[18] In 2005, Andrews was a featured member of Lenny Kravitz's horn section in a world tour that shared billing with acts including Aerosmith.

This association led to Andrews performing with U2 and Green Day during the re-opening of the Louisiana Superdome for the Monday Night Football pre-game show.

[21] At the end of 2006, Andrews appeared on the NBC television series Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, where, leading a group of New Orleans musicians, he performed the holiday classic "O Holy Night".

[22] In 2007, he contributed to Goin' Home: A Tribute to Fats Domino on the track "Whole Lotta Lovin" along with Rebirth Brass Band, Pee Wee Ellis, Fred Wesley, Maceo Parker and Lenny Kravitz.

[24] In 2010, Andrews released the Ben Ellman produced Backatown (Verve Forecast), which reached number one on the Billboard Contemporary Jazz Chart for nine consecutive weeks.

Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue toured Australia, North America, Europe, Japan and Brazil, as well as supported shows for Jeff Beck in the U.K. and Dave Matthews Band in the U.S.

Earlier that day, Andrews also participated in a special education program at The White House with Michelle Obama, Keb' Mo' and Shemekia Copeland.

After interviewing Andrews for the show, Grohl invited Shorty to sit in with the Foo Fighters during their unannounced performance that night at Preservation Hall.

That led to a friendship that has seen Shorty sit in with the Foo Fighters at their performances at Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, Dave Grohl's Birthday Bash at the Forum in Los Angeles and at the William Morris retreat at the Belly Up in Solana Beach, California.

[26] The second time was December 3 for the National Christmas Tree lighting where he performed "Jingle Bells" alongside Crosby, Stills and Nash, Aloe Blacc and Reese Witherspoon.

[30] In 2017, Trombone Shorty was the opening act for Red Hot Chili Peppers on the North American leg of their 2017 The Getaway World Tour.

Trombone Shorty cites his mentors as his brother James, Cyril Neville, Wynton Marsalis, Kermit Ruffins, Walter "Wolfman" Washington, Allen Toussaint, and Lenny Kravitz.

[46] In 2016, Andrews received the 21st Annual Heinz Awards in the Arts and Humanities category, valued at $250,000,[47] "for his achievements as a musician and for his community work to preserve and pass on to younger generations the rich musical heritage of his native New Orleans".

[48] Andrews's autobiography for young readers (titled Trombone Shorty), illustrated by Bryan Collier, was named as a 2016 Caldecott Honor Book.

The book also garnered for Collier the Coretta Scott King Award[49] from the ALA's Ethnic & Multicultural Information Exchange Round Table.