The Roots are an American hip hop band formed in 1987 by Tariq "Black Thought" Trotter and Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The Roots serve as the house band on NBC's The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, having served in the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon from 2009 to 2014. Current regular members of The Roots on The Tonight Show are Captain Kirk Douglas, Mark Kelley, James Poyser, Ian Hendrickson-Smith, Damon "Tuba Gooding Jr." Bryson, Stro Elliot, Dave Guy, Kamal Gray, and Raymond Angry.
Ahmir K. Thompson, known professionally as Questlove, is an American drummer, record producer, disc jockey, filmmaker, music journalist, and actor. He is the drummer and joint frontman for the hip-hop band the Roots. The Roots have been serving as the in-house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon since 2014, after having fulfilled the same role on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon. Questlove is also one of the producers of the 2015 cast album of the Broadway musical Hamilton. He has also co-founded of the websites Okayplayer and OkayAfrica. He joined Clive Davis Institute of Recorded Music at New York University as an adjunct professor in 2016, and hosts the podcast Questlove Supreme.
Tariq Luqmaan Trotter, better known as Black Thought, is an American rapper, singer, actor and the lead MC hip hop group The Roots, which he co-founded with drummer Questlove in Philadelphia. Regarded as "one of the most skilled, incisive, and prolific rappers of his time", he is widely lauded for his live performance skills, continuous multisyllabic rhyme schemes, complex lyricism, double entendres, and politically aware lyrics. He and The Roots perform as the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, frequently playing games with Fallon and his guests.
James Jason Poyser is an American record producer, multi-instrumentalist, and songwriter from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He has been a member of the hip hop band The Roots since 2009, and plays with The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon and formerly, Late Night with Jimmy Fallon.
Bilal Sayeed Oliver is an American singer, songwriter, and record producer. He is an independent artist, noted for his wide vocal range, work across multiple genres, and intense live performances.
The Soulquarians were a rotating collective of experimental Black music artists active during the late 1990s and early 2000s. Initially formed by singer and multi-instrumentalist D'Angelo, drummer and producer Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson, and producer-rapper J Dilla. They were later joined by singer-songwriter Erykah Badu, trumpeter Roy Hargrove, keyboardist James Poyser, singer Bilal, bassist Pino Palladino, rapper-producers Q-Tip and Mos Def, and rappers Talib Kweli and Common. Prior to its formation, Q-Tip, Common, Mos Def, and Talib Kweli were members of the Native Tongues collective, whilst Q-Tip's original group A Tribe Called Quest served as one of the inspirations behind the Soulquarians.
Kamal Gray is a keyboardist, rapper, vocalist, and producer from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is member of the hip hop band, The Roots, who are also the house band, The Tonight Show Band on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. Gray occasionally appears in games and sketches on The Tonight Show.
Robert Andre Glasper is an American pianist, record producer, songwriter, and musical arranger. His music embodies numerous musical genres, primarily centered around jazz. Glasper has won five Grammy Awards from 11 nominations.
Elliott Yamin is the debut studio album by American singer Elliott Yamin. It was released on March 20, 2007 through Hickory Records, while distribution was overseen by Sony BMG-owned RED Distribution. Yamin, an American Idol finalist, collaborated with Sony/ATV Music Publishing to write, produce, and market the record. Collaborators include Josh Abraham, Busbee, DJ Lethal, Michael Mangini, and Stargate. The album includes 11 tracks, although several bonus tracks are offered at different retailers.
The discography of the Roots, an American hip hop band, consists of fourteen studio albums, three compilation albums, two extended plays, and two live albums. The Roots began performing in 1989 as the Square Roots with rapper Black Thought and drummer Questlove. Rapper Malik B., and bassist Leonard Hubbard joined the band in 1991. Over its history, Questlove and Black Thought have always remained with the Roots while their lineup of backing musicians has changed.
Late Night with Jimmy Fallon was an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon. The hour-long show aired from March 2, 2009 to February 7, 2014 on weeknights at 12:35 am Eastern/11:35 pm Central, on NBC.
Steve Wilson is an American jazz multi-instrumentalist, who is best known in the musical community as a flutist and an alto and soprano saxophonist. He also plays the clarinet and the piccolo. Wilson performs on many different instruments and has performed and recorded on over twenty-five albums. His interests include folk, jazz, classical, world music, and experimental music. Wilson is currently on the faculty of New England Conservatory in Boston, Massachusetts. He was elected as an American Champion by the National Flute Association. Wilson has maintained a busy career working as a session musician, and has contributed to many musicians of note both in the recording studios, but as a sideman on tours. Over the years he has participated in engagements with several musical ensembles, as well as his own solo efforts.
David Murray appears on hundreds of recordings as a leader and performer. This discography covers albums released under his name, by groups he was/is a member of and other albums he has contributed to. Dates are of recording, not release.
The Tonight Show Band refers to the house band on the American television variety show The Tonight Show, which has created an important showcase for jazz on American television. The Tonight Show Band has changed in form and composition since the program first aired in 1954. The Roots have been The Tonight Show Band since 2014 for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Payback is the seventh studio album of American rapper/producer Danny Swain, released under the name Danny!. The album was recorded primarily during the summer of 2011 shortly after Where Is Danny?'s re-release via Interscope Records. After leaving Interscope, Swain subsequently signed to Okayplayer Records, and the album was released in late September 2012.
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon is an American late-night talk show hosted by actor and comedian Jimmy Fallon that airs on NBC. The show premiered on February 17, 2014, and is produced by Broadway Video and Universal Television. It is the seventh incarnation of NBC's long-running Tonight Show franchise, with Fallon serving as the sixth host. The show also stars sidekick and announcer Steve Higgins and house band The Roots. The Tonight Show is produced by Katie Hockmeyer and executive-produced by Lorne Michaels. The show records from Studio 6B in Rockefeller Center, New York City, which is the same studio in which Tonight Starring Jack Paar and then The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson were produced from 1957 until 1972.
...And Then You Shoot Your Cousin is the fourteenth studio album by American hip hop band the Roots. The album was released on May 19, 2014, by Def Jam Recordings.
Questlove Supreme is a weekly podcast led by Questlove and co-hosted by Team Supreme, which currently includes Unpaid Bill, Suga Steve, and Laiya St. Clair, and formerly Phonte and Boss Bill.
Damon Bryson, better known by his stage name Tuba Gooding Jr., is an American tubist and member of the hip hop band The Roots, joining the band in 2007. He plays the sousaphone in The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon.
Stro Elliot is an American producer, multi-instrumentalist, and member of the hip hop band The Roots, joining the band in 2017. Elliot plays keyboards, percussion, and does sampling with The Roots in the house band for The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. As a multi-instrumentalist, Stro employs elements of beatbox, percussion, sampling, tambourine, finger drumming, and keyboards.
