the group released an album credited to "Paul Shaffer and the Party Boys of Rock 'n' Roll".
Besides being the house band for the Late Show, the group has also been the house band for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremonies since 1986 and continued in this role for the 2015, award ceremony, which was held April 18, 2015, but aired on HBO several days after the finale of the Late Show with David Letterman.
In 2001, they also served as the backup band for The Concert for New York City, where they performed with David Bowie, Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, Eric Clapton and Buddy Guy, Macy Gray and James Taylor.
[7] The group performed as the guest house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on February 3, 2023, subbing in for The Roots who traveled to Los Angeles for that weekend's Grammys.
[10] The original membership of "The World's Most Dangerous Band" was assembled in early 1982 and consisted of Paul Shaffer (keyboards); Will Lee (bass); Hiram Bullock (guitar) and Steve Jordan (drums).
Lee, Bullock and Jordan were all previously members of The 24th Street Band, a jazz/rock fusion ensemble that released three albums in the late 1970s.
During the interregnum between the end of Late Night on NBC and the beginning of Late Show on CBS, being unable to use the name "The World's Most Dangerous Band" due to an intellectual property claim by NBC, the band released an album The World's Most Dangerous Party, under the name "Paul Shaffer and the Party Boys of Rock 'n Roll".
[11] A contract stipulation with previous producer Johnny Carson prohibited the World's Most Dangerous Band from having a horn section, so as not to emulate the NBC Orchestra seen on The Tonight Show.
With Carson's retirement and the change of network, the stipulation was no longer in effect, and Shaffer was now free to add horns.
In addition, frequent substitute for Anton Fig, Shawn Pelton (of Saturday Night Live fame) had been the drummer on Heick's own 2009 debut album, Daylight and Darkness.
Michael Bearden infrequently substituted for Shaffer as a keyboardist, with drummer Fig taking on the role of bandleader.
[12] Phil Collins played drums with Steve Jordan in the band when he was a guest on the Letterman show on March 26, 1985.
[13] Drummer Shawn Pelton of the Saturday Night Live Band sits in on the drums when Anton Fig is absent.