, 1991 Andrews was one of seven children of James Andrews Jr. and Lois Andrews. He was born in and grew up in the
Tremé neighborhood of
New Orleans, where he was exposed to jazz, R&B and music-related traditions such as
second line parades. His great-uncle
Walter "Papoose" Nelson played with
Fats Domino. Andrews's mother Lois Nelson Andrews was a regular
grand marshal of
jazz funerals and second-line parades in New Orleans, where she routinely encouraged young musicians and was known as the "Mother of Music" and "Queen of the Tremé". Andrews's father James Andrews Jr., a member of the Bayou Steppers Social Aid & Pleasure Club, frequently invited musician friends to visit their home. Andrews's brother Darnell, also a talented trombone player, was shot and killed in 1995. Following that tragedy, Trombone Shorty was left in the care of his manager and friend, Susan Lovejoy Scott, who acted
in loco parentis, managing and mentoring Andrews as a young musician. At the age of four, Andrews started playing a trombone given to him by his brother James "because the family already had a trumpet player". In 1990,
Bo Diddley heard the four-year-old Andrews playing and invited him on stage at the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. He participated in brass band parades as a child, becoming a band leader by the age of six. He is featured in Disney's film ''America's Heart and Soul'' as a child musician. In his teens, he was a member of the
Stooges Brass Band. Andrews's parents opened a nightclub in Tremé called Trombone Shorty's, where he would play on occasion as a child, as well as a jam space for musicians called "The Space". Since his youth, Andrews has been mentored by
Cyril Neville, whom he calls "a second father". Andrews graduated in 2004 from
Warren Easton High School. In 2005, Andrews was a featured member of
Lenny Kravitz's horn section in a world tour that shared billing with acts including
Aerosmith. Andrews was part of the New Orleans Social Club, a group formed after
Hurricane Katrina to record a benefit album. He was featured guest on "Hey Troy, Your Mama's Calling You," a tribute to "Hey Leroy, Your Mama's Calling You" a
Latin jazz song by the
Jimmy Castor Bunch in 1966. Andrews is interviewed on screen and appears in performance footage in the 2005 documentary film
Make It Funky!, released in 2005, which presents a history of the
music of New Orleans and its influence on
rhythm and blues,
rock music,
funk and
jazz. In the film, he performed with
Kermit Ruffins and
Irvin Mayfield on "
Skokiaan", and was a guest performer with the
Dirty Dozen Brass Band on "My Feet Can't Fail Me Now" as well as a guest performer with
Big Sam's Funky Nation on "Bah Duey Duey". In London, during the summer of 2006, Andrews began working with producer
Bob Ezrin and
U2 at
Abbey Road Studios. 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. 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". 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. Between 2010 and 2013, Andrews appeared in seven episodes of the HBO series
Treme. 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. They performed on television shows including
Conan,
Late Show with David Letterman,
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno,
Jimmy Kimmel Live!,
Bonnaroo, and
Austin City Limits. He also recorded on CDs from
Galactic,
Eric Clapton, and
Lenny Kravitz and on the Academy Award nominated song "Down In New Orleans" with
Dr. John. In September 2011, Andrews released the album
For True as a follow-up to his earlier album
Backatown. Along with all the members of his band, Orleans Avenue, this record includes appearances by the
Rebirth Brass Band,
Jeff Beck,
Warren Haynes,
Stanton Moore,
Kid Rock, Ben Ellman and
Lenny Kravitz as a returning guest artist. On January 8, 2012, Andrews performed the National Anthem before the start of the NFL playoff game between the
New York Giants and
Atlanta Falcons.
Soul Rebels Brass Band invited Andrews to special guest on their
Rounder Records debut record,
Unlock Your Mind, released on January 31, 2012. On March 31, 2012, Andrews's single "Do To Me" was featured before both semi-final games of the 2012 NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament on CBS. On February 21, 2012, Andrews performed at The White House as part of the Black History Month celebration,
In Performance at the White House: Red, White & Blues, which premiered on PBS on February 27, 2012. The event featured performances from
B.B. King,
Jeff Beck,
Keb' Mo',
Mick Jagger,
Susan Tedeschi and
Derek Trucks and more. Earlier that day, Andrews also participated in a special education program at The White House with
Michelle Obama,
Keb' Mo' and
Shemekia Copeland. On January 24, 2014, Andrews performed at
MusiCares alongside
Steven Tyler and
LeAnn Rimes. On January 26, 2014, Andrews performed at the
56th Annual Grammy Awards held at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, CA. He performed with
Macklemore & Ryan Lewis,
Madonna and
Queen Latifah in a version of Macklemore's "
Same Love". On February 16, 2014, Andrews and Orleans Avenue led the performance at halftime of the NBA Allstar Game, which was held at the Smoothie King Center in New Orleans, with Andrews also acting as music director for the entire segment joined by
Dr. John,
Janelle Monáe,
Gary Clark Jr. and
Earth, Wind & Fire. In May 2014,
Dave Grohl and
Foo Fighters traveled to New Orleans to tape their
HBO series,
Foo Fighters: Sonic Highways. 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. Also in May 2014, Andrews appeared on
Mark Ronson's album
Uptown Special, notably on the collaboration with
Mystikal on the single "
Feel Right." At the end of 2014, Andrews recorded the theme song for the remake of the
Odd Couple, which premiered on CBS in February 2015. In 2015, Andrews made his feature film debut, recording the voice of the teacher Miss Othmar and the other adults in
The Peanuts Movie. Andrews performed twice for
Barack Obama at the
White House in 2015. The first time was October 14 where he performed "
Fiya on the Bayou" and also performed with
Usher and
Queen Latifah. 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. In November 2015, Andrews and Orleans Avenue toured Europe with Foo Fighters, although the tour ended early due to the
November 2015 Paris attacks. In April 2016, he performed "Stay All Night" with
Little Big Town at the 2016
Academy of Country Music Awards. In the summer of 2016, Trombone Shorty & Orleans Avenue were a supporting act for
Hall & Oates. 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. In February 2017, Trombone Shorty signed to
Blue Note Records. His Blue Note debut,
Parking Lot Symphony, was released on April 28, 2017, the first day of the
New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. ==Influences==