5 Things to Know About Jon Batiste

Jon Batiste
photo by David Needleman

Pilgrimage Music Festival 2022 will take place in Franklin, TN at Harlinsdale Farm on September 24-25. Now in its eighth year, artists set to perform include Chris Stapleton, Brandi Carlile, The Avett Brothers, and Jon Batiste to name a few.

In case you’re not familiar with Jon Batiste, who led with 11 GRAMMY nominations this year, here are five things you need to know. And be sure to add him to your list of artists to see.

Batiste has a musical family

Batiste grew up in the New Orleans area. In his family, there are 25 musicians, including his father Michael Batiste, Lionel Batiste, a member of the Treme Brass Band, and Milton Batiste of Olympia Brass Band. He began playing in a band at the age of 8.

The Musical Genius finds inspiration from video games

The music from video games has been an inspiration for him. As he told Washington Post, he is fascinated by the hows and the whys of video game music and how it enhances the games. It was those video games that taught him themes and how to write something that you want to hear over and over again.

He’s the band leader for the Stephen Colbert Show

In 2015, Batiste was named the bandleader and musical director of The Late Show With Stephen Colbert on CBS and continues to do the show.

He was the top winner of the GRAMMYs 2022

Batiste was the most nominated artist with eleven nominations for the night; he took home five wins. He won “Best Music Video” for “Freedom,” “Best American Roots Performance” “Best American Roots Song” for “Cry,” and “Best Score Soundtrack for Visual Media” for Disney and Pixar’s animated hit “Soul.” Batiste had previously won an Oscar for Best Original Score for “Soul,” with collaborators and “Best Album of the Year.”

Not only is he a musician but he’s also an actor

Batiste attended Julliard in New York where he studied music but he also has some acting credits. In an interview with The Julliard Journal he shared about his role in Spike Lee’s “Red Hook Summer”, he played a taxi cab driver. To prepare for the role, he had to learn how to drive. Batiste also appeared in HBO’s “Treme”.

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