Jon Lampley is a trumpeter, sousaphonist, singer-songwriter, and bandleader whose work bridges modern jazz, soul, gospel, and contemporary roots music. For more than a decade, he was a core member of the house band on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert, performing nightly under bandleaders Louis Cato and previously Jon Batiste, honing his musicianship and commanding stage presence before a global audience. His solo debut, Night Service: Live at LunÀtico (2024), was praised by NPR as “so joyful,” and his artistry has also been highlighted by The New York Times.

Beyond late-night television, Lampley has built a reputation as one of the most versatile brass players of his generation. He co-founded the high-energy jazz-funk ensemble Huntertones and has performed in amphitheaters, arenas, and festivals with jam-rock mainstays O.A.R. and pop-soul powerhouse Lake Street Dive. Long regarded as an elite collaborator and sideman, Lampley has increasingly stepped forward as a frontman, composer, and creative force in his own right.

That instinct to lead is rooted in his upbringing in Akron, Ohio, where church music shaped both his sound and philosophy. Learning trumpet by ear and absorbing the emotional power of communal performance, Lampley developed a style centered on connection, intention, and atmosphere. He continued refining his craft at The Ohio State University before relocating to Brooklyn, New York, where his artistic vision fully crystallized. Influenced by the trumpet lineage of Roy Hargrove and Louis Armstrong and the soulful vocal traditions of Sam Cooke and D’Angelo, Lampley focuses less on flash and more on creating a sound that is immediate, human, and unmistakably his own.